North Brabant

Largest province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, lying between the Maas River (Meuse) and Belgium; area 4,940 sq km/1,907 sq mi; population (1997) 2,304,100. The capital is 's-Hertogenbosch. Industries include brewing, tobacco, engineering, microelectronics, and textiles. There is cattle farming, and wheat and sugar beet are grown.

The province is flat and marshy, with former heathland being under mixed farming. Towns and cities include Breda, Eindhoven, and Tilburg. In the Middle Ages the duchy of Brabant included South Brabant, which is now a province of Belgium.