Overijssel | |||
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Province of the Netherlands | |||
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Anthem: Aan de rand van Hollands gouwen | |||
Location of Overijssel in the Netherlands |
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Country | Netherlands | ||
Capital | Zwolle | ||
Largest city | Enschede | ||
Government | |||
• King's Commissioner | Ank Bijleveld (CDA) | ||
Area | |||
• Land | 3,327 km2 (1,285 sq mi) | ||
• Water | 94 km2 (36 sq mi) | ||
Area rank | 4th | ||
Population (2006) | |||
• Land | 1,113,529 | ||
• Rank | 7th | ||
• Density | 330/km2 (870/sq mi) | ||
• Density rank | 7th | ||
ISO 3166 code | NL-OV | ||
Religion (2006) |
Protestant 29% Catholic 26% Muslim 2% Others 6% Non-religious 37% |
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Website | www.overijssel.nl |
Overijssel (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌoːvəˈrɛisəl]; Dutch Low Saxon: Oaveriessel [ˌoːvəˈrisəɫ]) is a province of the Netherlands in the central-eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "[Land] across the IJssel", from the perspective of the bishopric of Utrecht by which it was held until 1528. The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede. The province has a population of 1,113,529 inhabitants.
Overijssel is bordered by Germany to the east, the Achterhoek region of Gelderland to the south, the Veluwe region of Gelderland and Flevoland to the west, and Friesland and the former moors of Drenthe to the north. Overijssel comprises three regions: Kop van Overijssel in the northwest, Salland in the centre of the province, and Twente in the east. Besides the capital Zwolle, other major cities are Almelo, Deventer, Enschede, and Hengelo.
To the southeast, the province's surface is mostly sandy, interspersed with small rivers such as the Regge and Dinkel and other brooks. In the northwest, the geology is dominated by sediments from the Overijsselse Vecht and clay. The northern parts were once covered by veen (bogs) which separated the dryer and more arable south from Drenthe and which have been exploited as fuel to a large degree. Only small patches survive today (Engbertsdijksvenen near Tubbergen, Witteveen (near Haaksbergen), and the Aamsveen (near Enschede). The extreme northwest is dominated by a system of lakes formed by former peat-mining, the Weerribben, which is a valuable wetland.