West Flanders

West Flanders Official name is Provincie West-Vlaanderen (Dutch). (; ; , ) is one of the five provinces of the Flemish Region, also named Flanders, and also is one of the ten provinces of Belgium. It is the westernmost province in Flanders.

Its capital is Bruges (, , ).

The whole Belgian North Sea coast, an important tourism destination, lies in West Flanders. A tram line runs the length of the coast, from De Panne on the French border, via the port of Ostend (), to Knokke-Heist on the Dutch frontier.

Geography
The province of West Flanders lies in the most densely populated area of Western Europe. It has a population of about 1,209,000 in 2022

It borders the North Sea, northern France, Zeeland in the Netherlands, the Flemish province of East Flanders () and the Walloon province of Hainaut () in Belgium. West Flanders is the only Belgian province that borders both France and The Netherlands.

The province has an area of . In terms of area, it is the largest province in the Flemish Region and the fifth largest in Belgium.

West Flanders has a very flat landscape with polders, except for a row of dunes along the coast and an area with small hills known as the 'Westvlaamse Bergen', with the Kemmelberg (159 m) being the highest point in the province.

The main rivers in the province are the Leie () and Yser (). The Yser flows into the North Sea at the town of Nieuwpoort and the Leie flows into the Scheldt river.

Industry
In the north of the province, most industry is concentrated in and around the cities of Bruges and Ostend. Both cities also have important seaports: the port of Bruges-Zeebrugge and the port of Ostend. The south is known for its textile industry.

Tourism is also an important industry in West Flanders. Major touristic attractions include the Belgian coast, the historic centre of Bruges, and places where there were battles around Ypres during World War I.

Administrative division
The province of West Flanders is divided into 8 arrondissements and a total of 64 municipalities.

+ Municipalities by arrondissements, with their numbers in the map Bruges  Diksmuide  Kortrijk  Oostende 190px
 Beernem (5)
 Blankenberge (6)
 Bruges (Brugge) (8)
 Damme (9)
 Jabbeke (24)
 Knokke-Heist (25)
 Oostkamp (43)
 Torhout (53)
 Zedelgem (61)
 Zuienkerke (63) 190px
 Diksmuide (14)
 Houthulst (19)
 Koekelare (26)
 Kortemark (28)
 Lo-Reninge (35) 190px
 Anzegem (2)
 Avelgem (4)
 Deerlijk (12)
 Harelbeke (16)
 Kortrijk (29)
 Kuurne (30)
 Lendelede (33)
 Menen (36)
 Spiere-Helkijn (50)
 Waregem (56)
 Wevelgem (58)
 Zwevegem (64) 190px
 Bredene (7)
 De Haan (10)
 Gistel (15)
 Ichtegem (20)
 Middelkerke (39)
 Oostende (42)
 Oudenburg (45) Roeselare  Tielt  Veurne  Ypres 190px
 Hooglede (18)
 Ingelmunster (22)
 Izegem (23)
 Ledegem (32)
 Lichtervelde (34)
 Moorslede (40)
 Roeselare (48)
 Staden (51) 190px
 Ardooie (3)
 Dentergem (13)
 Meulebeke (38)
 Oostrozebeke (44)
 Pittem (46)
 Ruiselede (49)
 Tielt (52)
 Wielsbeke (59)
 Wingene (60) 190px
 Alveringem (1)
 De Panne (11)
 Koksijde (27)
 Nieuwpoort (41)
 Veurne (54) 190px
 Heuvelland (17)
 Langemark-Poelkapelle (31)
 Mesen (37)
 Poperinge (47)
 Vleteren (55)
 Wervik (57)
 Ypres (Ieper) (21)
 Zonnebeke (62)

Population by arrondissement
Population x 1,000 (on 1 January since 1980).Institut national de statistique - Direction générale Statistique et information économique

Arrondissement197019801990200020102020Bruges 243 254 263 271 276 283Diksmuide 48 48 47 48 50 52Kortrijk 266 271 276 278 281 292Oostende 129 133 137 142 151 158Roeselare 141 136 137 140 145 154Tielt 77 85 86 88 90 93Veurne 48 48 53 56 60 62Ypres 105 104 104 104 106 107Province of West Flanders 1,054 1,078 1,102 1,128 1,159 1,201

References

Other websites

 Official website
 Eurostat - Portrait of the Regions