Limburg

Southernmost province of the Netherlands, bounded by Germany to the east, Belgium to the west and south, and North Brabant to the north; area 2,170 sq km/838 sq mi; population (1997) 1,136,200. The capital is Maastricht, and Kerkrade, Heerlen, and Roermond are other towns. The province includes the Maas (Meuse) and Roer rivers, and features sandy soils in river plain, marl soils in the south, and is hilly towards the south. Industries include chemicals, cement, and fertilizers, and agriculture includes mixed arable farming, and horticulture.

Features of Limburg include a monument at the Drielandenpunt, where the Dutch, German, and Belgian borders meet. Kerkrade is the alleged site of the first European coal mine. The province was formerly part of the duchy of Limburg, which was divided in 1839 into today's Dutch and Belgian provinces. It contains a small area of German territory transferred to Dutch sovereignty in 1949.

Limburg was divided in 1648 between the United Provinces of the Netherlands and the Spanish Netherlands. It was united in 1815 in the kingdom of the Netherlands.

It was traditionally a coal mining area, but this activity diminished because of the availability of other fuels, such as natural gas from the Groningen field, and oil. The coalfield was closed in 1975.

Limburg

Flemish name for Limbourg, a province in Belgium.