A Province Built Entirely From Ocean

The Netherlands newest province, Flevoland, did not exist a century ago. It was created by draining the ocean to turn the seafloor into land, making it the largest man-made island project in human history.

Long ago, this region was a vast saltwater inlet called the Zuiderzee. Engineers constructed a massive dam to seal it off, eventually turning the salty sea into a freshwater lake. They then pumped the water out to reveal the seabed beneath, effectively growing a new province from scratch. Today, this unique territory sits below sea level and serves as a testament to the Dutch mastery of water engineering.