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Limburg is the name of two different adjoining provinces, one in the
Netherlands ( Limburg (Netherlands)) and one in Flanders, one of three regions of Belgium ( Limburg (Belgium)).Once, what is now Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands were one country, the Netherlands, meaning 'the lowlands'. When the Belgians split away from the Northern Netherlands the province of Limburg was split in two.
Historically, Limburg was also a county south of current Dutch-Limburg, partly overlapping with its southern municipalities, en partly in what is now the 'Pays d'Herve'.
Since Limburg is located in Flanders and The Netherlands, the official language in Limburg is Dutch, but Limburgish language, which knows a series of dialects, is spoken throughout the region. The status of Limburgish has been upgraded thanks to European legislation, whereas the national authorities refrain from being supportive.