Antwerp (; ) is a city and a municipality and the chief centre of commerce in Belgium; it is capital of Antwerp province, in Flanders, one of Belgium's three regions. Antwerp's total population is ca. 461,496 (January 2006). Its total area is 204.51 km² with a population density of 2,257 inhabitants per km². The agglomeration has a population of ca. 800,000 (municipality: 461,496 (2006), metropolitan area: ca. 1,225,000 (2004)).

Overview

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Antwerp, historically one of Belgium and the Low Countries' most important cities in terms of economy and culture, is situated on the right bank of the river Scheldt which by the Westerschelde links to the North Sea. The port, one of the world's largest and in Europe preceeded only by Rotterdam and Hamburg, has a high level of cargo shipping and oil refineries. Families of the largest Hassidic Jewish community outside of New York traditionally control the top center of the global diamond industry – before London's Hatton Garden aka Diamond street, New York City's diamond district, and South Africa. Since the 1990s several graduates of the Belgian Royal Academy of Fine Arts have become internationally successful fashion designers in Antwerp.

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