Guttland
Guttland (German: Gutland) is a region covering the southern and central parts of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Guttland (literally "Good Land") covers 68% of the territory of Luxembourg; to its north lies Éislek, which covers the remaining 32% of the Grand Duchy.[1] To the east, the Luxembourgish Guttland adjoins the Bitburger Gutland of Germany.
Guttland is not an homogeneous region, and includes five main sub-regions: the Valley of the Seven Castles, Little Switzerland, the Luxembourg plateau, the Moselle Valley, and the Red Lands.[1][additional citation(s) needed] Despite its variety, it does have general geographic characteristics, either physical or human, that separate it from Éislek.[citation needed]
Unlike the sparsely populated Éislek, Guttland is relatively urbanised. Whereas Éislek has only one town with a population larger than 5,000 people, Guttland has four cities with a population largely above 20,000 (Luxembourg City, Esch-sur-Alzette, Differdange and Dudelange). However, Guttland's urban areas are mostly congregated in the cantons of Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, Capellen and Mersch, whereas some other parts of Guttland (cantons of Redange, Echternach, Grevenmacher and Remich) are almost as sparsely populated as Éislek region.
Guttland has a lower altitude above sea level and a flatter landscape than Éislek. Geologically, Guttland is predominantly a large Jurassic-Triassic sandstone formation, part of the Lorrainian system; Éislek is predominantly Devonian schist and quartz. Both are wooded, but Éislek's forests are more numerous and thicker, a testament to the slower pace of human development in Éislek. Most of Guttland is fertile agricultural territory - hence the name.
References
- ^ a b "Luxembourg's territory". luxembourg.public.lu. Retrieved 21 November 2024.