ABSTRACT
Limburg is an attenuated province: its north-south extent is 115 kilometres, its greatest width is 35 kilometres and at its narrowest it is scarcely 6 kilometres wide. The province is frequently regarded as having three subdivisions, namely North, Middle and South Limburg. Physically, most of North and Middle Limburg share the unspectacular landscapes of North Brabant, as does the northern fringe of South Limburg. But further south, and away from the Maas, the landscape is totally different, for uplift and dissection have produced relief unique in the Netherlands. Dissection is at its best in the extreme south, an area of considerable tourist attraction, and accidented relief is also to be found in eastern parts of South Limburg. Throughout the nineteenth century only two mines, Dominale and Neuprick, exploited the Limburg coalfield; both were located in the extreme east, near Kerkrade, where workable seams are shallowest.
