The map in question. The Ohio River Valley is labeled Nov. Belgium.
Given that Belgium didn't become a country until the 1830s, why is that the case? Is this just because of Dutch/French exploration into the area?
Belgium used to be a Latin name for the Netherlands. Belgium, Luxemburg, parts of Germany and France used to be one cultural region called the Netherlands. In modern Dutch Nederlanden still means the low countries while Nederland means the country that consists of the Northen part of the historic Low Countries/Netherlands.
Nov. Belgium can thus be translated as New Netherlands
Evidence from contemporary sources you can find on maps of the Low Countries of that time (often called 'Leo Belgicus','Netherlandic Lion)
F.e. this map by Mercator of the Low Countries
Or this one by Petrus Kaerius
The United Kingdom of the Netherlands where Belgium seperated from in 1830, was officially called the "Royaume des Belgiques"
There is a book written about the identity in the Netherlands by Dutch historian Hugo de Schepper. It's called "Belgium dat is Nederlandt" "Belgium that is the Netherlands"
