Middelkerke

Coordinates: 51°11′N 02°49′E / 51.183°N 2.817°E / 51.183; 2.817Country BelgiumCommunityFlemish CommunityRegionFlemish RegionProvinceWest FlandersArrondissementOstendGovernment • MayorJean-Marie Dedecker (LDD) • Governing party/iesLDD, CD&VArea • Total79.04 km² (30.52 sq mi)Population • Total19,371 • Density250/km² (630/sq mi)Postal codesNIS codeArea codes059Websitewww.middelkerke.be

Middelkerke (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɪdəlˌkɛrkə]) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders, on the North Sea, west of Ostend. The municipality comprises the villages of Leffinge, Lombardsijde, Mannekensvere, Middelkerke proper, Schore, Sint-Pieters-Kapelle, Slijpe, Westende and Wilskerke. On January 1, 2006, Middelkerke had a total population of 17,841. The total area is 75.65 km² which gives a population density of 236 inhabitants per km².

The first reference of 'Middelkerca' is found in 1218. Before 1876 it mainly was a farming settlement.

In 1902, Middelkerke became the world's first municipality to have their drinking water disinfected by continuous chlorination.^[2]

Sports

The Noordzeecross is a February cyclo-cross race held in Middelkerke, which is part of the Superprestige.

References

External links

• Media related to Middelkerke at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website (in Dutch)