Oland means 'ond land' and the first human settlements were around 2300 BC. Farmers live here today. There are 230 hectares of salt marshes surrounding the island and the people who live here keep sheep. The island is surrounded by mud flants. All the houses have thatched roofs giving them a typical Frisian look and even the lighthouse has a thatched roof. It has a lantern with one side painted red and the other painted green. This is to show ships when they have to change course. A dam or causeway connects the island to the mainland and everything that the islanders need comes via the causeway or the ferry. On Hallig Oland there is a church, a parish house, a pud and a shop. There are on cars because there are no roads, but there is a railway track and every family has an electric train-car