The West Frisians or, more precisely, the Westlauwers Frisians ( nl, Friezen or Westerlauwerse Friezen, fy, Friezen or Westerlauwerske Friezen), are those
Frisian peoples in that part of
Frisia
Frisia is a cross-border cultural region in Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the Wadden Sea, it encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. The region is traditionally inhabited by the Frisians, a West Ger ...
administered by the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
: the
Province of Friesland, which is bounded in the west by the
IJsselmeer
The IJsselmeer (; fy, Iselmar, nds-nl, Iesselmeer), also known as Lake IJssel in English, is a closed off inland bay in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland. It covers an area of with an a ...
and in the east by the
River Lauwers
The Lauwers () is a river in the Netherlands. It forms part of the border between the provinces of Friesland and Groningen (province), Groningen. From the 730s to Widukind's defeat in 785, it was part of the border of the Frankish Empire.
The ...
(hence the name ''Westlauwers'', i.e., "west of the Lauwers").
In Germany, Dutch Frisia is often usually called "
West Frisia
West Frisia ( la, Frisia Occidentalis) is a term that, when used in an international context, refers to the traditionally Frisian areas that are located west of the Dollart (i.e. in the present-day Netherlands). Along with East Frisia and North ...
" ('), because the German part is called "
East Frisia
East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...
" ('), hence the term "West Frisians" (').
However, in the Netherlands, the term ' is only used to refer to the inhabitants of the unconnected region of
West Friesland and not to the Westlauwers Frisians.
The Westerlauwers Frisians are related to the
North Frisians
North Frisians (german: Nordfriesen; da, Nordfrisere; frr, Nuurdfresen) are the inhabitants of the district of Nordfriesland in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Used in a narrower sense, the term also refers to an ethnic sub-group o ...
and the eastern Frisians (
East Frisians
East Frisians (german: Ostfriesen, stq, Aastefräisen) are, in the wider sense, the inhabitants of East Frisia in the northwest of the German state of Lower Saxony. In the narrower sense the East Frisians are the eastern branch of the Frisians, a ...
,
Saterland Frisians
The Saterland Frisians (german: Saterfriesen, stq, Seelterfräisen) are one of the smallest language groups in Europe. They belong to the eastern branch of the Frisian people and are thus a recognised minority within Germany. They live in the Sa ...
etc.). Whilst many East Frisians had lost their
Frisian language by the late Middle Ages, of the 660,000 or so Frisians in the Netherlands, more than 400,000 still speak
West Frisian.
Many
Frisian Americans descend from West Frisians.
References
External links
Fryslân Official site of Friesland/Frisia
Frisians
*West Frisian
{{Netherlands-stub