Vlieland

Vlieland
	Vlieland
	; Flag
	; Flag
	Area (2006)
- Total	315.79 km² (121.9 sq mi)
- Land	40.01 km² (15.4 sq mi)
- Water	275.78 km² (106.5 sq mi)
	Population (1 January 2007)
- Total	1,135
- Density	28/km² (72.5/sq mi)
	Source: CBS, Statline.
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)

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Satellite image

Vlieland (pronunciation (help·info); West Frisian: Flylân) is a municipality in the northern Netherlands. The municipality of Vlieland has only one major town: Oost-Vlieland (West Frisian: East-Flylân). It is the second-least densely populated municipality in the Netherlands (behind Schiermonnikoog).

Vlieland is one of the West Frisian Islands, lying in the Wadden Sea. Counting from west to east, it is the second island in the chain; after Texel and before Terschelling. Vlieland was named after the Vlie.

[edit] Travel

Vlieland can be reached by ferry from the Frisian town Harlingen. The ferry ride takes about 1.5 hours and takes you across the Wadden Sea and across part of the North Sea. Tourists are not allowed to bring cars with them on the ferry. Another ferries run between De Cocksdorp on Texel and the westernmost point of Vlieland. The most common form of transport on the island is by bicycle. A network of cycle paths criss crosses the island. A bus service runs from the ferry terminal to the village and camp grounds after the arrival of a ferry, and some time before departure. There's a very small heliport near the village, but it is only used for SAR flights.

[edit] Landscape

The majority of the landscape of the island consists of dunes, but there are some wooded areas and small meadows. A large part of the island, the western part, consists mainly of sand. It's also referred to as the Sahara of the north.

[edit] Tourism

Tourism is the main source of income on Vlieland. There are approximately 15 hotels, and several hundreds of apartments and holiday homes. Vlieland has 2 campgrounds.