Limburg | |||
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Province of the Netherlands | |||
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Anthem: "Limburg mijn Vaderland" "Limburg My Fatherland" |
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Location of Limburg in the Netherlands |
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Coordinates: 51°13′N 5°56′E / 51.217°N 5.933°ECoordinates: 51°13′N 5°56′E / 51.217°N 5.933°E | |||
Country | Netherlands | ||
Inclusion | 1839 | ||
Capital | Maastricht | ||
Largest city | Maastricht | ||
Government | |||
• Governor | Theo Bovens (CDA) | ||
Area | |||
• Land | 2,153 km2 (831 sq mi) | ||
• Water | 56 km2 (22 sq mi) | ||
Area rank | 9th nationally | ||
Population (2006) | |||
• Land | 1,131,938 | ||
• Rank | 6th nationally | ||
• Density | 530/km2 (1,400/sq mi) | ||
• Density rank | 4th nationally | ||
ISO 3166 code | NL-LI | ||
Religion (2003) |
Roman Catholic 78% Protestant 2% Others 5% Non-religious 15% |
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Website | www.limburg.nl |
Limburg (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈlɪmbɵrx]; Dutch and Limburgish: (Nederlands-)Limburg; French: Limbourg) is the southernmost of the 12 provinces of the Netherlands. It is in the southeastern part of the country, stretched out from the north, where it touches the province of Gelderland, to the south, where it internationally borders Belgium. Its northern part has the North Brabant province to its west. Its long eastern boundary is the international border with the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Much of the west border runs along the River Maas, bordering the Flemish province of Limburg, and a small part of the Walloon province of Liège. On the south end, it has borders with the Flemish exclave of Voeren and its surrounding part of Liège, Wallonia. The Vaalserberg is on the extreme south-eastern point, marking the tripoint of Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.
Limburg's major cities are the provincial capital Maastricht, Sittard-Geleen and Heerlen in the south, Roermond and Weert in the middle, and Venlo in the middle-north, all upon the Meuse river. In South Limburg, there are also urban agglomerations at Sittard-Geleen and Parkstad Limburg, which includes the city of Heerlen.