Flanders

Flanders

Flanders is a region in Belgium that takes the northern half of the country. It is mainly flat and very fertile. It borders the North Sea, The Netherlands, Northeast France, and the regions of Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region. The land area of Flanders is 13,522 square kilometers (5,221 square miles) which takes up 44% of Belgium. The coastline of Flanders is about 65 kilometers (40 miles) long.

In the middle ages, Flanders became the center of trade for textiles. However, it began to lose it’s importance in the 19th century do to modern industrialization in southern Belgium. By the 20th century, the Albert Canal allowed for economic growth within the region. At the 20th century’s end, Flanders became a flourishing economy due to the decline in Wallonia’s industries, the growth of liberalization, and the rich coalfields.

The dominant language in Flanders is known as Flemish. Flemish can also be identified as Dutch. The reason Dutch is the dominant language in the region is because Flanders used to belong to The Netherlands.

Flanders population is very dense. The population itself is 6,161,600 people. The largest cities in Flanders are Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, and Bruges.