o The greatest threat of flooding in the Netherlands has traditionally come from the sea. o More recently, rivers have been responsible for flooding in the Netherlands as people have increasingly built upon floodplain beside the river.

 The Netherlands is sensitive to climate change  55% of its territory is below sea level. This should have read that 55 per cent of the Netherlands is at risk of flooding  26% of the country is below sea level  29% is susceptible to river flooding  These zones are called flood-risk zones  Mainly rivers Meuse and Waal can cause problems

o 26% of the Dutch land surface is below NAP (below average water level) o 59% of the Dutch land surface is susceptible to flooding, this 59% encompasses the areas both within and outside the dyke rings, the so-called ‘river foreland o 55% of the Dutch land surface is located within the dyke rings, and is protected by dunes, dykes, dams and artificial structures o 4% of the Dutch land surface is situated outside the dyke rings and, therefore, is not protected by dunes, dykes, dams or artificial structures