The Leopold Canal is a canal

Canal

Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...

 in northern Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

. Construction occurred between 1847 and 1850 after the Belgian government granted permission in 1846. It runs about 40 km

KM

KM, Km, or km may stand for:*Kilometre *Kernel methods*Kettle Moraine High School*Khmer language *Kuomintang , a centre-right political party in the Republic of China on Taiwan...

 (25 mile

Mile

A mile is a unit of length, most commonly 5,280 feet . The mile of 5,280 feet is sometimes called the statute mile or land mile to distinguish it from the nautical mile...

s) westward from Boekhoute to Heist-aan-Zee

Heist-aan-Zee

Heist-aan-Zee, or Heist, is a town in Knokke-Heist, West Flanders, Belgium. It was a prominent summer beach resort in the 1890s. It had a beach front lined with hotels and a "dike" paved walked way on a storm fender. Fishing boats were mooring on the beach, and one could purchase a ticket to bathe...

 just south of the Dutch border. It is between 1.2 and 2.3 m deep. The idea was put forward by canon Andries to prevent the Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 from blocking the discharge of water and inundating the Meetjesland

Meetjesland

The Meetjesland is a historical region in the north-west of the province East Flanders in Belgium.-Etymology:There are many legends surrounding the origin of the name. The most known is the one of Emperor Charles V who was known for his sexual appetite...

 after Belgium's independence

Independence

Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....

 from the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

.

It is claimed to have drained 360 km² of arable land. This canal was a major line of German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 resistance during the Battle of the Scheldt

Battle of the Scheldt

The Battle of the Scheldt was a series of military operations of the Canadian 1st Army, led by Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds. The battle took place in northern Belgium and southwestern Netherlands during World War II from 2 October-8 November 1944...

 in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.