One of the most striking things about the Frisian people is its territorial discontinuity. Neighboring peoples have been expanding for centuries and splitting the historic region of Frisia into small enclaves which preserve Frisian language, culture and identity. In terms of language and national self-awareness, most of Frisians currently live in the province of Friesland (in West Frisian, Fryslân), in the North of the Netherlands. Other significant population pockets are clustered in the North of Germany, specifically in the Landers of Lower Saxony (in a territory called Eastern Frisia) and Schleswig-Holstein (Northern Frisia), bordering Denmark.

As regards politics, the most influential political party with a Frisian frame of reference is the National Frisian Party (FNP, Fryske Nasjonale Partij). It was founded in 1962 in the province of Friesland with the aim of defending the country’s own language and culture, and claim for autonomy within the Netherlands. The party has 7 seats out of 55 in the provincial assembly, and holds representation in most of the province’s municipalities. It is also a member of the European Free Alliance (EFA).

Another significant party is the the South Schleswig Voters' Federation (SSW, Südschleswigscher Wählerverband, in German), a party representing the Frisian and the Danish minorities in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. SSW holds 2 seats out of 69 in the state parliament, and has representation in 82 local councils and 2 regional councils. It has an observer status within the European Free Alliance.

Finally, there is another party recently founded in the Frisian areas of Germany, called Die Friesen (The Frisian people). Unlike SSW, Die Friesen is a Lower Saxony-based political force. It was born in 2007 as a response to the lack of political representation of the Eastern Frisian people. It stands for self-determination, economic development for the region, the promotion of renewable energy and the defense and promotion of Frisian and Low German languages spoken in Lower Saxony.

Unfortunately, Die Friesen was not exempt from the minimum 5% of the votes which is usually necessary to enter German parliaments at state and federal level, en exemption provided to parties representing national minorities –a condition SSW meets. The reason argued was that the state doubted that inhabitants from Eastern Frisia belonged to the “Frisian ethnic group”. Its leaders believe, therefore, that they suffer “electoral exclusion”.

Flag: the image offered in this article is the pan-Frisian non-official flag proposed by the pro-independence group Groep fan Auwerk, which calls for self-determination for the whole Frisian territory.