Industrial city and capital of Limburg province, the Netherlands, on the River Maas, near the Dutch-Belgian frontier; population (2006 est) 120,200. Industries include metallurgy, textiles, and pottery. Maastricht dates from Roman times. It was the site of the Maastricht summit (see Maastricht Treaty) in December 1991.
Black and red recall the tunics worn by soldiers during the Napoleonic wars. Gold was added to create a flag similar to the French tricolour, a symbol of revolution. Effective date: 23 May 1949.