Eupen (French: Néau) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège, 10 miles from the German border (Aachen), from the Dutch border Maastricht and from the nature reservation "Hohes Venn" (Ardennes).
On January 1st, 2004 Eupen had a total population of 17,788 (8,619 males and 9,169 females). The total area is 103.74 km² which gives a population density of 171.46 inhabitants per km².
At the end of the First World War, Eupen and neighboring Malmedy were subject to a plebiscite to determine whether the region would be separated from Germany and annexed to Belgium. The plebiscite ballots required names and adresses of the voters. Fearing deportation, the populations of Eupen and Malmedy voted to join Belgium.
Eupen is the seat of the Council and the German speaking community in Belgium and the official language in this municipality is German.
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