The border of the great rivers

By the large rivers, one means in the Netherlands: the Rhine, the Meuse, and the most important streams in their delta. The large rivers include not only the Rhine and the Meuse, but also: Lek, Merwede, Nederrijn, Nieuwe Maas, Nieuwe Waterweg, Oude Maas, Waal, and sometimes also the IJssel. The large rivers have traditionally formed a natural boundary in the landscape. Especially where the Netherlands is cut through from east to west by various streams, an area averaging 25 km wide and 150 km long. The Roman Empire used these rivers as a border. The large rivers also form the boundary between the Protestant areas to the north of the rivers and the Catholic areas to the south, and thus also the areas where carnival has been traditionally celebrated: in the north, carnival was introduced quite recently, while in the south (with the exception of Zeeland) carnival has long been known and the celebration is much more exuberant. In the Netherlands, people often speak of ''above'' or ''below'' the large rivers. These are curious designations; ''to the north'' and ''to the south'' would be more accurate. Normally, ''above'' is indeed in the direction of the source and ''below'' is in the direction of the mouth of a river. The three southern provinces (Zeeland, North Brabant, and Limburg) are below, the rest above.

Dromos