Zuider Zee

zi'der ze, a border sea of the Netherlands. It is Dutch, signifying South Sea by way of distinction from the North Sea. The Zuider Zee is separated from the North Sea by low islands. It extends inland to a distance of eighty miles and is in general about forty-five miles wide, though at one point the shores are within ten miles of each other. Harlingen and Hoorn are important ports. Amsterdam is situated on a short arm of the sea. The water in general is not deep. Outside of certain channels it is navigable for shallow-draft vessels only. There are valuable oyster beds and plaice fisheries. The shore appears to be sinking. In the twelfth century a large part of the sea was merely a salt marsh. The government is now engaged in building dikes and pumping out the sea water with a view to acquiring a large area of fertile land for agricultural purposes.