Overijssel

Overijssel: peat bog

Overijssel, provincie (province), northeastern Netherlands. It extends northward “beyond the IJssel” (a distributary of the Rhine) from the provinces of Gelderland to Drenthe and Friesland and lies between Germany (east) and Flevoland province (west). The province is drained by the IJssel, Vecht, Zwarte Water, and Regge rivers and the Twente, Overijssel, and numerous smaller canals. Its capital is Zwolle.

First known as the lordship of Oversticht, a part of the secular domain of the bishops of Utrecht, it was sold to Charles V in 1527 and was incorporated in the Dutch dominions of the Habsburgs. Overijssel was one of the seven original United Provinces of the Netherlands. In medieval times its Hanseatic towns—Kampen, Deventer, and Zwolle—were among the most important in the Netherlands, until the ascendancy of Amsterdam about 1500.

Most of Overijssel is a varied glaciated delta with sandy soil and low hills that were originally covered with heath, patches of woodland, and moist swampy meadows. High-peat regions once extended to the northeast. The largely coastal area north of Zwolle consists of low peat, partly covered with clay. This northwestern part is primarily pasture, supporting cattle and dairying; in the sand regions there is dairying as well as mixed farming. The central Salland district has orchards.

The province has become highly industrialized. The Twente district in the southeast, where cotton spinning, weaving, and bleaching came into prominence in the 19th century, is one of the principal centres of the Dutch textile industry. The main centres are Enschede, Almelo, Hengelo, and Oldenzaal. Other important industrial centres are Deventer, Kampen, and Zwolle. There are two national parks (1934; 1957) in the northwest, preserving peat bogs and marsh plants and providing sanctuaries for waterfowl. Area 1,321 square miles (3,421 square km). Pop. (2009 est.) 1,125,435.