Editing North Brabant (section)

== Geography ==
With a population density of 501/km<sup>2</sup>, North Brabant is above average urbanized.<ref>De gemiddelde bevolkingsdichtheid van Nederland bedraagt 403/km² (2012).</ref> The urbanization is at the center of the province at largest, where the 'kite' (the [[Brabantse Stedenrij]] Breda, Tilburg, Eindhoven and 's-Hertogenbosch) is located, the rest of the province has a more rural character. The province has preserved some of its scenic nature well. National parks are found at the [[Loonse en Drunense Duinen|Loonse and Drunen Dunes]], [[De Biesbosch]] and De [[Grote Peel|De Groote Peel]], on the marshes of the [[Meierij]] at [[Oisterwijk]] and [[Boxtel]] (within an area called [[Het Groene Woud]]), the border park [[Kalmthoutse Heide|Zoom-Kalmthoutse Heide]], and in the forested area around [[Breda]]. Also, south of [[Eindhoven]] named [[Campine|De Kempen]] is an area with farmlands and forests. In [[Heeze]], also south of Eindhoven, are the heath areas the ''Groote Heide'' (333 ha) and Strabrechtse Heath (1500 ha) located. The ''Strabrechtse Heide'' holds also the largest [[fen]] of the Netherlands. The ''Beuven'' (Beu fen) measures 85 hectares.

Like most of the Netherlands, North Brabant is mostly flat but nearly every part of North Brabant is above sea level; therefore, there are not as many canals as in the lower parts of The Netherlands. Although most of the population lives in urban areas, the province is scattered with villages around which most of the land is cultivated.

National Parks in North Brabant are:
* [[De Biesbosch]]; National Park;	North Brabant / [[South Holland]];	7.100 ha;	1994
* De [[Kalmthoutse Heide|Zoom-Kalmthoutse Heide]]; Cross-Border Park;	North Brabant / [[Antwerp (province)|Antwerp]] (Belgium);	3.750 ha;	2001
* De [[Loonse en Drunense Duinen]]; National Park;	North Brabant;	3.400 ha;	2002
* De [[Grote Peel]]; National Park; 	North Brabant / [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]];	1.340 ha;	1993

===De Biesbosch===
The [[De Biesbosch|Biesbosch]] (from ''bies'', "rushes", and ''bosch'', "woodland") is an area southeast of [[Dordrecht]] formed when the dike on the [[Meuse]] burst and the [[St. Elizabeth's flood (1421)|St. Elizabeth's flood]]s on 19 November 1421 engulfed great tracts of land in the southwestern Netherlands and altered the geography of the whole area, inundating over 40,000 hectares (100,000 acres) of land. More than four-fifths of the flooded land has been reclaimed since the 18th century. An area of 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres) was left as it was, and now forms the Biesbosch nature reserve and bird sanctuary.
Until the end of the 1960s the Biesbosch was directly connected with the sea and subject to changing tide levels. As a result, it developed a flora which tolerated brackish water and was the home of numerous waterfowl. Since the damming of the [[Haringvliet]] there is no variation in water level, and both flora and fauna have adapted to the new environment.
The Biesbosch is crisscrossed by a network of footpaths and bike paths and by rivers and streams which offer facilities for water sports (sailing, surfing). In spite of the large numbers of visitors the natural environment has remained largely unspoiled.
The Biesbosch nature reserve can be reached by car only from the east (preferably via [[Werkendam]]). The southwest part of the area, with its three large reservoirs of drinking water, is closed to road traffic. The Biesbosch can also be reached by boat from [[Drimmelen]], [[Geertruidenberg]] or [[Lage Zwaluwe]].

=== De Kempen ===
The historical region of Kempen occupies the southern part of the province of Noord-Brabant and extends south of Eindhoven far into northern [[Belgium]]. To the east it reaches as far as the [[Meuse]] valley. The surface topography of [[Campine|De Kempen]] is very uniform. Most of it lies between 5&nbsp;m (15&nbsp;ft) and 35&nbsp;m (115&nbsp;ft) above sea level. The basement rocks are Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments, which are overlaid by [[Ice age|Ice Age]] gravels and sands carried here by rivers of melt-water from the retreating glaciers. It is a typical area of sandy heathland.
The infertile soil is suitable only for undemanding crops such as rye, oats, potatoes and fodder plants; this limits the profitability of agriculture. Until a few decades ago Kempen was a region of [[heathland]] and sand drifts with a sparse growth of pines, a few scattered villages subsisting on the poor soil and some small towns; and this is still the pattern in much of the region.
In recent years, however, the rapid advance of industry has brought about profound changes in this agricultural region. The origins of this industrial development go back 70–100 years. The main concentrations of industry are along the southern frontier of the Netherlands, e.g., at [[Eindhoven]], [[Helmond]], [[Tilburg]], [[Breda]], [['s-Hertogenbosch]].

===De Peel===
In the east of Noord-Brabant, near the [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]]ish border, is the [[Peel, Netherlands|Peel]] area, an expanse of [[moorland]] extending from Eindhoven to [[Venlo]], on the border with Limburg. Southeast of [[Asten, Netherlands|Asten]] is a nature reserve (1,300 hectares (3,250 acres); visitor center at Ospeldijk) which has escaped destruction by peat cutting. Mostly boggy, it will appeal to nature lovers with its interesting flora and fauna. Apart from this small area almost the whole of the Peel has been brought into cultivation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/north-brabant-nl-nb-nb.htm|title=10 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Eindhoven|work=planetware.com}}</ref>

===Rivers and deltas===
The province is bordered by the river [[Meuse]] in the north. Its delta flows through [[De Biesbosch]] area, a national park.

=== Municipalities ===<!-- This section is linked from [[Municipalities of the Netherlands]] -->
North Brabant has been divided into 56 municipalities since 2022. Traditionally, almost every town was a separate municipality, but their number was reduced greatly in the 1990s by incorporating smaller towns into neighbouring cities or by other mergers. The municipalities in North Brabant are:
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-break}}
*West North Brabant [[COROP]] group
**[[Bergen op Zoom]]
**[[Breda]]
**[[Drimmelen]]
**[[Etten-Leur]]
**[[Geertruidenberg]]
**[[Halderberge]]
**[[Moerdijk]]
**[[Oosterhout]]
**[[Roosendaal]]
**[[Rucphen]]
**[[Steenbergen]]
**[[Woensdrecht]]
**[[Zundert]]
{{Col-break}}
*Mid North Brabant [[COROP]] group
**[[Alphen-Chaam]]
**[[Altena, North Brabant|Altena]]
**[[Baarle-Nassau]]
**[[Dongen]]
**[[Gilze en Rijen]]
**[[Goirle]]
**[[Hilvarenbeek]]
**[[Loon op Zand]]
**[[Oisterwijk]]
**[[Tilburg]]
**[[Waalwijk]]
{{Col-break}}
*North East North Brabant [[COROP]] group
**[[Bernheze]]
**[[Boekel]]
**[[Boxtel]]
**[['s-Hertogenbosch]]
**[[Heusden]]
**[[Land van Cuijk]]
**[[Maashorst]]
**[[Meierijstad]]
**[[Oss]]
**[[Sint-Michielsgestel (municipality)|Sint-Michielsgestel]]
**[[Vught]]
{{Col-break}}
*South East Brabant [[COROP]] group
**[[Asten, Netherlands|Asten]]
**[[Bergeijk]]
**[[Best, Netherlands|Best]]
**[[Bladel]]
**[[Cranendonck]]
**[[Deurne, North Brabant|Deurne]]
**[[Eersel]]
**[[Eindhoven]]
**[[Geldrop-Mierlo]]
**[[Gemert-Bakel]]
**[[Heeze-Leende]]
**[[Helmond]]
**[[Laarbeek]]
**[[Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten]]
**[[Oirschot]]
**[[Reusel-De Mierden]]
**[[Someren]]
**[[Son en Breugel]]
**[[Valkenswaard]]
**[[Veldhoven]]
**[[Waalre]]
{{col-end}}

[[File:NB-COROPs.png|thumb|COROPs in North Brabrant|961px|center]]

==== Municipal reclassifications ====
The following municipal reclassifications took place in the 21st century:

On 1 January 2003 the municipality of [[Ravenstein, Netherlands|Ravenstein]] merged into the existing municipality of [[Oss]].<br/ >
On 1 January 2004 the municipalities of [[Geldrop]] and [[Mierlo]] merged into a new municipality called [[Geldrop-Mierlo]].<br/ >
On 1 January 2011 the municipality of [[Lith, North Brabant|Lith]] merged into the existing municipality of [[Oss]].<br/ >
On 1 January 2015 the municipality of [[Maasdonk]] merged into the existing municipalities of [['s-Hertogenbosch]] and [[Oss]].<br/ >
On 1 January 2017 the municipalities of [[Veghel]], [[Schijndel]], and [[Sint-Oedenrode]] merged into a new municipality called [[Meierijstad]], creating the largest municipality of the province of North Brabant in terms of land area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2016/52/in-twintig-jaar-bijna-240-gemeenten-minder|title=In twintig jaar bijna 240 gemeenten minder|last=CBS|website=www.cbs.nl|date=30 December 2016 |language=nl-NL|access-date=30 December 2016}}</ref><br/ >
On 1 January 2019 the municipalities of [[Aalburg]], [[Werkendam]], and [[Woudrichem]] merged into a new municipality called [[Altena, North Brabant|Altena]], an even larger municipality in terms of land area.<br/ > 
On 1 January 2021 the municipality of [[Haaren, North Brabant|Haaren]] merged into the existing municipalities of [[Boxtel]], [[Oisterwijk]], [[Tilburg]], and [[Vught]].<br/ >
On 1 January 2022 the municipalities of [[Landerd]] and [[Uden]] merged into the new municipality of [[Maashorst]], and the municipalities of [[Boxmeer]], [[Cuijk (municipality)|Cuijk]], [[Grave, Netherlands|Grave]], [[Mill en Sint Hubert]], and [[Sint Anthonis]] merged into the new municipality of [[Land van Cuijk]].