Frisia - Divisions

Divisions

Frisia is commonly divided into three sections:

1. West Frisia corresponds roughly to
   • the Friesland province named Fryslân in Frisian
     • including parts of historical West Friesland, namely Vliesland
     • containing Súdwest-Fryslân (South West Frisia) municipality
     • constituted as
       • Friesland department - Batavian Republic
       • Frise (department) - French
   • Groningen province
   • northern parts of North Holland province, including parts of
     • West Friesland (historical region), including
       • West Friesland (region)
2. East Frisia or Eastern Friesland (German Ostfriesland; East Frisian Low Saxon: Oostfreesland) in Lower Saxony, Germany corresponds roughly to
   • East Frisia in a more narrow sense
     • Leer district
     • Aurich district
     • Wittmund district
     • Emden municipality
   • East Frisia in a wider sense (East Frisian peninsula)
     • Friesland district
     • Wilhelmshaven municipality
     • Saterland municipality in the district of Cloppenburg
     • Butjadingen peninsula and municipality in the district of Wesermarsch
     • Land Wursten municipality in the district of Cuxhaven
3. North Frisia or Northern Friesland (German Nordfriesland; North Frisian: Nordfriislon, Nordfraschlönj, Nuurdfriisklun, Danish: Nordfrisland) in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany corresponds roughly to
   • the western and central parts of the Nordfriesland district
   • Heligoland municipality in the district of Pinneberg

The three groups of the Frisian Islands (the West, East and North Frisian Islands) stretch more or less correspondingly along these three sections of the German Bight coast.

West Frisia corresponds roughly to the Dutch province of Friesland (Fryslân), the northern part of North Holland province (the historical region of West Friesland, the westernmost portion of the traditional region of West Frisia), and also modern Groningen province, though the Western Frisian language is only spoken in Friesland proper. Dialects with strong Frisian substrates, including Low German and Low Franconian, are also spoken in West Frisia. In the northern province of Groningen, people speak Gronings, a Low Saxon dialect with a strong Frisian substrate.

Until 1942 Vlieland belonged to North Holland, then the Germans changed it to Friesland.

East Frisia includes areas located in the northwest of the German state of Lower Saxony, including the districts of Aurich, Leer, Wittmund and Friesland, as well as the urban districts of Emden and Wilhelmshaven, the Saterland, the Land Wursten and former Rüstringen (Butjadingen). East Frisia is also the name of a historical county in that area. The German name "Ostfriesland" distinguishes the former county from "Ost-Friesland", which means the whole eastern Frisian area.

The portions of North Frisia within the German state of Schleswig-Holstein are part of the district of Nordfriesland and stretch along the coast, including the coastal islands from the Eider River to the border of Denmark in the north. The North Sea island of Heligoland, while not part of Nordfriesland district, is also part of traditional North Frisia.