Slochteren

Slochteren
Village and Municipality
Fraeylemaborg in Slochteren
Flag Coat of arms
Location in Groningen
Coordinates: 53°13′N 6°48′E / 53.217°N 6.800°ECoordinates: 53°13′N 6°48′E / 53.217°N 6.800°E
Country	Netherlands
Province	Groningen
Government[1]
• Body	Municipal council
• Mayor	Geert-Jan ten Brink (PvdA)
Area[2]
• Total	158.87 km^2 (61.34 sq mi)
• Land	151.03 km^2 (58.31 sq mi)
• Water	7.84 km^2 (3.03 sq mi)
Elevation[3]	−1 m (−3 ft)
Population (May 2014)[4]
• Total	15,546
• Density	103/km^2 (270/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Slochtenaar
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode	9615–9629, 9939
Area code	0598
Website	www.slochteren.nl

Slochteren (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈslɔxtərən]) is a village and municipality with a population of 15,546 in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands.

The municipality can be characterized as a chain of small villages dividing a mostly agricultural landscape. Having an agricultural background for at least a thousand years, the community houses for the most part commuters to nearby towns like Hoogezand, Groningen and Delfzijl. The mansion Fraeylemaborg (a small 'castle', the oldest parts of which are dated in the Middle Ages) is located in Slochteren.

Geography

The population centres in the municipality are:

• Denemarken
• Froombosch
• Harkstede
• Hellum
• Kolham
• Lageland
• Luddeweer
• Overschild
• Schaaphok
• Scharmer
• Schildwolde
• Siddeburen
• Slochteren
• Steendam
• Tjuchem
• Woudbloem

Topographic map of the municipality of Slochteren, June 2015

Natural gas field

Slochteren is in the center of the giant Groningen gas field, discovered in 1959, ensuring the position of the Netherlands as a major energy exporting country. The estimated gas reserves in 2009 was 2,700 km³ (650 cu mi).^[5]

References

1. "Dhr G.J. ten Brink" [Mr G.J. ten Brink] (in Dutch). Gemeente Slochteren. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
2. "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten" [Key figures for neighbourhoods]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
3. "Postcodetool for 9621AL". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
4. "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
5. NAM/Shell gas/oil website

External links

• Media related to Slochteren at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website