or LOEVEN, a circle of the province of South Brabant, in the Netherlands. It comprehends eight cantons, divided into 144 communes, containing 133,840 inhabitants. The capital is the city of the same name, situated on the river Dyle. It has water communication by the Louvain Canal with Mechlin, and by the river Rupel with the Scheldt. Its walls are extensive, but three fourths of the land they encompass consist of fields and gardens. It contains 4000 houses, and 25,000 inhabitants, who carry on extensive breweries and distilleries, spin cotton twist, print calicoes, and grind much corn into flour. It is the seat of an ancient university, and has a stadhhouse of Gothic architecture, constructed by Charlemagne. Long. 4. 36. E. Lat. 50. 33. N.