Flanders is the northern part of Belgium. The region borders on the North Sea, with 65 km of beach. Due to its central location in Europe, many major European cities, like Paris, London, Amsterdam, are only a short distance away and can be easily visited on a day-trip from Belgium. The region provides 60% of the national GDP. Flanders' economy is strongly export-oriented. The main export products are automobiles, food, iron and steel, finished diamonds, textiles, plastics and petroleum products.