Location

Limburg shares 212 kilometres of common border with Germany. One hundred and thirty nine kilometres of the province's western border and part of its southern border flank Belgian Flanders, and the remaining southern border is shared with the Walloon region. To the north, Limburg borders the Dutch provinces of Brabant and a small part of Gelderland. At its narrowest point, at Roosteren, Limburg farms a slim, six-kilometre-wide wedge between its two neighbouring countries, with whom it has forged close social and economic ties down through the centuries. The borders of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany converge at Vaals at a spot known as the "Three CountriesPoint" (Drielandenpunt). Stretching from south to north, Limburg follows the river Meuse for a distance of 160 kilometres. The river, which provides a direct link to the port area of Rotterdam, has always played a significant role in Limburg's economic history. In Central and North Limburg, part of the province's western border cuts through the De Peel region, once a peat moor covering 6000 km2 which formed a natural barrier to the western Netherlands. Today, the De Peel is largely under cultivation. In contrast to other provinces in the Netherlands, Limburg has become a crossroads for some of Europe's major transport routes. The A2, A67, A73 and A77 motorways as well as the busy railway lines which link the western Netherlands, western Germany's Rhine-Ruhr industrial region and Central Europe all traverse Limburg. Inland shipping has access to the major European waterways via the Meuse and the Juliana Canal.
Also of great importance to Limburg's economie infrastructure is Maastricht Aachen Airport, which serves the Euroregion by providing an essential node for normal passenger service, tourist charter flights and international freight transport.