Overbetuwe 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 province

Province

A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...

 of Gelderland

Gelderland

Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...

 in the 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...

. It was formed on 1 January 2001 as a merger of three former municipalities: Elst

Elst

Elst is the name of a number of towns:*Elst; a village and former municipality, now part of Overbetuwe, in Gelderland*Elst; a village in the municipality of Rhenen, in the province of Utrecht*Elst; a village in the municipality of Maasdonk, in North Brabant...

, Heteren

Heteren

Heteren is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Overbetuwe, about 12 km southwest of Arnhem on the south bank of the Rhine. Heteren was a separate municipality until 2001, when it became a part of the new municipality of Overbetuwe...

 and Valburg

Valburg

Valburg is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Overbetuwe, about 10 km northwest of Nijmegen.Valburg was a separate municipality until 2001, when it became part of Overbetuwe....

. Overbetuwe is bordered in the north by the river Rhine and in the south by the river Waal. The city hall

City hall

In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...

 is located in Elst, the largest town in the municipality. Together with eighteen other municipalities it forms the 'Knooppunt Arnhem-Nijmegen

Knooppunt Arnhem-Nijmegen

Stadsregio Arnhem Nijmegen is the name of the metropolitan area consisting of the Dutch cities of Nijmegen and Arnhem, plus the bordering municipalities of Beuningen, Doesburg, Duiven, Groesbeek, Heumen, Lingewaard, Millingen aan de Rijn, Montferland, Mook en Middelaar, Overbetuwe, Renkum,...

' (English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

: 'Arnhem-Nijmegen conurbation

Conurbation

A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...

'), or simply 'KAN', which is a regional collaboration.

Towns

Town	Inhabitants (2010)
Andelst Andelst Andelst is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality Overbetuwe, about 10 km northwest of the city of Nijmegen....	1695
Driel Driel Driel is a town in the municipality of Overbetuwe, approximately four kilometers southwest of Arnhem on the south bank of the Rhine, in the Netherlands.-History:...	3600
Elst Elst Elst is the name of a number of towns:*Elst; a village and former municipality, now part of Overbetuwe, in Gelderland*Elst; a village in the municipality of Rhenen, in the province of Utrecht*Elst; a village in the municipality of Maasdonk, in North Brabant...	20651
Hemmen Hemmen Hemmen is a small village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Overbetuwe, 1 km northwest of Zetten.Hemmen was a separate municipality until 1955, when it was merged with Valburg....	195
Herveld Herveld Herveld is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Overbetuwe.Herveld was a separate municipality until 1818, when the area was divided between Loenen en Wolferen and Valburg....	2972
Heteren Heteren Heteren is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Overbetuwe, about 12 km southwest of Arnhem on the south bank of the Rhine. Heteren was a separate municipality until 2001, when it became a part of the new municipality of Overbetuwe...	5145
Homoet	86
Loenen	47
Oosterhout (partly)	2310
Randwijk	1468
Slijk-Ewijk	493
Valburg Valburg Valburg is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Overbetuwe, about 10 km northwest of Nijmegen.Valburg was a separate municipality until 2001, when it became part of Overbetuwe....	1673
Zetten Zetten Zetten is a village in the Overbetuwe municipality, Gelderland, Netherlands. The village is located in the Betuwe.This is also the base of the youth-clinic Ottho Gerard Heldringstichting, which was quite famous in the Netherlands.-History:...	5278

Transportation

Because of its central location between the cities of Nijmegen and Arnhem

Arnhem

Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...

, many inhabitants of Overbetuwe commute

Commuting

Commuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. It sometimes refers to any regular or often repeated traveling between locations when not work related.- History :...

 between these cities. Three major highways are situated in the municipality; the A50, A15 and A325. Overbetuwe has two railway stations: Elst and Zetten

Zetten

Zetten is a village in the Overbetuwe municipality, Gelderland, Netherlands. The village is located in the Betuwe.This is also the base of the youth-clinic Ottho Gerard Heldringstichting, which was quite famous in the Netherlands.-History:...

-Andelst. Besides these two existing railway lines, a controversial freight line called the Betuweroute

Betuweroute

The Betuweroute is a double track freight railway from Rotterdam to Germany. Betuweroute is the official name, after the Betuwe area through which it passes, but the line is popularly referred to as Betuwelijn, after an older track in the same region. The Germans have named their part the...

 has been operational from 2007.

Politics

The mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Overbetuwe is Elisabeth Tuijnman

Elisabeth Tuijnman

Elisabeth 'Liesbeth' Tuijnman is the current mayor of the municipality of Overbetuwe in the Netherlands. She obtained the equivalent of a bachelor's degree in education. Before becoming mayor of Overbetuwe, she had served as mayor to the rural community of Norg, Papendrecht and Sandebuur...

. The distribution of council

City council

A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...

 seats after the 2010 elections is shown here.

Party	Seats
CDA	7
PvdA	4
Gemeentebelangen Overbetuwe	5
VVD	5
D66	5
GroenLinks	2
ChristenUnie	1