Liège

Liège is a province in east Belgium, bordered by Germany on the east. It is drained by Meuse, Amblève, Ourthe and Vesdre Rivers. It was the core of the territory held by independent prince-bishops of Lieège for nearly 1000 years. They allied themselves with the Hapsburg rulers of The Netherlands from the 16th century until 1795 when France annexed it. Assigned to The Netherlands in 1815, the lands became Belgian in 1830. The land supports a wide variety of agriculture, and there are several major industrial areas. There are two natural wild preserves. There are many old castles and monasteries, and tourism is important, especially at Spa and along the Ourthe and Amblève Rivers. The province is mainly French speaking with a few German-speaking areas. The 2003 estimated population was 1,027,100.