Thanks to the genesis of the Netherlands, the Dutch are experts in water management and polders. Collective water management has been around since the 11th century and our history contains countless stories about dike builders, windmills, pumping stations, sluices and water boards. The fear of massive floods from storm surges was dispelled with the implementation of the Delta Plan of the last century. The challenge for the 21st century is to manage the amount of water resulting from urbanization and climate change. We face land subsidence in coastal and delta areas, rising sea levels and large amounts of rainwater that cause rivers to swell and threaten flooding. Dutch expertise in water management and polders is used around the world.
Polders in the world
The Netherlands is famous for its polders. The Flevoland polder (1000 km²) reclaimed from the sea is a story known worldwide, attracting many visitors to the province. However, there are also polders in many other countries, in total one can think of almost a hundred countries spread over all Continents. These polders are generally located along rivers and in coastal and delta areas. Three types of polders can be distinguished: i) reclaimed low-lying land; ii) embankments along the coasts; iii) reclaimed lakes. Countries with many polders are Bangladesh, China, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, the United States and South Korea. The Figure and Table below show the countries with polders. Also listed is the total area where polders were found.
| Continent | Countries with polders | Total area in km² |
| Africa | 28 | 15.200 |
| America’s | 17 | 11.000 |
| Asia | 21 | 624.000 |
| Europe | 34 | 54.600 |
| Oceania | 2 | 134 |
| Total | 102 | 705.000 |
Below is a map of the world’s polders.
