The IJ is a body of water, formerly a bay, in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is known for being Amsterdam’s waterfront.
Today, the IJ is divided into two parts:
To the west of the Oranjesluizen (Oranje Locks), the Binnen-IJ (inner IJ), or Afgesloten-IJ (closed IJ), is directly connected to the North Sea Canal, where the port of IJmuiden and the North Sea can be reached.
To the east of the Oranjesluizen, the Buiten-IJ (outer IJ) is an extension of the IJmeer which is itself an extension of the Markermeer.
The IJ is connected to the North Sea to the west and the IJmeer to the east by a set of locks.The North Sea Canal (Dutch: Noordzeekanaal) terminates at Amsterdam in the closed-off IJ Bay, which in turn connects to the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal.
