Zuid-Beveland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zuid-Beveland is a part of the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands north of the Westerschelde and south of the Oosterschelde. It is a former island, now peninsula, crossed by the Canal through Zuid-Beveland on the west and the Scheldt-Rhine Canal on the east.
It consists of four municipalities:
It is a former island which was joined (together with Walcheren) to the mainland by a railway embankment in 1903. North Beveland was joined to South Beveland by the Delta Works. A shipping canal connecting the Belgian port of Antwerp with the Rhine River traverses South Beveland. Agriculture and livestock breeding are the economic mainstays. Dairy production and the cultivation of sugar beets are the principal activities on North Beveland, which also has factories for sugar extraction. South Beveland specializes in the growing of wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, and fruits and is also known for its fisheries and oyster culture. Wissenkerke, whose name derives from a beautiful 17th-century church, is the chief town of North Beveland; Goes, which has a 15th-century Gothic church, is South Beveland's principal urban center. Heavy fighting occurred in both areas during World War II, notably during the Battle of the Scheldt. South Beveland is also home to Europe's largest greenhouse, located near Kapelle.