Ried

Ried may refer to:

Ried, Friesland

Ried (West Frisian: Rie) is a village in Franekeradeel in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 400 in 2004.

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Coordinates: 53°13′21″N 5°35′26″E / 53.22250°N 5.59056°E / 53.22250; 5.59056

Ried (natural region)

The Alsatian ried consists of meadows liable to flooding, and of gallery forests, the vegetation of which is lush. The ried was formed by the then meandering Rhine, before it was canalised.The Petit Ried lies north of Strasbourg, whereas the Grand Ried lies south of Strasbourg. The town of Rhinau possesses 1000 ha of the last example of a temperate gallery forest in Western Europe, which is located on the right bank of the Rhine.

Toponymy

The word "ried" derives from Alemannic "Rieth" which means reed, and is related to the English word.

Geography

Today's Rhine is a pale reflection of what it used to be. Formerly, it used to be many km broad, spreading its sediments on a large zone, with Europe's largest water table discharging into the Rhine, or recharging from it, depending on the seasons. In return, the Rhine has become navigable, and provides Alsace with abundant hydroelectricity. As a matter of fact, France claims for itself the hydroelectricity produced here, according to the treaty of Versailles. Only the most recent dams, namely Gambsheim (F) - Freistett (D) and Iffezheim (D) - Beinheim (F), both of them located downstream of Strasbourg in the Petit Ried, produce electricity shared evenly by both states. The Iffezheim dam has just been equipped with a fifth turbine.