West Flanders (Dutch: West-Vlaanderen) |
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Province of Belgium | |||
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Coordinates: 51°00′N 03°00′E / 51.000°N 3.000°ECoordinates: 51°00′N 03°00′E / 51.000°N 3.000°E | |||
Country | Belgium | ||
Region | Flemish Region | ||
Capital | Bruges | ||
Government | |||
• Governor | Carl Decaluwé | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 3,125 km2 (1,207 sq mi) | ||
Population (1 January 2016) | |||
• Total | 1,181,828 | ||
• Density | 380/km2 (980/sq mi) | ||
Website | www |
West Flanders (Dutch: West-Vlaanderen [ˌʋɛst ˈflaːndərə(n)];West Flemish: West Vloandern; French: (Province de) Flandre-Occidentale; German: Westflandern) is the most western province of the Flemish Region, also named Flanders, in Belgium. It borders (clockwise from the North) on the Netherlands, the Flemish province of East Flanders (Oost-Vlaanderen) and the Walloon province of Hainaut (Henegouwen) in Belgium, on France and the North Sea. Its capital is Bruges (Brugge). Other important cities are Kortrijk in the south and Ostend on the coast, Roeselare and Ypres. The province has an area of 3,125 km² which is divided into eight administrative districts (arrondissementen) containing 64 municipalities.
The North Sea coast of Belgium, an important tourism destination, lies in West Flanders. A tram line runs the length of the coast, from De Panne on the French border to Knokke-Heist on the Dutch border.