Antwerp summary

Discover the history and economy of Antwerp, Belgium

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Antwerp.

Antwerp: the Cathedral of Our LadyThe Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp, with a statue of Peter Paul Rubens in the foreground.

Antwerp, French Anvers Flemish Antwerpen, City (pop., 2000 est.: 446,500), capital of Antwerp province, Belgium. One of the world’s major seaports, it is located 55 mi (88 km) southeast of the North Sea. Because it lies in the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium, it plays the role of unofficial capital of Flanders. It received municipal rights in 1291 and became a member of the Hanseatic League by 1315. As a distribution centre for Spanish and Portuguese trade, it became the commercial and financial capital of Europe in the 16th century. Following destructive invasions, it went into decline but began to revive after Napoleon’s improvement of the harbour c. 1803. It was part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815–30), then was ceded to Belgian nationalists. Its current economic life centres around shipping, port-related activities, and major manufacturing.

Olympic Games Summary

Olympic Games, athletic festival that originated in ancient Greece and was revived in the late 19th century. Before the 1970s the Games were officially limited to competitors with amateur status, but in the 1980s many events were opened to professional athletes. Currently, the Games are open to

Belgium Summary

Belgium, country of northwestern Europe. It is one of the smallest and most densely populated European countries, and it has been, since its independence in 1830, a representative democracy headed by a hereditary constitutional monarch. Initially, Belgium had a unitary form of government. In the