what are low countries

[randell765]

forgive this question, but which countries are considered low countries?

[Uncle_Joe]

Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg are traditionally lumped together for such purposes in many WW2 games.

[ratprince]

Randell;

Uncle joe has it correct with that one. Additionally, the actual term itself comes from the fact that those countries have very high water tables and in general are "watery" realms. Hence the "low", an appelation to the fact that they are "under" water so to speak....

Sorry...just a tidbit of history there![;)]

Mike

[Dalwin]

Most U.S. history and geography texts eventually replaced the term Low Countries with the term Benelux when lumping those three together. I agree that the term refers to their elevation above sea level (or lack there of).

[Oleg Mastruko]

And in this game they are all lumped into "Netherlands". Frankly I thought a first post from some angry Belgian is just a matter of hours after the game is released, but haven't seen any so far.

(Eddy, if you're reading this... [;)])

Note that even Belgian Kongo in Africa technically belongs to Netherlands [:D]

Of course this has no repercussions on gameplay...

O.

[Marc von Martial]

And in this game they are all lumped into "Netherlands".

Netherlands means literally tranlated "low countries"

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: Oleg Mastruko

And in this game they are all lumped into "Netherlands". Frankly I thought a first post from some angry Belgian is just a matter of hours after the game is released, but haven't seen any so far.

(Eddy, if you're reading this... [;)])

Yup,

What "Belgians" - are there any left ?

"The Netherlands" as a generic term that incidently is identical to "Low Countries" refers to an area which is now the territory of 3 countries : Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxemburg.

Last political unification between 1815 and 1830 under the name "United Kingdom of the Netherlands", before that somewhere in the 16th century under the name "United Provinces".

As Belgium is a totally artificial construction that is about to fall apart you'll find very few "Belgians" lamenting the use of the generic term "Netherlands" for the area.

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[Marc von Martial]

As Belgium is a totally artificial construction that is about to fall apart you'll find very few "Belgians" lamenting the use of the generic term "Netherlands" for the area.

So we will see a "Wallonien" soon [;)] ?

[Dalwin]

ORIGINAL: Marc Schwanebeck

As Belgium is a totally artificial construction that is about to fall apart you'll find very few "Belgians" lamenting the use of the generic term "Netherlands" for the area.

So we will see a "Wallonien" soon [;)] ?

Maybe they'll bring back Flanders. [;)]

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: Marc Schwanebeck
So we will see a "Wallonien" soon [;)] ?

Not very likely - they'll probably re-attach to France - culturally they're more "French" than Alsacians or Bretons.

Flanders is economically viable and will probably go it alone - population the size of Denmark with a GDP per capita in the top 10 of the world.

Brussels will probably become some sort of European Washington D.C.

[predictions based on my crystal ball, the general mood in the Belgian political newsgroups on Usenet and "street talk"]

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[Marc von Martial]

ORIGINAL: sterckxe

ORIGINAL: Marc Schwanebeck
So we will see a "Wallonien" soon [;)] ?

Not very likely - they'll probably re-attach to France - culturally they're more "French" than Alsacians or Bretons.

Flanders is economically viable and will probably go it alone - population the size of Denmark with a GDP per capita in the top 10 of the world.

Brussels will probably become some sort of European Washington D.C.

[predictions based on my crystal ball, the general mood in the Belgian political newsgroups on Usenet and "street talk"]

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

Just keep making good fries and good sauces for them. That´s all I care about [;)]

[Oleg Mastruko]

ORIGINAL: Marc Schwanebeck

Just keep making good fries and good sauces for them. That´s all I care about [;)]

I think it's the Walloons (Frenchie people) that make good fries, not "Eddy people", ie Flemish [:D][:D]

I don't think Belgium will split too soon. Small countries have "political caste" that penetrates the whole society. What I am trying to say is, there may be, say, 400.000 people (number is totally made up, it may be 40.000, or 2 million, I don't know) who LIVE off the state. The state of Belgium feeds them and clothes them, they are politicians, or people who work for various political organisations or state owned enterprises.

Regardless of their ethnic or political background these people (and their families) survive by the very word "Belgium" and it is against their interest to see this "entity" disappear. And they have all the power...

It takes tremendous, and I mean tremendous amount of well-baked, well organised ethnic hatred to dissolve a country (we had that "tremendous amount" of ethnic hatred in ex Yugoslavia, it seems, but I doubt about Belgium).

Anyway, it would look strange and ugly on the map of Europe, and if it ever happens, Flemish will unite with Holland, I would bet on that.

O.

[Dalwin]

ORIGINAL: Oleg Mastruko

ORIGINAL: Marc Schwanebeck

Just keep making good fries and good sauces for them. That´s all I care about [;)]

I think it's the Walloons (Frenchie people) that make good fries, not "Eddy people", ie Flemish [:D][:D]

I don't think Belgium will split too soon. Small countries have "political caste" that penetrates the whole society. What I am trying to say is, there may be, say, 400.000 people (number is totally made up, it may be 40.000, or 2 million, I don't know) who LIVE off the state. The state of Belgium feeds them and clothes them, they are politicians, or people who work for various political organisations or state owned enterprises.

Regardless of their ethnic or political background these people (and their families) survive by the very word "Belgium" and it is against their interest to see this "entity" disappear. And they have all the power...

It takes tremendous, and I mean tremendous amount of well-baked, well organised ethnic hatred to dissolve a country (we had that "tremendous amount" of ethnic hatred in ex Yugoslavia, it seems, but I doubt about Belgium).

Anyway, it would look strange and ugly on the map of Europe, and if it ever happens, Flemish will unite with Holland, I would bet on that.

O.

Yes, when I mentioned bringing back Flanders I meant unite the Flemish portion of Belgium with the Netherlands and not having it as a separate country.

But, as pointed out by the previous poster, is there really enough animosity in the region to push for such changes?

[von_Schmidt]

ORIGINAL: Oleg Mastruko

Anyway, it would look strange and ugly on the map of Europe, and if it ever happens, Flemish will unite with Holland, I would bet on that.

O.

Hey, we don't want Flanders; too many hills and too funny an accent to be a proper Dutch province.
Give it to Poland or something, as a welcoming present for joining the EU.

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: Oleg Mastruko
I think it's the Walloons (Frenchie people) that make good fries, not "Eddy people", ie Flemish [:D][:D]

LOL - actually it's one of the few things we have in common (that and micro-breweries producing good stuff) : we know the secret of making good fries

ORIGINAL: Oleg Mastruko
It takes tremendous, and I mean tremendous amount of well-baked, well organised ethnic hatred to dissolve a country (we had that "tremendous amount" of ethnic hatred in ex Yugoslavia, it seems, but I doubt about Belgium).

There's no ethnic hatred at all - it's just like in a marriage gone bad : we're just sick and tired of each other and becoming apathic to "the other half".

A quiet divorce just like Tsjecho-Slowakia is the only scenario on the table.

ORIGINAL: Oleg Mastruko
Anyway, it would look strange and ugly on the map of Europe, and if it ever happens, Flemish will unite with Holland, I would bet on that.

Doubtfull - I know plenty of Flemish who are anti-Belgium, but *none* of them want to become part of The Netherlands.

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[Delphinium]

I thought Belguim had been renamed (B)Euroland years ago!

[:-][:-][:-][:-]

[Oleg Mastruko]

ORIGINAL: sterckxe

There's no ethnic hatred at all - it's just like in a marriage gone bad : we're just sick and tired of each other and becoming apathic to "the other half".

If you think a "marriage gone bad" does not involve intense hatred I know some guys who might have some news for you [:D]

O.