page_title: Friesland
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Friesland / Geography
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Uniek door eb en vloed steeds wisselend kweldergebied. Locatie, Noarderleech Provincie Friesland.English: Unique by tides ever-changing marsh area. Location, Noarderleech Profince Friesland in the Netherlands.
context_page_description: Friesland, historically known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the northern part of the country. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of Flevoland, northeast of North Holland, and south of the Wadden Sea. As of January 2020, the province had a population of 649,944 and a total area of 5,749 km².
  The capital and seat of the provincial government is the city of Leeuwarden, a city with 123,107 inhabitants. Other large municipalities in Friesland are Sneek, Heerenveen and Drachten. Since 2017, Arno Brok is the King's Commissioner in the province. A coalition of the Christian Democratic Appeal, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, the Labour Party and the Frisian National Party forms the executive branch. The province is divided into 18 municipalities. The area of the province was once part of the ancient, larger region of Frisia. The official languages of Friesland are West Frisian and Dutch.
context_section_description: Friesland is situated at 53°8′N 5°49′E in the northwest of the Netherlands, west of the province of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of Flevoland, northeast of the IJsselmeer and North Holland, and south of the North Sea. It is the largest province of the Netherlands if one includes areas of water; in terms of land area only, it is the third-largest province.
  Most of Friesland is on the mainland, but it also includes a number of West Frisian Islands, including Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog, which are connected to the mainland by ferry. The province's highest point is a dune at 45 metres (148 ft) above sea level, on the island of Vlieland.
  There are four national parks of the Netherlands located in Friesland: Schiermonnikoog, De Alde Feanen, Lauwersmeer (partially in Groningen), and Drents-Friese Wold (also partially situated in Drenthe).
caption: Wadden Sea
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