Antwerp (, , ) is the northernmost province both of the Flemish Region, also called Flanders, and of Belgium.
Antwerp is largest city of the province and its capital; the Port of Antwerp is part of the city.
History
The modern province of Antwerp was the old Deux-Nèthes department, created in 1795 during the First French Empire in the northern part of the Duchy of Brabant.
In 1815, during the creation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the territory became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands as the province of Central Brabant, distinguishing it from North Brabant and South Brabant. In 1830, after Belgium's independence the province was renamed Antwerp (after its major city and capital).
Geography
The province of Antwerp borders on the Netherlands and the Belgian provinces of Limburg, Flemish Brabant and East Flanders.
The province has an area of with a population of about 1,887,000 in 2022.
The northernmost point of the province (and also of Belgium) is in Meersel-Dreef with the coordinates .
The capital and largest city is Antwerp, also the largest city in the Flemish Region.
Its highest point is Beerzelberg, high, in the municipality of Putte, Mechelen district. The lowest point of the province with high, lies in the valley of the Grote Nete river near Lier.
The main river in the province is the Scheldt (Dutch: Schelde, ). Others rivers are Rupel, Grote Nete, Kleine Nete.
Administrative divisions
The province of Antwerp is divided into three arrondissements (Antwerp, Mechelen and Turnhout) and a total of 69 municipalities since 2019.
Population by arrondissement
Population x 1,000 (on 1 January since 1980).