- Gutland (Luxembourg)
Gutland ( _fr. Bon Pays) is a region covering the southern and central parts of the
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg . Gutland covers 68% of the territory of Luxembourg; to the north of Gutland lies theOesling , which covers the remaining 32% of the Grand Duchy.Gutland is not an homogeneous region, and includes five main sub-regions: the
Valley of the Seven Castles , Little Switzerland, theLuxembourg plateau , theMoselle valley , and theRed Lands . Despite its variety, Gutland does have general geographic characteristics, both physical and human, that separate it from the Oesling.Unlike the sparsely-populated Oesling, Gutland is relatively urbanised. Whereas the Oesling has only one town with a population larger than 2,000 people, Gutland has four with a population of over 15,000. However, Gutland's urban areas are mostly congregated in the cantons of Esch-sur-Alzette and Luxembourg, whereas some other parts of Gutland are almost as uninhabited as the Oesling.
Gutland is lower lying and flatter than the Oesling; . Geologically, Gutland is predominantly a large
Jurassic -Triassic sandstone formation, part of the Lorrainian system; the Oesling is predominantlyDevonian schist andquartz . Both are wooded, but the Oesling's forests are more numerous and thicker, a testament to the slower pace of human development in the Oesling. Most of the Gutland is fertile agricultural territory (hence the name).
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