Betuwe

The Betuwe (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈbeːtywə]) (from batawjō, "good island", from Germanic bat- "good, excellent" and awjō "island, land near water") is an area in the Dutch province Gelderland. Tacitus knew it as Insula Batavorum ("Island of the Batavians," the Germanic tribe from which the modern name is derived) and indeed it could be considered a large river island, but nowadays it hardly ever is viewed as such (with the exception of the last months of World War II (October 1944 - June 1945) when it became known as "Men's Island" or "Manneneiland" due to the evacuation of its entire civilian population during Operation Market Garden, leaving only soldiers behind). When the Pannerdens Kanaal was dug between 1701 and 1709, the easternmost tip of the Betuwe (including the towns of Pannerden and Lobith) was cut off from the rest of the region.

The Betuwe is situated between the Waal and Rhine/Lek rivers, surrounding the Linge stream, and is famous for its fruit production. The largest and most important city in the area is Tiel.

In 1995, a large part of this area had to be evacuated because the rivers threatened to overflow. This did not happen, but it raised the debate again about whether to reinforce the dikes.

A major freight railroad, the Betuweroute, passes through the Betuwe. It was opened in 2007 after many years of controversy.

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