Zelzate

Zelzate
Municipality
Zelzate town hall
Flag Coat of arms
Zelzate Location in Belgium
Location of Zelzate in East Flanders
Coordinates:
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 km2 (5.29 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2013)
• Total	12,491
• Density	910/km2 (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. 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)

External links

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