The IJmeer is a ' bordering lake' (''Randmeer'') in 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 ...

. It lies between the De Nes polder (in

Waterland Waterland () is a municipality in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland. It is situated north of Amsterdam, on the western shore of the Markermeer. It is well-known for comprising the touristy towns of Broek in Waterland and M ...

), Pampushaven, Hollandse Brug and the mouth of the IJ in

IJburg IJburg () is a residential neighbourhood under construction in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is situated in the IJmeer and is being built on artificial islands which have been raised from the lake. The Haveneiland, Rieteilanden, Steigereiland and ...

, straddling the provinces of North Holland and Flevoland. It is an important habitat for birds such as the

tufted duck The tufted duck or tufted pochard (''Aythya fuligula'') is a small diving duck with a population of close to one million birds, found in northern Eurasia. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek '' aithuia'', an unidentified seabird ment ...

and scaup. To the north-east is the Markermeer, south-east is the Gooimeer.

Houses in the IJmeer

Since 1998 islands have been built for the new suburb of

. The first houses were ready in 2003. On 24 November 2004 the Council of State ruled that the construction of further new islands was provisionally banned, because the consequences for the environment were insufficiently researched.

Further plans for the IJmeer

In 2006, the Council for Transport and Public Works and the Environment Board issued a joint opinion stating that

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

and

Almere Almere () is a planned city and municipality in the province of Flevoland, Netherlands, located about 20 km to the east of Amsterdam (as the crow flies) across the IJmeer. Bordering Lelystad and Zeewolde, the municipality of Almere comprise ...

should become conjoined cities with the IJmeer as a 'Central Park'. Partly to this end, Almere has announced plans to build residential areas in the IJmeer, in order for Amsterdam and Almere to grow closer together. There are plans for a connection between Amsterdam and Almere, straight through the IJmeer, through IJburg, and the planned Almere Pampus. Most likely this connection will be a bridge with lanes for public transport ( metro and RER-like) and road. ROA (2006), Verkenning Regionale IJmeerverbinding
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Islands

The IJmeer has a number of islands including: *De Drost * Hooft (island) * Pampus *

Vuurtoreneiland Vuurtoreneiland ("Lighthouse Island") is a small island in the IJmeer, Netherlands, just off the coast of Durgerdam. The island's main function is as a base for a lighthouse; a military fort on the island was abandoned in the 1930s. History of ...

*Warenar

References

Lakes of the Netherlands Ramsar sites in the Netherlands Landforms of Flevoland Landforms of North Holland Geography of Amsterdam Geography of Gooise Meren Almere Waterland {{NorthHolland-geo-stub