Nieuwpoort is a small fishing harbour on the North Sea coast, and is well-known for its shrimps. The city is made up of two distinct parts, the old cty centre and its market place and fishing harbour, and the coastal town where thousand of holiday appartments have been built by the beach. Nieuwpoort boasts of the largest harbour and docking facilities for sailing yachts and pleasure craft in Europe. The old city lies at the confluence and mouth of various canals and rivers, the most important one being the river Yser. The areas in and around this river were the scene of major bloody battles during World War I and II. Many monuments in and around the city will remind one of this history.