Waddenzee

...Since the 16th century, the area has been turned into a swamp by peat mining, but in the 19th century it was reclaimed and used for pasture and meadows due to the high water level. The coastal areas of the Wadden Sea and IJsselmeer in the north and west are marine clay regions, but agriculture is practiced in the north, and livestock farming has been popular in the west since the Middle Ages. In particular, the black and white Dutch Friesian dairy cow is known for its breeding, and the cow market in Leeuwarden is the most important annual event. Since the 3rd century BC, people have settled on hundreds of mounds called terps (Frisian for "villages"), which are piled up with soil, and between the 10th and mid-16th centuries, dikes were built to connect the terps, which were reclaimed and turned into sea polders. ...

*Some of the terminology that mentions "Waddenzee" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…16世紀以降，泥炭採掘で泥沢地と化していたが，19世紀中に干拓地に変えられ，水位が高いため牧場や採草地に利用されている。　北部および西部の，ワッデン海Waddenzee，アイセル湖の沿岸地帯は海成粘土の地域だが，北部では農業が行われ，西部では中世から牧畜が盛んで，ことに育種については白黒の乳牛オランダ･フリーシアン種が知られ，レーワルデンの牛市はもっとも重要な年中行事である。前3世紀以降，土を盛り上げた数百のテルプterp(フリース語で〈村落〉の意)と呼ばれる丘に定住が行われ，10～16世紀中ごろにテルプを結ぶ堤防が築かれ，干拓されて海ポルダーとなった。…

※「Waddenzee」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報