The Burgumer Mar is a lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 near the town of Burgum

Burgum

Burgum is the largest and administrative town of the municipality of Tytsjerksteradiel, in the Dutch province of Friesland, with a population of 10083 inhabitants...

 in the Dutch

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...

 province of Friesland

Friesland

Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...

. The lake was formed during the last ice age

Ice age

An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...

. It is a popular water sports area with multiple yacht harbours. The Princess Margriet Canal splits the lake into a northern and southern part.

Since March 15, 2007 the West Frisian

West Frisian language

West Frisian is a language spoken mostly in the province of Friesland in the north of the Netherlands. West Frisian is the name by which this language is usually known outside the Netherlands, to distinguish it from the closely related Frisian languages of Saterland Frisian and North Frisian,...

 name Burgumer Mar is the official name; before that date the Dutch name was the official one). The villages Jistrum

Jistrum

Jistrum is a small village in Tytsjerksteradiel in the province Friesland of the Netherlands. It lies Northeast of the Burgumer Mar and has around the 964 citizens . The village has a yacht harbour that is connected with lake and lies on the Zevenwoudenpad...

, Eastermar

Eastermar

Eastermar is a small village in Tytsjerksteradiel in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has around 1,600 citizens . Eastermar is the birthplace of model Doutzen Kroes.- History :...

 and Sumar together with Burgum border the lake.