4.4 Soil Analysis
The Netherlands is on a delta in the lowlands of northwest Europe. As almost the entire country has been cultivated at some time or another, the rural landscape is an outstanding example of a cultural landscape. It is the result of the interaction between humans (layout and land use) and nature (water, soil and ecological communities).
The landscapes of the Netherlands are very diverse, because humans have moulded the entire country for their purpose, thereby accentuating the natural conditions. The preservation of this diversity of landscapes and of landscape identity is one of the main aims of the Dutch government’s policy on landscape.
The landscapes of the Netherlands can be classified into nine types, on the basis of their characteristics.
There are only four types of landscape in the landport area: sandy terrain, river region, reclaimed land and carr peat.
Sandy terrain
The sandy landscape consists of a gently rolling plain with many shallow depressions and low ridges. The plain is dissected by meandering brooks. Reclamation created a landscape of arable fields and pastures, alternating with heath and woodland.
River region
The river region is a varied landscape around the large rivers (the two channels of the Rhine (Nederrijn and Waal), the Meuse and the IJssel ) including their wash lands, levees and back swamps. The regulation of the rivers and the mining of sand have led to the loss of characteristic elements such as swamp woodland and backwaters.
Carr peat
The characteristic elements of the carr peat areas are ribbon settlements, numerous ditches and waterways, bunds, and windmills. Although an appreciable area of the carr peat areas has been swallowed up by urban sprawl, the landscape type is one of the least spoiled cultural landscapes in the Netherlands.
Reclaimed land
The Netherlands is famous for its polders reclaimed from “the sea” – which have actually been reclaimed from impounded sea, i.e. lakes. They are created by pumping the water out of endiked lakes.The geometrical landscape of drained lakes is the most characteristic Dutch landscape, and is rare outside the Netherlands . Its characteristic elements are openness, the perimeter dikes and waterways, the rectangular land and grid pattern of roads, and the avenues of trees.
