Frisia (
West Frisian Fryslân;
North Frisian Fraschlönj,
Freesklöön,
Freeskluin,
Fresklun, and
Friislön’;
Saterfrisian (East Frisian)
Fräislound;
East Frisian Low Saxon Freesland;
Gronings Fraislaand;
German and
Dutch Friesland;
Danish Frisland) is a coastal region along the southeastern corner of the
North Sea, i.e. the
German Bight. Frisia is the traditional
homeland of the
Frisians, a Germanic people who speak
Frisian, a language group closely related to the
English language. Frisia extends from the northwestern
Netherlands across northwestern
Germany to the border of
Denmark (
Vidå).
Frisia is commonly divided into three sections
The three groups of the Frisian Islands (the West, East and North Frisian Islands) stretch more or less correspondingly along these three sections of the German Bight coast.
The portions of North Frisia within the German state of Schleswig-Holstein are part of the district of Nordfriesland and stretch along the coast, including the coastal islands from the Eider River to the border of Denmark in the north. The North Sea island of Heligoland, while not part of Nordfriesland district, is also part of traditional North Frisia.
