BENELUX COUNTRIES Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxombourg

 “God made the world but the Dutch made the Netherlands”– Descartes  Human Environment interaction is very important to this region  The North is bordered by the North Sea.

 Started over two thousand year ago  Build low mounds surrounded by stone walls to damn off the sea  Romans conquered built more sophisticated dikes

 The reclaimed land was a called a polder  About 1/3 of the land is below sea level  Many times people will be looking up at ships as they pass by their land on the polder

 8 Year Process  Year 1-2 Earth dikes are built around an area of wate rand the water is drained away  Year 3-6 A mat of woven twigs is laid across the land. Planes sow seeds of reeds that grow through the mat.  Year 7 Reeds are burned, and ashes are plowed into the soil.  Year 8 Polder is used for farming and settlement.

 Belgium is a product of cultural convergence  30 % of people speak French (Walloons)  55% speak Flemish (Dutch or Flemings)  Gained independence from the Netherlands in 1830

 French was the official language after independence was gained  All government and universities used the official language  Tensions grew between the Walloons and the Flemish

 1898 Flemish also became an official language  In Recent years the Belgian Parliament passed new laws to decentralize the government  Power is now held in the 3 regions: Wallonia, Flanders and Brussels

 Luxembourg 990 square miles (smaller than Rhode Island)  1000 years of history  Close ties with Germany, France and Belgium  3 major languages: French, German and Luxembourgish  Has one of the highest standards of living in Europe  Steel and High tech industries drive the economy