ABSTRACT
The coastal zone in the Kingdom of The Netherlands has changed markedly during historic time. This is because The Netherlands is largely composed of a large delta complex originating from the discharge of water and the deposition of sediments from the following three rivers, all of which transit The Netherlands before flowing into the North Sea: the Rhine and its distributaries in The Netherlands, the Maas (Meuse), and the Schelde, or Scheldt. Man’s influence in defining where he wishes the coastal zone to be located is probably greater in The Netherlands than in any other country, and utilization of the coastal zone is intense.
