Meerhout
| Meerhout | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipality | |||
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  Meerhout Location in Belgium | |||
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Location of Meerhout in the province of Antwerp  | |||
| Coordinates: 51°08′N 05°05′E / 51.133°N 5.083°ECoordinates: 51°08′N 05°05′E / 51.133°N 5.083°E | |||
| Country | Belgium | ||
| Community | Flemish Community | ||
| Region | Flemish Region | ||
| Province | Antwerp | ||
| Arrondissement | Turnhout | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | André Van Genechten (CD) | ||
| • Governing party/ies | CD, VLD, Vlaams Belang | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 36.29 km2 (14.01 sq mi) | ||
| Population (1 January 2016)[1] | |||
| • Total | 10,162 | ||
| • Density | 280/km2 (730/sq mi) | ||
| Postal codes | 2450 | ||
| Area codes | 014 | ||
| Website | www.meerhout.be | ||
Meerhout (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmeːrɦʌu̯t]) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Meerhout proper. As of January 1, 2008, Meerhout had a total population of 9,578. The total area is 36.29 km² which gives a population density of 264 inhabitants per km². In Meerhout some famous people have lived, like Kate Ryan (well known in France and Belgium, The UK, Turkey, Spain and the rest of western Europe).
Meerhout is a part of the Economic Network of the Albertkanaal (Albert Canal, named after King Albert 1).
Demographics
As of 1 January 2008, there are 9578 people living in Meerhout. 50.4% of them are men, 49.6% are women. Most people are older than 40.
| Year | 1806 | 1816 | 1830 | 1846 | 1856 | 1866 | 1876 | 1880 | 1890 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 2534 | 2845 | 3237 | 3633 | 3659 | 3664 | 3871 | 4043 | 4363 |
| Note: results as of 31/12 | |||||||||
| Year | 1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 | 1947 | 1961 | 1970 | 1976 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 4531 | 5362 | 5871 | 6197 | 7189 | 7945 | 8567 | 8521 | |
| Note: results as of 31/12 | |||||||||
| Year | 1977 | 1980 | 1985 | 1990 | 1995 | 2000 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 8521 | 8644 | 8790 | 9070 | 9190 | 9192 | 9317 | 9361 | 9463 | 9578 |
| Note: results as of 01/01 - Source: National Institute of Statistics Belgium (NIS) | ||||||||||
Tourism
There is quite a lot of tourism in Meerhout. There are many beautiful routes, like the "drieprovincieënroute" (three provinces route), which is a cycling route going through the provinces of Antwerp, Vlaams Brabant and Limburg. There are also some B&Bs available, and most shopkeepers understand English. Meerhout is very popular among people from The Netherlands, Germany and Ireland. A lot of (older) English people visit Meerhout too because of "The Wing" and other memorial icons of WW2.
Education
There are only 5 schools in Meerhout, these schools are both Pre- and Primary schools for children between the age of 3 and 12 years old.
There are secondary schools in the neighbourhood which are easily reachable by public transport or car/bicycle, in Geel, Mol, Diest and Tessenderlo.
Sports
A cyclo-cross competition is held in October.
Media
Meerhout had its own radio station, "MeerGoud" (MeerHout=>Meergoud, Goud means "Gold"), but it ceased broadcasting in 2006.
Notable inhabitants
- Kate Ryan (Female artist, won several awards, also well known in France, and getting more famous in other countries all over Europe)
- Zjef Van Uytsel (Dutch singer, famous in the late 80's with his typical Dutch music)
References
- ↑ Population per municipality as of 1 January 2016 (XLS; 397 KB)
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Meerhout. |
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Mol | Balen | | |
| Geel |  |
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| Laakdal | |
Ham (VLI) |
