Midden-Drenthe is a municipality

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 in the northeastern Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

. The municipality was created in 1998, in a merger of the former municipalities of Beilen, Smilde, and Westerbork

Westerbork (village)

Westerbork is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe.The village gives its name to the Westerbork deportation and later, concentration camp, located about 7 km north of the village, in the forests of Hooghalen.The Westerbork Synthesis Radio...

. Between 1998 and 2000, the name of the municipality was Middenveld.

Population centres

Balinge

Balinge

Balinge is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 14 km northeast of Hoogeveen....

, Beilen, Bovensmilde

Bovensmilde

Bovensmilde is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 6 km southwest of Assen.In 2001, the town of Bovensmilde had 2,873 inhabitants...

, Brunsting

Brunsting

Brunsting is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 16 km south of Assen....

, Bruntinge

Bruntinge

Bruntinge is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 13 km northeast of Hoogeveen....

, Drijber

Drijber

Drijber is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 9 km north of Hoogeveen....

, Elp

Elp

Elp is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 15 km south of Assen.The Elp culture was named after the town.In 2001, the town of Elp had 264 inhabitants...

, Eursinge

Eursinge

Eursinge is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 16 km northeast of Hoogeveen....

, Garminge

Garminge

Garminge is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 15 km northeast of Hoogeveen....

, Hijken, Hijkersmilde

Hijkersmilde

Hijkersmilde is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 13 km southwest of Assen....

, Holthe

Holthe

Holthe is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 14 km north of Hoogeveen....

, Hoogersmilde

Hoogersmilde

Hoogersmilde is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 16 km southwest of Assen.In 2001, the town of Hoogersmilde had 730 inhabitants...

, Hooghalen

Hooghalen

Hooghalen is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 9 km south of Assen....

, Laaghalen

Laaghalen

Laaghalen is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 9 km south of Assen....

, Laaghalerveen

Laaghalerveen

Laaghalerveen is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 8 km south of Assen.-Present day:The center of Laaghalerveen now exists of an old school, a tiny church and a shop all closed...

, Lieving, Makkum

Makkum

Makkum is a village in Wûnseradiel in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has around 3500 citizens .The dutch queen Beatrix came to visit Makkum in 2008 at Queensday....

, Mantinge, Nieuw-Balinge, Oranje (Drenthe), Orvelte

Orvelte

Orvelte is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 18 km northeast of Hoogeveen....

, Smalbroek, Smilde, Spier

Spier

Spier is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 11 km north of Hoogeveen....

, Terhorst

Terhorst

Terhorst is a little hamlet of 33 houses and part of the village of Banholt , which is in the municipality of Margraten in the province of Limburg. In the middle of the village, Terhorst has its own little chapel built in 1949 and every year in August there is the traditional annual Chapel party...

, Westerbork

Westerbork (village)

Westerbork is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe.The village gives its name to the Westerbork deportation and later, concentration camp, located about 7 km north of the village, in the forests of Hooghalen.The Westerbork Synthesis Radio...

, Wijster

Wijster

Wijster is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 11 km north of Hoogeveen.In 2001, the town of Wijster had 462 inhabitants...

, Witteveen

Witteveen

Witteveen is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 16 km northeast of Hoogeveen.In 2001, the village of Witteveen had 160 inhabitants...

, Zuidveld

Zuidveld

Zuidveld is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 16 km south of Assen....

 and Zwiggelte

Zwiggelte

Zwiggelte is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 15 km south of Assen....

.

The village of Westerbork gives its name to the Westerbork deportation and (later) concentration camp

Westerbork (camp)

Westerbork concentration camp was a World War II Nazi refugee, detention and transit camp in Hooghalen, ten kilometres north of Westerbork, in the northeastern Netherlands. Its function during the Second World War was to assemble Roma and Dutch Jews for transport to other Nazi concentration...

, located about 7 km north of the village, in the forests of Hooghalen.

The Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope

Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope

The Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope is an aperture synthesis interferometer near camp Westerbork, north of the village of Westerbork, Midden-Drenthe, in the northeastern Netherlands. It consists of a linear array of 14 antennas with a diameter of 25 metres arranged on a 2.7 km East-West line...

(WSRT) array was installed near the site of the camp in 1969.