Tholen
Encyclopedia
Tholen is a municipality
in the southwest of the Netherlands
. The municipality of Tholen has lent its name from the town of Tholen
, which is the largest population center in the municipality.
The municipality consists of two peninsula
s, formerly island
s, the larger one on the south also called Tholen, the smaller one on the north called Sint Philipsland
. The two are separated by the former strait, now bay
, of Krabbenkreek.
The municipality is bordered on the east by the Eendracht
, once a Scheldt
branch but now part of the Scheldt-Rhine Canal
, crossed by three road
bridge
s; by the Oosterschelde
estuary
to the south; the strait
s of Keeten-Mastgat to the west; and the Krammer
strait to the north.
On the island Tholen there are seven population centers:
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the southwest of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The municipality of Tholen has lent its name from the town of Tholen
Tholen (town)
Tholen is a town in the municipality of Tholen, in the east of Zeeland, a province in the south-west of the Netherlands. The town has a small historical center partly surrounded by a "gracht" and partly bordered by a harbour for fishing ships and yachts....
, which is the largest population center in the municipality.
The municipality consists of two peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
s, formerly island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s, the larger one on the south also called Tholen, the smaller one on the north called Sint Philipsland
Sint Philipsland
Sint Philipsland is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. Sint Philpsland is also the name of the island on which the village lies...
. The two are separated by the former strait, now bay
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
, of Krabbenkreek.
The municipality is bordered on the east by the Eendracht
Eendracht
The Eendracht is a former tidal branch of river Scheldt that has been channelised to form the northern stretch of the Scheldt-Rhine Canal. It flows from the Markiezaatsmeer lake near Bergen op Zoom past the town and eponymous island of Tholen towards the former island of Sint-Philipsland, where it...
, once a Scheldt
Scheldt
The Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
branch but now part of the Scheldt-Rhine Canal
Scheldt-Rhine Canal
The Scheldt-Rhine Canal in Belgium and the Netherlands connects Antwerp with the Volkerak, and thereby the Scheldt with the Rhine...
, crossed by three road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s; by the Oosterschelde
Oosterschelde
The Oosterschelde is an estuary in Zeeland, Netherlands, between Schouwen-Duiveland and Tholen on the north and Noord-Beveland and Zuid-Beveland on the south.During the Roman Era it was the major mouth of the Scheldt River. Before the St...
estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
to the south; the strait
Strait
A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...
s of Keeten-Mastgat to the west; and the Krammer
Krammer
The Krammer is a body of water in the Netherlands.It is part of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, and is situated between the islands Goeree-Overflakkee and Sint Philipsland. To its east, it continues into the Volkerak...
strait to the north.
Population centers
On the island Sint Philipsland there are three villages:- Sint PhilipslandSint PhilipslandSint Philipsland is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. Sint Philpsland is also the name of the island on which the village lies...
- Anna JacobapolderAnna JacobapolderAnna Jacobapolder is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Tholen, and lies about 20 km northwest of Bergen op Zoom.In 2001, the town of Anna Jacobapolder had 275 inhabitants...
- Sluis
On the island Tholen there are seven population centers:
- Oud-VossemeerOud-VossemeerOud-Vossemeer is a village on the island of Tholen in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Tholen, and lies about 11 km northwest of Bergen op Zoom, close to the Eendracht, part of the Scheldt-Rhine Canal....
- PoortvlietPoortvlietPoortvliet is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Tholen, and lies about 12 km northwest of Bergen op Zoom.Poortvliet was a separate municipality until 1971, when it was merged with Tholen....
- ScherpenisseScherpenisseScherpenisse is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Tholen, and lies about 14 km west of Bergen op Zoom.Scherpenisse was a separate municipality until 1971, when it was merged with Tholen....
- Sint AnnalandSint AnnalandSint-Annaland is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Tholen, and lies about 18 km northwest of Bergen op Zoom.Sint-Annaland was a separate municipality until 1971, when it was merged with Tholen....
- Sint MaartensdijkSint MaartensdijkSint-Maartensdijk is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Tholen, and lies about 16 km west of Bergen op Zoom.Sint-Maartensdijk was a separate municipality until 1971, when it was merged with Tholen....
- StavenisseStavenisseStavenisse is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Tholen, and lies about 22 km west of Bergen op Zoom.In 2001, the town of Stavenisse had 1136 inhabitants...
- TholenTholen (town)Tholen is a town in the municipality of Tholen, in the east of Zeeland, a province in the south-west of the Netherlands. The town has a small historical center partly surrounded by a "gracht" and partly bordered by a harbour for fishing ships and yachts....