ANTWERP, one of the provinces which compose the kingdom of the Netherlands. It is formed out of the two French departments of the two Drenthes, or out of the more ancient county of Antwerp, and barony of Mechlin. It is bounded on the north-east and north by North Brabant, on the south-east by Limburg, on the south by South Brabant, and on the west by West Flanders, from which it is divided by the Scheldt. It is an extensive plain, with scarcely an elevation; and the soil is a light sand mixed with a clayey loam, which is highly fertile. The land is protected from inundation by extensive embankments, and these dams inclose some of the most productive and highly cultivated spots, provincially known as polders. The northern and eastern part of the province is sandy and poor, and filled with morasses. The chief river is the Scheldt, which, before its junction with the sea, receives the Rupel, Nuthe, and Dyle. It is 2160 feet broad and 30 feet deep at Antwerp. There are two navigable canals, one from Brussels and the other from Louvain. The province is highly productive, both in agricultural and manufacturing commodities. The extent is 1004 square miles, or 642,560 acres. The inhabitants, at the last census, were 287,347. It is divided into three circles or arrondissements, 17 cantons, and 141 communes. This province elects five deputies to the states-general of the kingdom.