Country Germany District Aurich Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Area 26.3 km² Local time Wednesday 11:24 AM | State Lower Saxony Elevation 5 m (16 ft) Postal codes 26548 Population 5,776 (31 Dec 2011) Postal code 26548 | |
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Weather 10°C, Wind W at 21 km/h, 94% Humidity | ||
Norderney is one of the seven populated East Frisian Islands off the North Sea coast of Germany. It is also a municipality in the district of Aurich in Lower Saxony.
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Map of Norderney, Germany
The island is 14 by 2.5 kilometres (8.7 by 1.6 mi), having a total area of about 26.3 square kilometres (10.2 sq mi) and is therefore Germany's tenth-largest island. Norderney's population amounts to about 5,850 people. In 1946 Norderney gained municipal status and belongs to the Aurich "Kreis" (county). On the northern side of the island lies a 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) long sandy beach.
The neighbouring island to the east is Baltrum, which lies about 800m (half a mile) away beyond the Wichter Ee. To the west is the island of Juist, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) away on the other side of the Norderneyer Seegatt.
The entire eastern half of Norderney belongs to the Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park. Access to the park is restricted, as it is subdivided in zones of different accessibility for the protection of the wildlife. The status as a National Park also affects all kinds of traffic on the island, while especially car traffic is subject to strict regulations.
The mainland is easily reached via ferry operated by AG Reederei Norden-Frisia from the harbour, Norddeich pier near the northern German city of Norden. Norderney also possesses an airport with a 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) runway.
Coat of arms and flag
Since 10 July 1928 the coat of arms of the city of Norderney depicts the local landmark, the "Kap," or cape building. A dune and water is shown underneath. Such high structures helped mariners identify the island and orient themselves in earlier times. There are similar buildings on Borkum and Wangerooge. The Norderney cape building was built in 1848 from wood, and was replaced in 1870 with a stone building. At night a fire was lit in the top part of the structure. Today lighthouses have taken over this function. The island painter Poppe Folkerts designed the coat of arms.
Norderney is one of the smallest German communities to fly its own flag. The small city flag has horizontal blue and white stripes and a black and white checkered area on the left side. The blue colour stands for the sea, white symbolizes the colour of the sand, and black stands for the Norderney sea sign.
History
Of the seven East Frisian islands, Norderney is the youngest. The island has only existed in its present form since the middle of the 16th century, being the eastern remnant of the larger island Buise. The larger island of Buise was split into two parts during the Grote Mandrenke flood of 1362, the eastern half at first being called Ostrende. What was left of Buise shrunk in size over the years and finally disappeared into the North Sea during the St. Peter's Flood of 1651. Ostrende, on the other hand, grew in size, and is noted in a 1550 census as "Norder neys Oog" (Northern New Island), and having a church and 18 houses. The inhabitants at this time worked principally as fishermen. In the second half of the 18th century the sea trade industry grew in importance. Next to fishing, tourism became important to the island economy. In 1797, Norderney became the first German resort on the North Sea.
Climate
Norderney has a maritime temperate climate, with generally less extreme temperatures than on the nearby mainland. Precipitation is more-or-less evenly distributed throughout the year, but autumn seems to be slightly wetter, with November being the wettest month with 87.6 millimetres (3.45 in) while February is the driest with 40.7 millimetres (1.60 in). The Island also has more sunshine hours than the mainland, with more than 1,600 hours per year. Sea temperatures are fluctating between 3 and 7 °C (37 and 45 °F) in the winter and over 20 °C (68 °F) in the summer months. In July 2014 a new all-time record high was reached with 34.1 °C (93.4 °F).