[1] The former municipalities Finsterwolde and Bad Nieuweschans were abolished and added to Beerta.

It won five of the thirteen seats on the local council and formed the Court of Mayor and the Aldermen in alliance with local party Gemeentebelangen, although the two parties were traditionally foes.

[citation needed] Reiderland also drew some attention in the 2002 general election, when the Pim Fortuyn List received 22.9% of the vote in the municipality, the party's best result in the province of Groningen.

[citation needed] Towns and villages in the municipality include: Reiderland is also the name of an area of land in the Netherlands and Germany that was drowned with 33 villages and a town in 1277 when the Dollart inlet formed.

See List of settlements lost to floods in the Netherlands#Drowned villages in Groningen province.