Limburg (Belgium)
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| (Dutch:Limburg) | |
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| Country |  Belgium |
| Capital | Hasselt |
| Area | 2,414 km² |
| Population (2004) | 805786 |
| Density | 333 / km² |
| Governor | Steve Stevaert |
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| Official Site | |
- This article deals with a province in Belgium. For other uses of Limburg, see: Limburg. For the town of Limbourg in Belgium, see: Limbourg
Limburg (French: Limbourg) is the easternmost province of Flanders (which is one of the three regions of Belgium), and is located west of the Meuse river. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the Netherlands and the Belgian provinces of Liège, Flemish Brabant and Antwerp. Its capital is Hasselt. It has an area of 2,414 km² which is divided into three Arrondissements (arrondissementen in Dutch) containing 44 municipalities.
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[edit] Geography
Belgian Limburg is crossed by the Albert Canal, and has historically been a major coal-mining area.
[edit] History
Limburg's name derives the fortified castle town known as Limbourg, situated on the river Vesdre in the Ardennes, now in the Walloon province of Liège. It was the seat of the medieval Duchy of Limburg which extended into the Meuse region north of the city of Liège. However, most the area of the current Dutch Limburg was not part of this polity but was divided among several states including the Duchy of Brabant, the Duchy of Jülich, and the Bishopric of Liège, as well as the Duchy of Limburg. A result of this division is still evident in the plethora of distinct varieties of the Limburgish language spoken in Limburg municipalities.
Following the Napoleonic Era, the great powers (United Kingdom, Prussia, Austrian Empire, Russian Empire, and France) united the region with the new United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815. A new province was formed and was to receive the name "Maastricht," after its capital. The first king, William I, who did not want the name Limburg to be lost, insisted that the name be changed to "Limburg." As such, the name of the new province derived from the old Duchy of Limburg that had existed until 1648 within the triangle of Maastricht, Liège, and Aachen.
When the Catholic and French-speaking Belgians split away from the mainly Calvinist, Dutch Netherlands in the Belgian Revolution of 1830, the province of Limburg was at first almost entirely under Belgian rule. In 1839 Limburg was split into so-called Dutch Limburg and Belgian Limburg, though it became Flemish when all provinces in Belgium came under control of institutional regions.
In 't Bronsgroen Eikenhout is the official anthem of both Belgian and Dutch Limburg.
[edit] Administrative divisions
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Arrondissement Hasselt: |
Arrondissement Maaseik: |
Arrondissement Tongeren: |
Not to be confused with, though related to the Netherlands province of Limburg.
[edit] See also
- Limburgish language
- List of Governors of Limburg, Belgium
- Limburg (Netherlands), a province in southeastern Netherlands.
- Hesbaye
Communities: Flemish • French • German
Regions and provinces:
Brussels-Capital Region
Flemish Region: Antwerp • East Flanders • Flemish Brabant • Limburg • West Flanders
Walloon Region: Hainaut • Liège • Luxembourg • Namur • Walloon Brabant
Arrondissements: Administrative • Judicial • Electoral
Municipalities: of the Brussels-Capital Region • in the Flemish Region • in the Walloon Region
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Municipalities in the Province of Limburg, Flanders, Belgium |
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| Hasselt: As | Beringen | Diepenbeek | Genk | Gingelom | Halen | Ham | Hasselt | Herk-de-Stad | Heusden-Zolder | Leopoldsburg | Lummen | Nieuwerkerken | Opglabbeek | Sint-Truiden | Tessenderlo | Zonhoven | Zutendaal | | ||
| Maaseik: Bocholt | Bree | Dilsen-Stokkem | Hamont-Achel | Hechtel-Eksel | Houthalen-Helchteren | Kinrooi | Lommel | Maaseik | Meeuwen-Gruitrode | Neerpelt | Overpelt | Peer | ||
| Tongeren: Alken | Bilzen | Borgloon | Heers | Herstappe | Hoeselt | Kortessem | Lanaken | Maasmechelen | Riemst | Tongeren | Voeren | Wellen | | ||
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