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Slochteren

Slochteren
Village and Municipality
Fraeylemaborg in Slochteren
Fraeylemaborg in Slochteren
Flag of Slochteren
Flag
Coat of arms of Slochteren
Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Slochteren in a municipal map of Groningen
Location in Groningen
Coordinates: 53°13′N 6°48′E / 53.217°N 6.800°E / 53.217; 6.800Coordinates: 53°13′N 6°48′E / 53.217°N 6.800°E / 53.217; 6.800
Country Netherlands
Province Groningen
Government
 • Body Municipal council
 • Mayor Geert-Jan ten Brink (PvdA)
Area
 • Total 158.87 km2 (61.34 sq mi)
 • Land 151.03 km2 (58.31 sq mi)
 • Water 7.84 km2 (3.03 sq mi)
Elevation −1 m (−3 ft)
Population (May 2014)
 • Total 15,546
 • Density 103/km2 (270/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Slochtenaar
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode 9615–9629, 9939
Area code 0598
Website www.slochteren.nl

Slochteren (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈslɔxtərən]) is a village and municipality with a population of 15,546 in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands.

The municipality can be characterized as a chain of small villages dividing a mostly agricultural landscape. Having an agricultural background for at least a thousand years, the community houses for the most part commuters to nearby towns like Hoogezand, Groningen and Delfzijl. The mansion Fraeylemaborg (a small 'castle', the oldest parts of which are dated in the Middle Ages) is located in Slochteren.

The population centres in the municipality are:

Gem-Slochteren-OpenTopo.jpg

Topographic map of the municipality of Slochteren, June 2015


Slochteren is in the center of the giant Groningen gas field, discovered in 1959, ensuring the position of the Netherlands as a major energy exporting country. The estimated gas reserves in 2009 was 2,700 km3 (650 cu mi).



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