Editing Limburg (Netherlands) (section)

==Economy==
{{see also|Mining in Limburg}}
[[File:Oekologisk-aeble-2001.jpg|thumb|Apples, with cherries, pears and prunes, are the major produce of Limburgian fruit-growing businesses]]
[[File:Baumblüte.JPG|thumb|Blooming fruit trees, a tourist attraction in southern Limburg]]

The [[Gross domestic product]] (GDP) of the province was €44.5 billion in 2018, accounting for 5.7% of the Netherlands economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €34,700 or 115% of the EU27 average in the same year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58|title=Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018|website=Eurostat|access-date=2020-03-07|archive-date=2020-04-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417095003/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the past [[peat]] and [[coal]] were mined in Limburg. In 1965–75 the coal mines were finally closed. As a result, 60,000 people lost their jobs in the two [[coal mining]] areas, Heerlen-Kerkrade-Brunssum and Sittard-Geleen. A difficult period of economic readjustment started. The Dutch government partly eased the pain by moving several government offices (including [[Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP]] and CBS [[Statistics Netherlands]]) to Heerlen.

The state-owned corporation that once mined in Limburg, [[DSM (company)|DSM]], is now a major chemical company, still operating in Limburg. In 2002 DSM sold its petrochemical division (naphtha crackers and polyolefin plants) to [[SABIC]] of Saudi Arabia. In 2010, the agro and melamine business groups were sold to [[OCI Nitrogen]]. [[SABIC]] is located on the [[Chemelot]] campus in [[Sittard-Geleen]], which is bounded by the Chemelot Industrial Park, one of Western Europe's biggest industrial sites. At this moment 8000 people work at Chemelot, of which 1000 are active at the Campus. The innovation and licensing division Stamicarbon of DSM was sold in 2009 to Maire Tecnimont, the parent company of an engineering, main contracting and licensing group that operates worldwide in the oil, gas & petrochemicals, power, infrastructure and civil engineering sectors. [[Stamicarbon]] is based in Sittard-Geleen.

[[VDL Nedcar]] in [[Born (Netherlands)|Born]] ([[Sittard-Geleen]]) is the only large-scale car manufacturer in the Netherlands, currently manufacturing [[Mini (marque)|MINI]]s and [[BMW X1]]s. Other industries include [[rockwool]] in Roermond, [[Océ]] copiers and printers manufacturers in [[Venlo]] and a paper factory in Maastricht. There are four large [[beer]] breweries in Limburg.

Southern Limburg has long been one of the country's two main [[Orchard|fruit-growing]] areas, but over the last four decades, many fruit-growing areas have been replaced by water as a result of [[gravel]] quarrying near the [[Meuse]].

Limburg is one of the most important provinces when it comes to [[Dutch wine]] production.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tastytales.tv/blog/netherlands-wine-harvest-season-in-southern-limburg/|title=Netherlands: Wine harvest season in southern Limburg|access-date=2021-04-27|archive-date=2021-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427194230/https://www.tastytales.tv/blog/netherlands-wine-harvest-season-in-southern-limburg/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[South Limburg]] has the highest concentration of vineyards in the Netherlands. Limburg's wine regions have 3 [[Appellations]]: Maasvallei, Mergelland and Vijlen. Voerendaalse bergen is expected to be recognized somewhere in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rvo.nl/onderwerpen/agrarisch-ondernemen/marktordening/wijn-en-olijfolie/wijn/europese-bescherming-aanvragen|title=Europese bescherming wijn &#124; RVO.nl &#124; Rijksdienst|access-date=2021-04-27|archive-date=2021-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427194558/https://www.rvo.nl/onderwerpen/agrarisch-ondernemen/marktordening/wijn-en-olijfolie/wijn/europese-bescherming-aanvragen|url-status=live}}</ref> 

[[Tourism]] is an essential sector of the economy, especially in the hilly southern part of the province. The town of Valkenburg is the main centre.

In 2005, the two provincial newspapers, ''De Limburger'' and ''Limburgs Dagblad'', merged.