Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

ZEELAND (or ZEALAND)

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 966 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

ZEELAND (or See also:ZEALAND) , a See also:province of See also:Holland, bounded S.E. and S. by See also:Belgium, W. by the See also:North See also:Sea, N. by See also:South Holland, and E. by North See also:Brabant. It has an See also:area of 690 sq. m. and a See also:population (1905) of 227,292. Zeeland consists of the See also:delta islands formed about the estuaries of the See also:Maas and See also:Scheldt with its two arms, the Honte or Western Scheldt, and the Ooster Scheldt, together with a See also:strip of mainland called Zeeland—See also:Flanders. The names of the islands are Schouwen and Duiveland, St Filipsland, Tolen, North Beveland, South Beveland and Walcheren. The See also:history of these islands is in every See also:case one of varying loss and gain in the struggle with the sea. They were built up by the See also:gradual See also:accumulation of mud deposits in a shallow See also:bay, separated by See also:dunes from the North Sea. As See also:late as the 12th and 13th centuries each of these islands consisted of several smaller islands, many of whose names are still preserved in the fertile polders which have taken their See also:place. Lying for the most See also:part below sea-level, the islands are protected by a continuous See also:line of artificial dikes, which hide them from view on the seaward See also:side, whence only an occasional See also:church See also:steeple is seen. The islands of Schouwen and Duiveland are See also:united owing to the damming of the Dykwater; St Filipsland, or Philipsland, and South Beveland are connected with the mainland of North Brabant by naturally formed mud See also:banks. The See also:soil of Zeeland consists of a fertile sea See also:clay which especially favours the See also:production of See also:wheat; See also:rye, See also:barley (for malting), beans and peas, and See also:flax are also cultivated. See also:Cattle and See also:swine are reared, a.nd See also:dairy produce is largely exported; but the See also:sheep of the province are small and their See also:wool indifferent. The See also:industries (See also:linen, See also:yarn-See also:spinning, distilling, See also:brewing, See also:salt-refining, See also:shipbuilding) are comparatively unimportant.

The inhabitants, who retain many See also:

quaint and archaic peculiarities of manner and See also:dress, speak the variety of Dutch known as See also:Low Frankish. The See also:chief towns on the See also:island of Schouwen are the ports of See also:Zieriksee and Brouwershaven. On the well-wooded fringe of the dunes on the See also:west side of the island are the two villages of Renesse and Haamstede, the seats in former days of the two powerful lordships of the same name. St Maartensdyk on the adjoining island of Tolen was formerly the seat of a lordship which belonged successively to the families of See also:Van Borssele, Burren and See also:Orange-See also:Nassau. There is a See also:monument of the Van Borsseles in the Reformed church. The See also:castle built here in the first See also:half of the 14th See also:century was demolished in 1819. The island of South Beveland frequently suffered from inundations and experienced a particularly disastrous one in 1530. In the same century the flourishing walled See also:town of Reimenswaal and the island of Borsele or Borssele disappeared beneath the waves; but the last-named was gradually recovered during the 17th century. This island gave its name to the powerful See also:lord-See also:ship of the same name. Goes is the chief town on South Beveland. See also:Oyster-breeding is practised on the north See also:coast of the island, especially at Wemeldinge and lerseke or Yerseke. Ierseke was once a town of importance and the seat of a lord-ship, while at Wemeldinge there was formerly an See also:establishment of the See also:Templars.

In 1866 South Beveland and Walcheren were joined by a heavy railway See also:

dam, a See also:canal being cut through the See also:middle of the former island to restore the connexion between the See also:East and West Scheldt. South Beveland is sometimes called the " granary " and Walcheren the " See also:garden " of Zeeland. The See also:principal towns in Walcheren are See also:Middelburg, the chief town of the province, See also:Flushing and See also:Veere; all three connected by a canal (1867—72) which divides the island in two. The fishing See also:village of Arnemuiden flourished as a See also:harbour in the 16th century, but decayed owing to the silting up of the See also:sand. Domburg is pleasantly situated at the See also:foot of the dunes on the west side of the island, and in See also:modern times has become a popular but See also:primitive watering-place. It is a very old town, ZEI<See also:TUN (=" See also:olive "), the name of several places in See also:Turkey and See also:Egypt, but principally an Armenian town in the See also:Aleppo vilayet, See also:altitude about 4000 ft., situated in the See also:heart of Mt. See also:Taurus, about 20 M. N.N.W. of See also:Marash. The inhabitants, about 1o,000, all Christians, are of a singularly See also:fine See also:physical type, though too much inbred, and are interesting from their See also:character and See also:historical position as a remnant of the See also:kingdom of Lesser See also:Armenia. The importance of Zeitun See also:dates from the See also:capture of See also:Leo VI. by the Egyptians in 1375, and it probably became then a See also:refuge for the more active and irreconcilable Armenians; but nothing certain is known of the place till, 300 years later. It See also:long maintained See also:practical See also:independence as a See also:nest of freebooters, and it was only in 1878 that the See also:Turks, after a long conflict, were enabled to station troops in a fort above the town. In 1890 there was a serious revolt, from the worst consequences of which the town was saved by the inter-cession of the See also:British See also:consul at Aleppo warned in See also:time by the devoted See also:energy of T.

See also:

Christie, See also:American missionary at Marash; and in 1895, after the Armenian massacres had commenced elsewhere, the See also:people again See also:rose, seized the fort, and, after holding out for more than three months against a large See also:Turkish force, secured See also:honourable terms of See also:peace on the See also:mediation of the consuls of the See also:Powers at Aleppo. The inhabitants seem to be abandoning their robber customs and devoting themselves to oil and See also:silk culture. In consequence transit See also:trade through the passes of eastern Taurus (see MARASH), long almost annihilated by fear of the Zeitunli marauders, revived considerably. The See also:governor must be a See also:Christian, and certain other privileges are secured to the Zeitunlis during their See also:good behaviour. (D.

End of Article: ZEELAND (or ZEALAND)

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
ZEEHAN 		[next]
ZEERUST

Site © 2006 - Net Industries