Westhoek (region)
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Westhoek (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋɛstˌɦuk] ⓘ; French pronunciation: [wɛstuk]; Dutch for "west corner") or Maritime Flanders (French: Flandre maritime) is a region in Belgium and France and includes the following areas:
- Belgian Westhoek (Dutch: Belgische Westhoek) including the West Flanders arrondissements of Diksmuide, Ypres, and Veurne including the cities of Veurne, Poperinge, Wervik, Ypres, De Panne, Langemark-Poelkapelle, Diksmuide and Koekelare. However, the three Belgian coast municipalities of De Panne, Koksijde, and Nieuwpoort are frequently considered a separate region known as the Belgian or Flemish West Coast (Westkust).
- French Westhoek (French: Westhoek français; Dutch: Franse Westhoek), roughly the arrondissement of Dunkirk, including the cities of Dunkirk, Gravelines, and Hazebrouck, itself part of a larger area known as French Flanders.
Outside Dutch-language sources, Westhoek sometimes refers only to French Westhoek.
French Westhoek
Geography
French Westhoek is the northern part of French Flanders, lying between the river Lys and the North Sea on the Franco-Belgian border. It nearly corresponds with the Arrondissement of Dunkirk (the northwestern quarter of the Department of Nord) but with the some areas of the arrondissement falling outside Westhoek while some areas of traditional Westhoek lie in the neighbouring Department of Pas-de-Calais.
French Westhoek consists of three natural regions:
- Blootland (Dutch for "naked land") or the Maritime Plain (French: Plaine maritime) including Dunkirk, Bourbourg, Bergues, and Hondschoote
- Houtland (Dutch for "woodland"), including Wormhout, Cassel, Hazebrouck, and part of Bailleul
- The Lys Valley (French: Vallée de la Lys or Plaine de la Lys; Dutch: Leiedal) including Merville, Steenwerck, and part of Bailleul
Language
The traditional language of French Westhoek is a
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Blootland country localization in France viewed by NASA Shuttle radar-imaging
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Westhoek map with historical language divisions and Dutch toponyms
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A street sign in Merck-Saint-Liévin, showing Germanic influence in local toponyms. The name Picquendal corresponds to the modern Dutch Piekendal.
The French Flemish dialect has had significant influence on local
Sources and references
- Ethnologue Report for West Flemish
- Flemish in France detailed overview