Noorderhaaks

Noorderhaaks (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌnoːrdərˈɦaːks]), also called Razende Bol (Raging sandbank in Dutch; in modern Dutch Bol means sphere, but in this context the old Dutch meaning of sandbank is meant^[1]), is an uninhabited Dutch islet^[2] in the North Sea, a few kilometres west of the Marsdiep which separates the island of Texel from the mainland of the Netherlands. The island covers an area of around 5 km² (1.9 sq mi), although the exact area varies due to tide and the dynamic nature of the area.

Noorderhaaks

Noorderhaaks seen from the mainland
Geography
Coordinates	52°58′30″N 4°40′50″E
Archipelago	(West) Frisian Islands
Adjacent to	North Sea
Administration
Netherlands
Province	North Holland
Municipality	Texel
Demographics
Population	Uninhabited

Being relatively untouched by man, the island has become a valuable location due to its presence of several kinds of seabirds, and seals.

The island is slowly moving eastward towards the Marsdiep and the Molengat, at a pace of around 100 metres a year.^[2] Noorderhaaks is probably the sixth sand bar to develop in the mouth of the Marsdiep, since it formed in the late twelfth century via a flood that occurred in 1170. The previous five have also moved towards Texel and got accreted to the island, with intervals of approximately 150 years each.^[3]

The island is visited by day trippers, and is also being used as a training ground for the Royal Netherlands Navy and Air Force.

• 
  Satellite photo, taken circa 1992
• 
  Stranded humpback whale (2012)
• 
  Time-lapse (1984-2017)