Antwerp Province

Coordinates: 51°13′N 04°25′E / 51.217°N 4.417°E / 51.217; 4.417
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Antwerp Province
(Dutch: Provincie Antwerpen)
Province
Flag of Antwerp Province
Flag
Coat of arms of Antwerp Province
Coat of arms
Location of Antwerp Province
Coordinates: 51°13′N 04°25′E / 51.217°N 4.417°E / 51.217; 4.417
Country Belgium
Region Flanders
Capital
(and largest city)		Antwerp
Government
 • GovernorCathy Berx (CD&V)
Area
[1]
 • Total2,876 km2 (1,110 sq mi)
Population
 (1 January 2019 [2])
 • Total1,857,986
 • Density650/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
GDP
[3]
 • Total€107.413 billion (2022)
ISO 3166 codeBE-VAN
HDI (2019)0.945[4]
very high · 4th of 11
Websitewww.provincieantwerpen.be

Antwerp Province (Dutch: Provincie Antwerpen [ˈɑntʋɛrpə(n)] ⓘ, French: Province d'Anvers, German: Provinz Antwerpen), between 1815 and 1830 known as Central Brabant (Dutch: Midden-Brabant, French: Brabant-Central, German: Mittel-Brabant), is the northernmost province both of the Flemish Region, also called Flanders, and of Belgium. It borders on the North Brabant province of the Netherlands to the north and the Belgian provinces of Limburg, Flemish Brabant and East Flanders. Its capital is Antwerp, which includes the Port of Antwerp, the second-largest seaport in Europe. It has an area of 2,876 km2 (1,110 sq mi), and with over 1.85 million inhabitants as of January 2019, is the country's most populous province. The province consists of three arrondissements: Antwerp, Mechelen and Turnhout. The eastern part of the province comprises the main part of the Campine region.

History

During the early

Pagus Toxandria stretched from North Brabant into the Campine region. To the south there was the Pagus Bracbatinsis and the Pagus Hasbaniensis. In 843 the Carolingian Empire of Charlemagne was divided among his sons and the river Scheldt became the border between West Francia and East Francia. In 974 Otto II established the Margraviate of Antwerp as a defence against the County of Flanders
.

The aftermath of the plundering of the village of Wommelgem in 1589. Eighty Years' War, painting by Sebastiaen Vrancx.

In 1106,

United States of Belgium. On 1 October 1795 the former Austrian Netherlands were annexed by France under the French Directory
.

The modern province was created as the Department of the two Netes during the First French Empire (when the Southern Netherlands were part of France). After the defeat of Napoleon, 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).

Prefects from 1800 until 1814

Prefects of the Department of the two Netes during the First French Empire

Governors from 1815 until 1830

Governors of the province of Antwerp during the United Kingdom of the Netherlands

Governors since 1830

Governors of the Belgian province of Antwerp

Population

  • 1846: 406,354
  • 1856: 434,485
  • 1866: 456,607
  • 1880: 577,232
  • 1890: 700,019
  • 1900: 819,159
  • 1910: 968,677
  • 1920: 1,016,963
  • 1930: 1,173,363
  • 1947: 1,281,333
  • 2008: 1,715,707
  • 2010: 1,744,862

Language

A Brabantian speaker, recorded in Slovakia.

As in all

Brabantian
variety.

Religion

Religion in Antwerp (2008)[5]

  
Roman Catholicism
(73.3%)
  Non-religious (24.1%)
  Other religion (2.6%)

According to the International Social Survey Programme 2008: Religion III by the Association of Religion Data Archives,[5] 73.3% of Antwerp's population identify themselves as Catholics, 24.1% as non-religious, 2.6% identify themselves as of other religions.

Government

The province of Antwerp has a provincial council, elected every six years, and an executive deputation headed by a governor. The current governor is Cathy Berx, appointed in 2008 by the Flemish Government.

The last elections were held on 14 October 2018. The following parties were elected to the 36-member council:

Party or alliance 9 October 1994[6] 8 October 2000 8 October 2006 14 October 2012 14 October 2018
Vote share/seats % 72 % 72 % 72 % 72 % 36
PVV1 / VLD2 / VLD-Vivant3 / Open Vld4 10.9 7 9.1 2
AGALEV1 / Groen!2 / Groen3 9.3 6 14.3 5
SP1 / sp.a-Spirit2 / Stadslijst (sp.a-CD&V)3 / sp.a4 12.8 10 8 2
CVP1 / Antw'94 (CVP-VU)2 / CD&V-N-VA3 / CD&V4 16.8 13 15.4 6
VU1 / VU&ID2/ N-VA3 35.9 27 32.8 14
Vlaams Blok1 / Vlaams Belang-VLOT2 / Vlaams Belang3 10.9 7 14.2 6
PVDA1 / PVDA+2 3.4 2 4.5 1
D-SA - - - - 0.6 0
Piratenpartij 0.5 0.6 0
Be.One - - - - 0.2 0
SamBA - - - - 0.2 0
USE - - - - 0.1 0
Total votes 1,105,274 1,137,390
Turnout %
Blank and invalid %

Geography

  • Highest point: Beerzelberg (55 m) located in the municipality of Putte.
  • Most important rivers:
    Kleine Nete

Transportation

The province has a network of roads, railroads, canals and rivers which provide a modern infrastructure. Historically, the traffic infrastructure was an important element of connecting the

Baudouin highway) and E34 highway
connect Antwerp with the Ruhr Area.

Of the

Oosterweelconnection
is under consideration.

The railroads connect the major cities of the province, such as Antwerp, Mechelen, Herentals, Turnhout and Mol. The Iron Rhine connects Antwerp with Mönchengladbach in Germany. The new High Speed Train connects Antwerpen-Centraal railway station with Brussels (HSL 4) and Amsterdam (HSL-Zuid) at high speed. Antwerp International Airport, located in Deurne, is a regional airport.

The river

Schelde, an important waterway, connects the Port of Antwerp with the North Sea. The Albert Canal connects the Scheldt in Antwerp with the Meuse and Liège. Other canals are the Canal Dessel – Kwaadmechelen, Schoten – Turnhout – Dessel, and Herentals – Bocholt
which flows into the Nete canal.

Tourism

City of Antwerp. Main tourist attraction.

The province contains several historical cities, such as Antwerp, Mechelen, Turnhout, Herentals and

moors around Turnhout, the Liereman (Oud-Turnhout) and the Prinsenpark in Retie
. In a number of villages one can still see the typical Campine langgevelboerderijen (E: long facade farms).

Education and research

The province is home to several

SCK•CEN, the European Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM) and the Flemish Institute for Technological Research
(VITO).

International schools in Antwerp include Antwerp International School and Lycée Français International d'Anvers.

Economy

The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 88 billion € in 2018. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 41,900 € or 139% of the EU27 average in the same year.[7]

The Port of Antwerp is the economic heart of the province. Until the agricultural crisis of 1880, the eastern part of the province was a largely agricultural region. The industrial development of the eastern part of the province, part of the Campine region, started at the end of the 19th century when industry established itself in the region. The availability of cheap labor, new roads, canals, tramways and railroads such as the Iron Rhine, stimulated the settlement of new industry. A brickmaking industry was established alongside the canals, paper and printing business in Turnhout, as were non-ferrous metallurgy in Balen-Nete, dynamite factories in Arendonk and Balen, tobacco and cigar factories in Arendonk, and the first shoe factory in Herentals. During the 1920s, the industrial expansion of the region continued with the radium and copper factories in Olen, the glass factory in Mol-Gompel and the diamond industry in Grobbendonk and Nijlen.

In the 20th century the first nuclear installation in Belgium was established at the

Joint Research Centres, was founded in Geel in 1957 as a result of the Treaty of Rome. Innotek is a technology centre located in Geel and is part of the European Business and Innovation Centre Network (EBN). Industry in the Campine region of the province is mainly located alongside the E313, the E34 and the Albert Canal
.

Unemployment

The unemployment rate stood at 5.9% in 2017 and was lower than the national average.[8]

Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
unemployment rate
(in %) 		5.7 5.0 4.6 5.7 6.0 5.7 5.3 6.2 6.1 6.1 6.1 5.9 4.3

Chemical industry

After

Houston (United States). Amoco Chemical Belgium N.V., now part of BP
, was founded in Geel in 1967.

A pharmaceutical industry was founded in

plastics) in Arendonk
became leading companies in their markets.

Diamond

The diamond industry and trade is traditionally located in Antwerp. At the end of the 19th century Hendrik Cassiers founded a diamond-cutting company outside Antwerp, in Grobbendonk. Hendrik Cassiers and Frans Dela Montagne laid the foundations of the diamond industry in the Campine region. The industry would settle in Nijlen, Herenthout, Bevel, Kessel, Vorselaar and Berlaar.

Paper

The region around Turnhout became famous for its printing business, with companies such as

L. Biermans in 1875, Poupaert in 1881, La Belgica N.V. in 1907, H. Proost & Co in 1913, J. Van Mierlo-Proost in 1918, Lityca in 1932 and Veloutex in 1951. More recently in 1970, Cartamundi
was established, a world leader in playing cards.

Metallurgies

While

non-ferrous metallurgies. The Campine region was scarcely populated in the 19th century, but with the establishment of canals, the Iron Rhine and cheap labor, several metallurgies were established in the region.[10] In 1888-1889 the metallurgy La Vieille Montagne was founded in Balen-Nete, close to the Iron Rhine and the canal to Beverlo. The company had its roots in the exploitation of the zinc mines of Moresnet
.

The

Union Minière du Haut Katanga founded the Société Générale Métallurgique de Hoboken in Olen, which was established along the Iron Rhine and the Albert Canal. The factory produced radium, cobalt and copper from the mines of the Union Minière in Katanga, Belgian Congo and Rhodesia. Along the canal Turnhout-Schoten, the Métallurgique de la Campine was established in 1910 for the production of lead and antimony
. La Metallo-Chimique was established in 1919; this specialized in the production of copper.

Glass

In 1872, the Sablières et Carrières Réunies (SCR), now

silica sand layers in Mol for industrial applications (glass
). In 1920 the glass bottle manufacturer Beles Réunios was set up in Mol-Donk.

In 1921, a group of Belgian banks, the Mutuelle Mobilière & Immobilière, the

Glaverbel
.

Dynamite

Given that the Campine region was sparsely populated, several

quarries
. The factories in the province are now closed down.

Textiles

Historically,

heath
. The centre of the textile industry in the province could be found in Turnhout. Wool processing companies such as Wolspinnerij Van Iersel, Spinnerij en Weverij Van Hoof, and De Wollendekensfabriek Van Doren were located in Mol.

Tobacco

At the end of the 19th century

Janssen Pharmaceutica
.

Administrative subdivisions

The province is divided into three administrative arrondissements (arrondissementen in Dutch) containing 69 municipalities (numbers refer to the location of the municipalities on the map shown in this section):

Arrondissement of Antwerp: Arrondissement of Mechelen: Arrondissement of Turnhout:

See also

References

  • Steve Heylen, Bart De Nil, Bart D’hondt, Sophie Gyselinck, Hanne Van Herck en Donald Weber, Geschiedenis van de provincie Antwerpen. Een politieke biografie, Antwerpen, Provinciebestuur Antwerpen, 2005, 2 volumes
  1. ^ "be.STAT". bestat.statbel.fgov.be.
  2. ^ "Structuur van de bevolking". Statbel.
  3. ^ "EU regions by GDP, Eurostat". Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". Archived from the original on 2021-07-29.
  5. ^ a b "Analysis | International Social Survey Programme 2008: Religion III | Data Archive | The Association of Religion Data Archives". www.thearda.com. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  6. ^ "Verkiezingsdatabase". www.ibzdgip.fgov.be.
  7. ^ "Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018". Eurostat.
  8. ^ "Regional Unemployment by NUTS2 Region". Eurostat.
  9. ^ De Turnhoutse Kempen, haar economische en sociale betekenis, Vlaams Economisch Verbond, pp. 88-90
  10. ^ De Turnhoutse Kempen, haar economische en sociale betekenis, Vlaams Economisch Verbond, pp. 94-99
  11. ^ De Turnhoutse Kempen, haar economische en sociale betekenis, Vlaams Economisch Verbond, pp. 102-104
  12. ^ De Turnhoutse Kempen, haar economische en sociale betekenis, Vlaams Economisch Verbond, pp. 90-93

External links

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