Belgium
Belgium has a favourable location, surrounded by land and sea. It is bordered by the North Sea to the west and lies between the EU member states of France, Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Its total area, including surface water area, is 33,990 square kilometers; land area alone is 30,528 square kilometers.
Geographically, Belgium can be divided into three major areas:
- Lower Belgium (up to 100m above sea level)
- Central Belgium (between 100m and 200m above sea level)
- Upper Belgium (from 200m to over 500m above sea level)
Lower Belgium
Lower Belgium begins in the west, from the coastal area, a strip of sea, sands and dunes. Behind the coast lie ‘the polders’, a flat and productive area which used to suffer from flooding by the sea. Between the western polders, the River Lys and the Scheldt, are the Flemish Lowlands (Vlaamse Laagvlakte), a sandy zone with some small hills. Further inland is a smooth green landscape irrigated by numerous waterways, with fertile valleys, and, in the north east, the sandy plain of the Campine (Kempen). Here the soil is poor and the landscape comprises conifer woods, heathlands, ponds, marshes, pastures and corn fields.
Central Belgium
Behind the Flemish lowlands and the Campine, gradually rising to the Sambre and Meuse valleys, lies central Belgium, with its low and fertile loamy plateaus. The heavily urbanised Brabant has its own lush green carpet, the forest of Soignes, a forest area and a remnant of the ancient Forest of Cologne, which covered a large part of the country in Roman times. Furthermore, central Belgium boasts Hainaut in the west and Hesbaye in the east, both fertile areas with large farms and extensive fields and pastures.
Upper Belgium
Upper Belgium is situated south of the rivers Sambre and Meuse. It begins at the Condroz plateau, a fertile area which is regarded primarily as a tourist attraction thanks to the beautiful valleys of the Semois and the Ourthe and its numerous historical monuments. Further to the south are the Ardennes, covered in dense forests, with hills averaging around 350m-500m. The region is typified by steep-sided valleys carved by fast-flowing rivers such as the Meuse. In the southernmost part of Belgium lies the Belgian Lorraine, which has a milder climate than the rest of the country and in Torgny you can even find some picturesque vineyards.
Flanders
The landscape of Flanders is generally identified as Lower Belgium: sandy beaches and dunes on the coast, followed by fertile polders. Inland you find the green pastures and hills of East Flanders and Brabant; the Campine, marked by heathland and pine groves, and finally the loamy soil of the fruitful Haspengouw. The main rivers of Flanders are the Scheldt, Lys, Yser and Meuze.
Typically Flemish regions
Vlaamse Kust www.dekust.org
Brugse Ommeland www.brugseommeland.be
Leiestreek www.vvvleiestreek.be
Meetjesland www.meetjesland.be
Rupelstreek www.trvl.be (in Dutch)
Dijleland en Groene Gordel www.dijleland.be (in Dutch)
Kempen:
- Antwerpse kempen www.antwerpsekempen.be
- Limburgse kempen www.toerismelimburg.be (in Dutch)
Maasland www.toerismelimburg.be (in Dutch)
Voerstreek www.toerismelimburg.be (in Dutch)
Haspengouw www.haspengouw.be (in Dutch)
The North Sea
The 65km Flemish coastline is the shallowest part of the North Sea. Parallel to the coast lie the long Flemish sandbanks, with deep gullies between them. The Belgian part of the North Sea covers approximately 3,600 sq km, which is about the size of West Flanders. This is barely half a per cent of the surface of the North Sea.
Along the coast, the North Sea is shallow, with an average depth of about 20m and a maximum depth of 35m on the Belgian continental shelf. The depth of the sea increases towards the Atlantic Ocean to about 200m.
The North Sea is quite a rough sea with a lot of activity. The wind, the waves and the seabirds all leave their mark; sailing boats and motorboats parade along the coast, ferry-boats sail to and fro. It is also notorious for its storms and its fogs and its powerful tides.
