The Red Lands form a geographic region in southern and south-western Luxembourg. They are so called for their red iron-laden earth.
The Red Lands roughly correspond with the southern part of the canton of Esch-sur-Alzette, along the border with France. Geologically, the Red Lands are sedimentary, mostly sandstones and conglomerates, formed in the Middle Jurassic epoch.
As one of the most prodigious iron-producing regions in Western Europe, the Red Lands developed a thriving local steel industry, which has now developed into Arcelor, the world’s second largest producer of steel. Throughout the industrial decline of recent years, the Red Lands have diversified into construction materials, engineering, and chemicals.
The region is the most densely populated part of Luxembourg, with several of Luxembourg's largest towns and cities, including Bettembourg, Differdange, Dudelange, Esch-sur-Alzette, and Schifflange, all of which have populations in excess of 7,000 people.
Coordinates: 49°N 6°E / 49°N 6°E / 49; 6
Famous quotes containing the words red and/or lands:
“Hm, the beacon of the press. In the hell to which all journalists must descend when they die, Mr. Wiggam, we shall sit at red hot desks with quills of fire in our hand and spend eternity on eternity writing about the salubrious weather of that region. Let us serve our apprenticeship here thoroughly and intelligently.”
—Ben Hecht (1893–1964)
“This ferry was as busy as a beaver dam, and all the world seemed anxious to get across the Merrimack River at this particular point, waiting to get set over,—children with their two cents done up in paper, jail-birds broke lose and constable with warrant, travelers from distant lands to distant lands, men and women to whom the Merrimack River was a bar.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)