Sister cities of Antwerp

Antwerp (/ˈæntwɜrp/, Dutch: Antwerpen [ˈɑnt.β̞ɛr.pə(n)], French: Anvers [ɑ̃ˈvɛʁs]) is a city and municipality in Belgium and the capital of the Antwerp province of Belgium. Antwerp's population is 512,000 (as of 1 January 2013), making it the second most populous city in Belgium, after the metropolis Brussels, which has around 1.2 million inhabitants. Antwerp's total area is 204.51 km² (78.96 sq mi), giving a population density of 2,308 inhabitants per km². The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 1,449 km² (559 sq mi) with a total of 1,190,769 inhabitants as of 1 January 2008. The French name of Antwerp is Anvers [ɑ̃vɛʁ(s)]; it may be found written this way on signposts in French-speaking regions of Belgium and in French-language publications.

Antwerp is located on the right (eastern) bank of the river Scheldt, which is linked to the North Sea by the Westerschelde estuary. The city has one of the largest seaports in Europe. Antwerp has long been an important city in the Low Countries, both economically and culturally, especially before the Spanish Fury (1576) in the period of the Dutch Revolt. The inhabitants of Antwerp are locally nicknamed Sinjoren, after the Spanish honorific señor or French seigneur, "lord". It refers to the leading Spanish noblemen who ruled the city during the 17th century.