Zelzate

Zelzate
Municipality
Zelzate town hall
Flag Coat of arms
Zelzate Location in Belgium
Location of Zelzate in East Flanders
Coordinates: 51°12′N 03°49′E / 51.200°N 3.817°ECoordinates: 51°12′N 03°49′E / 51.200°N 3.817°E
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	East Flanders
Arrondissement	Eeklo
Government
• Mayor	Frank Bruggman(VLD)
• Governing party/ies	N-VA, VLD
Area
• Total	13.71 km^2 (5.29 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2016)[1]
• Total	12,490
• Density	910/km^2 (2,400/sq mi)
Postal codes	9060
Area codes	09
Website	www.zelzate.be

Zelzate (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈzɛlzaːtə]) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality only comprises the town of Zelzate proper. On January 1, 2006, Zelzate had a total population of 12,176. The total area is 13.71 km² which gives a population density of 888 inhabitants per km².

Zelzate is divided into two parts by the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal. There is a concrete drawbridge and a tunnel to connect the two sides. Zelzate is known for the nearby polluting industry, which makes it the village with the lowest air quality in the country.^[2][3] Recently ArcelorMittal Ghent (Sidmar) made a major investment which resulted in an emission decrease of 90%.

Notable citizens

• Eric Verpaele (b. Zelzate, 2 February 1952), writer.
• Eddy Wally (b. Zelzate, 12 July 1932), Singer.

Sister cities

The town is twinned with:

• Aubenas (France)
• Cesenatico (Italy)
• Delfzijl (Netherlands)
• Schwarzenbek (Germany)
• Sierre (Switzerland)

References

1. Population per municipality as of 1 January 2016 (XLS; 397 KB)
2. Lucht publicaties H5
3. Lucht publicaties H7

External links

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