Friesland (Fryslân in West Frisian , Friesland in Dutch ) is a province in the north of the Netherlands . The capital (city) of Friesland is Leeuwarden (Ljouwert in Frisian). People in Friesland speak West Frisian and Dutch . People also speak Frisian in a small part of Groningen (province) , and in East Friesland and North Friesland in Germany . In North Holland there is a region called West Friesland , but people who live there are not called Frisians. About 660,000 people are living in Friesland (2023).
Agriculture and tourism , on the lakes and the isles in the Wadden Sea , are important sources of income .
The province is also famous for its ice skaters and its Elfstedentocht (Eleven cities tour), an ice skating race of 200 kilometers .
It is also known for being home to some breeds of animals, such as the Stabyhoun and Wetterhoun dog breeds, the Friesian horse breed and the Holstein Friesian cattle breed.
Notable Frisians
In Friesland the Frisians live. They are an old ethnic group. Members of this ethnic group are:
Population
In 2021, Friesland had a population of 651,459 and a population density of 196/km2 (510/sq mi).
The years 1880–1900 showed slower population growth due to a farm crisis during which some 20,000 Frisians emigrated to the United States .[ 1]
Historical population of Friesland [ 2] [ 3]
Year
Population
1714
129,243
1748
135,195
1796
161,513
1811
175,366
1830
204,909
1840
227,859
1850
243,191
1860
269,701
1870
300,863
1880
329,877
1890
335,558
1900
340,263
Year
Population
1910
363,625
1920
385,362
1930
402,051
1940
424,462
1950
465,267
1960
478,206
1970
521,820
1982
592,314
1990
599,151
1999
621,222
2010
646,305
2020
649,944
Anthropometry
Since the late Middle Ages, Friesland is known for the exceptional height of its inhabitants.[ 4] Even early Renaissance poet Dante Alighieri refers to the height of Frisians in his Divine Comedy when, in the canticle about Hell , he talks about the magnitude of an infernal demon by stating that "not even three tall Frieslanders, were they set one upon the other, would have matched his height".[ 5]
References
↑ (in Dutch) Emigration to the United States .
↑ (in Dutch) Overzicht aantal inwoners Provincie Friesland 1714–2000 , Tresoar .
↑ (in Dutch) Bevolking; geslacht, leeftijd, burgerlijke staat en regio, 1 januari , Statistics Netherlands , 2014.
↑ "The Dutch are getting taller, and heavier, but Frisians top the list" . DutchNews.nl . 2019-11-27. Retrieved 2021-04-16 .
↑ Alighieri, Dante. Divine Comedy , "Inferno", Canto 31, line 64, in The Portable Dante , ed. Paolo Milano, trans. Laurence Binyon, Penguin, 1975 ISBN 0-14-015032-3
Other websites
Map: Provinces of the Netherlands
International National Geographic