The
Betuwe (from
batawjo, "good island", from Germanic
bat- "good, excellent" and
awjo "island, land near water") is an area in the
Dutch province
Gelderland. Tacitus knew it as
Insula Batavorum ("Island of the
Batavians," the
Germanic tribe from which the modern name is derived) and indeed it could be considered a large
river island, but nowadays it hardly ever is viewed as such (with the exception of the last months of
World War II (October 1944 - June 1945) when it became known as "Men's Island" or
"Manneneiland" due to the evacuation of all civilian population during
Operation Market Garden, leaving only soldiers behind). When the
Pannerdens Kanaal was dug between 1701 and 1709, the easternmost tip of the Betuwe (including the towns of
Pannerden and
Lobith) was cut off from the rest of the region.