Ter Apel (Dutch pronunciation: [tɛr ˈaːpəl]; Gronings: Troapel) is a village[citation needed] with a population of 9,914 residents[citation needed] in the municipality Westerwolde in the northern Netherlands, in the province Groningen in the region Westerwolde.

[1] The town lies on the stream Ruiten Aa, which has the valley that together with the Ter Apeler forest belongs to the national network of nature reserves, the Ecologische Hoofdstructuur.

The town was founded at a monastery, which from the thirteenth century was a chief work of the Premonstratensians and from 1465 an institution of the Order of the Holy Cross.

In 1619 ownership of Westerwolde passed to the city of Groningen, with the monastery and its grounds included.

In the first half of the 20th century it was a hub for the rail and tram routes operated by the Eerste Drentsche Stoomtramweg Maatschappij (EDS), the Eerste Groninger Tramway-Maatschappij (EGTM), the Dedemsvaartsche Stoomtramweg-Maatschappij (DSM), the Stoomtramweg-Maatschappij Oostelijk Groningen (OG), and the Groningsch-Drentsche Spoorweg Maatschappij (Stadskanaal - Ter_Apel - national border) (STAR).