Terneuzen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Terneuzen
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Terneuzen city hall
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Location in Zeeland
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| Country |  Netherlands |
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| Province |  Zeeland |
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| Government | |||
| • Body | Municipal council | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 317.76 km2 (122.69 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 250.65 km2 (96.78 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 67.11 km2 (25.91 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 4 m (13 ft) | ||
| Population
(May 2014)
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| • Total | 54,771 | ||
| • Density | 219/km2 (570/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Terneuzenaar | ||
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) | ||
| Postcode |
Part of 4500 range
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| Area code | 0115 | ||
Terneuzen is a city and municipality in the southwestern Netherlands. It is located in the province of Zeeland, right in the middle of a region called Zeelandic Flanders. With almost 55,000 people living there, Terneuzen is the largest municipality in Zeeland.
Contents
Discovering Terneuzen's Past
Terneuzen was first mentioned in history books in 1325. It was a very important port city because of its location on the waterways. These waterways led to Ghent, a city in what is now Belgium.
The city was given special city rights in 1584. This meant it had more control over its own rules and laws.
There's a famous old story that Terneuzen was once home to the legendary Flying Dutchman. This was a captain named Van der Decken. The story says he cursed God and was then forced to sail the seas forever. You can read about him in the book The Phantom Ship by Frederick Marryat or see him in the opera The Flying Dutchman by Richard Wagner.
Before the year 1877, people often called the city simply Neuzen.
Exploring Terneuzen's Geography
The city of Terneuzen is found on the southern side of the Western Scheldt estuary. An estuary is where a river meets the sea.
The municipality of Terneuzen includes several smaller towns and villages. Here are some of the main ones and their populations:
- Terneuzen (city) (25,450 people)
- Axel (7,785 people)
- Sas van Gent (3,850 people)
- Zaamslag (2,780 people)
- Hoek (2,930 people)
- Koewacht (2,495 people)
- Sluiskil (2,240 people)
- Philippine (2,080 people)
- Westdorpe (1,890 people)
- Biervliet (1,550 people)
- Zuiddorpe (900 people)
- Spui (175 people)
- Overslag (250 people)
Terneuzen's Economy and Trade
The Ghent–Terneuzen Canal is still a very important waterway for ships. It connects Terneuzen to the Port of Ghent in Belgium. The port of Terneuzen is actually the third-largest in the Netherlands. Only the ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam are bigger.
A very large factory belonging to the Dow Chemical Company is located in Terneuzen. It is the biggest Dow Chemical plant outside of the United States. It sits on the west side of the Ghent–Terneuzen Canal.
Getting Around Terneuzen
You can reach Terneuzen from other parts of the Netherlands by using the Western Scheldt Tunnel. This tunnel opened in March 2003.
Terneuzen does not have a passenger train service connecting it to the rest of the Netherlands. However, the Dow Chemical plant does have a train line. This line is only for freight (goods) and connects to Ghent in Belgium. Passenger train service in Terneuzen stopped in 1951.
Famous People from Terneuzen
Terneuzen has been home to many interesting people over the years. Here are a few of them:
- Lupus Hellinck (1493 or 1494 – 1541) was a Flemish composer from the Renaissance period.
- Sir Bernard de Gomme (1620–1685) was a Dutch military engineer.
- Pieter Paulus (1753–1796) was a Dutch lawyer and politician. He was an important figure in his time.
- Francien de Zeeuw (1922–2015) was a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II. She was also the first woman to join the Dutch armed forces.
- Lodewijk van den Berg (1932–2022) was an astronaut who flew on a Space Shuttle mission.
- Klaas de Vries (born 1944) is a Dutch composer. He helped start the Rotterdam School of music.
- Sandra Roelofs (born 1968) was the former First Lady of Georgia.
See also
In Spanish: Terneuzen para niños
