North Brabant
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Map of the Netherlands, with red dots marking the capitals of the provinces and black dots marking other notable cities |
North Brabant (
Dutch:
Noord-Brabant, ) is a
province of the
Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by
Belgium in the south, the
Meuse River (
Maas) in the north,
Limburg in the east and
Zeeland in the west.
Until the
17th century, the area that now makes up the province of North Brabant was mostly part of the
duchy of Brabant, of which the southern part is in present-day
Belgium, although through time several areas have been autonomous entities. In the
14th and
15th century, the area went through a golden age, especially in the cities of
Leuven (Louvain),
Antwerp (both now in Belgium),
Breda and
's-Hertogenbosch (Bois-le-Duc).
After the
Union of Utrecht was signed in
1579, Brabant became a battlefield between the protestant
Republic of the Seven United Netherlands and the catholic
Spain, which occupied the southern Netherlands. With the
Peace of Westphalia, the northern part of Brabant became part of the Netherlands as the
territory of Staats-Brabant (State Brabant) under
federal rule (the founding
provinces of the
Dutch Republic were self-governing).
Attempts to preach protestantism failed, and the area served mainly as a military buffer zone. In
1796, when the Netherlands became the
Batavian Republic, Staats-Brabant became a province as
Bataafs Brabant. This status ended with the reorganisation by the
French, and the area was divided over several departments.
In
1815, Belgium and the Netherlands were united as the
United Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the province of North Brabant was established, in order to separate it from South Brabant, in present-day Belgium, which separated from the Kingdom in
1830. This boundary between the Netherlands and Belgium is special in that it does not form a contiguous line, but there are a handful of tiny enclaves (and enclaves inside enclaves) on both sides of the border, such as
Baarle-Hertog.
From the end of the
19th century, the province grew more and more industrialised. Textile was produced in
Tilburg and
Helmond, while the town of
Eindhoven grew out to a city thanks to the
Philips and
Van Doorne's Automobiel Fabriek companies.
The provincial council (
Provinciale Staten) has 79 seats, and is headed by the
Queen's Commissioner, currently
Hanja Maij-Weggen. While the provincial council is elected by the inhabitants, the Commissioner is appointed by the Queen and the cabinet of the Netherlands. With 28 seats, the Christian-Democratic
CDA is the largest party in the council.
The daily affairs of the province are taken care of by the
Gedeputeerde Staten, which are also headed by the Commissioner; its members (
gedeputeerden) can be compared with ministers.
North Brabant is currently divided into 68 municipalities. Traditionally, almost every town was a separate municipality, but their number was reduced greatly in the
1990s by incorporating smaller towns with neighbouring cities or mergers. The municipalities in North Brabant are:
As most of the Netherlands, North Brabant is mostly flat. While most of the population lives in urban areas, much of the province is uninhabited, though most of the land is cultivated. However, forests, heathlands and dune areas can still be found as well.
The province is bordered by the
Meuse River in the north. Its delta flows through the
Biesbosch area, a national park.
Employment is found in the
agricultural,
industrial and
service sectors. Main agricultural products are
wheat and
sugar beets, while
cows and
pigs are held as cattle. The chief industries produce cars, electronics (both mainly in Eindhoven), textile and shoes.
In the twentieth century,
tourism has risen as important sector for North Brabant, the woods and quiet atmosphere combined with the attractiveness of some of the cities proved successful. Another big tourist attraction is theme park
Efteling in
Kaatsheuvel, the largest of the Benelux.
*
Official Website (in Dutch)*
Province map showing subdivision in municipalities*
Merger Geldrop and Mierlo 1 Jan 2004, with map, http://www.geldrop-mierlo.nl/
*
Deltaworks Online - Flood protection of North Brabant and Deltaregionnds-nl:Noord-Braobant
