Administratively, East Frisia consists of the districts Aurich, Leer and Wittmund and the city of Emden.

The geographical region of East Frisia was inhabited in Paleolithic times by reindeer hunters of the Hamburg culture.

The first proven historical event was the arrival of a Roman fleet under Drusus in 12 BC; the ships sailed into the course of the Ems river and returned.

The earlier settlements, known solely through material remnants but whose people's name for themselves remains unknown, led up to the invasion of Germanic tribes belonging to the Ingvaeonic group.

With the decay of the Carolingian empire, East Frisia lost its former bindings, and a unity of independent self-governed districts was established.

Frisian representatives of the many districts of the seven coastal areas of Frisia met once a year at the Upstalsboom, located at Rahe (near Aurich).

In the early Middle Ages, people could only settle on the higher situated Geest areas or by erecting in the marsh-areas "Warften", artificial hills to protect the settlement, whether a single farming estate or a whole village, against the North Sea floods.

There was a specific relation of dependence between the inhabitants of the ruled area and the chieftain, but the people retained their individual freedom and could move where they wanted.

In the 14th century Oldenburg gave up on plans to conquer Ostfriesland, restricting their attacks to irregular invasions, killing livestock then leaving.

The East Frisian chieftains used to provide shelter for pirates such as the famous Klaus Störtebeker and Gottfried Michaelsen, who were a threat to the ships of the powerful Hanseatic League which they attacked and robbed.

But a party of opposing chieftains under the leadership of the Cirksenas from Greetsiel defeated and expelled Fokko, who later died near Groningen.

After 1465 one of the last chieftains from the house of Cirksena was made a count by Emperor Frederick III and accepted the sovereignty of the Holy Roman Empire.

Externally East Frisia became a satellite of the Netherlands, Dutch garrisons being stationed in different cities permanently.

East Frisian independence ended in 1744, when the region was taken over by Prussia after the last Cirksena prince had died without issue.

In 1806 East Frisia (now called Oostfreesland) was annexed by the Napoleonic Kingdom of Holland and later became part of the French Empire.

The French Emperor Napoléon I undertook the greatest reform of Frisian society in history: He introduced mayors, where the local administration was still in the hands of autonomous groups of elders (like the Diekgreven, Kerkenolderlings etc.

After the Napoleonic Wars East Frisia was occupied first by Prussian and then by Russian soldiers and in 1813 was it was re-annexed by Prussia.

The area between the islands and the coast is unique in the world: the tide leaves a broad stretch of mudflat with creeks that attract an extraordinary number of species, worms and crabs as well as birds or seals.

In former times people from East Frisia who left their homes under pressure had settled in that remote area surrounded by moors and kept their inherited language alive.

[5] Strong black tea is served whenever there are visitors to an East Frisian home or other gathering, as well as with breakfast, in mid-afternoon and mid-evening.

After that some heavy cream is added carefully just as a top layer so it can make "clouds" (wulkjes) that swim on the tea itself.

The Concordat of Emden in 1599 set rules for the cooperation of Lutherans and Calvinists in the county of East Frisia.

Since then it is a special feature of the Protestant Landeskirchen in East Frisia, that Lutherans and Calvinists are members of each other's local church communities in places, where only one of both exists.

Around 1900, many people left East Frisia due to lack of jobs and emigrated to the United States or elsewhere.

Today the region is again suffering from the loss of young educated people, who go away to find better employment in, for example, southern Germany.