Number of inhabitants (1 Jan 2003): 9.121; area: 16,69 km². Settlements:
Oostzaan (seat).
Flagdescription: Seven horizontal stripes of yellow and blue, ptoportioned
2:1, with in the canton a yellow field proportioned 3:2, with a black trident,
with on each tooth a green sod.
This flag was adopted 22 Oct 1959 by municipal resolution. The colors
are derived from the municipal arms.
Source: Sierksma's Nederlands Vlaggenboek, 1962 [sie62].
The blue bars symbolize water. The trident is for the "dijkplicht"
- the duty of male citizens to guard the dikes. Oostzaan was in olden days
connected by water to the Y and the sea, and had its own sea-dikes. When
citizens were unable to do their duty they were clad in a hairy shirt,
go barefeet, and they had to dig with a spade or a fork three sods out
of the dike.
Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net
![[Oostzaan Coat of Arms]](../images/n/nl-nh)oz.gif)
image from the Oostzaan municipal website.
