ANTWERPEN - Geography and history
The province of Antwerp, 2 867 km2 in size, is situated on the Schelde estuary to the north of Flanders and consists of three districts: Antwerp, Mechelen and Turnhout.
Geographically the province is entirely lowland plain, its height above sea level varying between 2 metres in the west (sea polders) and 30 metres in the north. Its highest point, near Postel, lies at 46 metres.
The soil is predominantly sandy, with a number of clay deposits near the waterways.
Since the region is criss-crossed by a dense network of canals and rivers, the most prominent being the Schelde, water management poses no problems.
Woodland is generally sparse, except for the Noorderkempen, and consists chiefly of coniferous trees.
The population of the region at the beginning of 2002 was exceeding 1 650 000 inhabitants, the distribution between the three districts being as follows: Antwerp (935 381), Mechelen (307 433) and Turnhout (409 636).
The province has a high density of population (576 inhabitants by km2), above the average density of Belgium taken as a whole.
Metropolis and hinterland
The province of Antwerp has four great advantages:
the port of Antwerp, Europe's second largest freight port, with its central position, modern infrastructure, excellent connections (motorways and expressways, railways, canals and pipelines) and efficient services;
a hinterland with a solid industrial base consisting of a number of international companies in the metalworking and chemical sectors and a network of flourishing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs);
a qualified work-force trained in the province's own schools, colleges and universities a guarantee of high productivity;
the centre of the world diamond trade, with a substantial diamond industry.
The province also has three handicaps to contend with, typical of highly developed economies:
a growing burden on the environment (industrialization, ever-increasing traffic and creeping urbanization);
above-average dependence on foreign decision-making (high concentration of international establishments);
an ageing population (falling birth rate), likely to have a harmful effect on the availability of workers in the long term.
A diversified region with multiple centres of population
The Antwerp district, with its city of the same name, forms the nucleus of the province. The international port is surrounded by an extensive industrial zone, which provides the inhabitants of this densely populated region with a high standard of living. The port area is the country's foremost center of industrial growth. The diamond sector and a well-developed services sector intensify Antwerp's central character.
The district of Mechelen in the south-west of the region has moist, loamy sand-based soils which make it an important horticultural centre. The country's major, strongly export-oriented, horticultural market is at Sint-Katelijne-Waver. The district's favourable position between Antwerp and Brussels is one of the main reasons for its sound industrial base.
The traditionally agricultural Turnhout district in the east of the province has evolved over the past few decades into a non-urbanized area with a high industrial reputation thanks to its infrastructure.
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