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Maasbommel
Ben’s Place of the Week

Maasbommel

Coordinates: 51 49 N 5 32 E

Approximate elevation: 13 feet (4 meters)

A certain preoccupation with water can be expected in a country located at the mouth of three major rivers and where roughly half of the total land area is at or below sea level. And when climate scientists talk of the very real possibility of oceans rising as one of the results of global warming, a concerned populace tends to start looking to the future with a pragmatic eye.

Having overcome its low-lying geography for centuries, the Netherlands is already preparing for another spate of damp difficulties by innovating an already sophisticated system of water management. Southeast of Amsterdam for example, a Dutch construction firm has built several dozen amphibious homes on the banks of the Maas River. In the event of flooding, these lightweight structures could rise up to 18 feet above their mooring posts to avoid damage.

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Ben Keene is the editor of Oxford Atlas of the World. Check out some of his previous places of the week.

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