View source for Scheldt

{{Redirect|Schelde}}
{{Short description|River in France, Belgium and the Netherlands}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox river
| name              = Scheldt
| name_native       = {{native name list|tag1=fr|name1=Escaut|tag2=nl|name2=Schelde}}
| image             = Schelde_Antwerpen.jpg
| image_caption     = The Scheldt in [[Antwerp]]
| pushpin_map       = France#Belgium#Netherlands
| mapframe          = yes
| mapframe-zoom     = 6
| source1_location  = France
| mouth_location    = [[North Sea]]
| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|51|25|51|N|3|31|44|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type1 = Countries
| subdivision_name1 = {{hlist|France|Belgium|Netherlands}}
| length            = {{convert|360|km|abbr=on}}
| source1_elevation = {{convert|97|m|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_avg    = {{convert|104|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| basin_size        = {{convert|21,863|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
| map               = Locatiemaas2.GIF
| map_alt           = 
| map_caption       = Course of the Scheldt
| extra             =
{{Designation list
| embed = yes
| designation1 = Ramsar
| designation1_offname = Schorren van de Beneden Schelde
| designation1_date = 4 March 1986
| designation1_number = 327<ref>{{Cite web|title=Schorren van de Beneden Schelde|website=[[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar]] Sites Information Service|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/327|access-date=25 April 2018}}</ref>
| designation2 = Ramsar
| designation2_offname = Westerschelde & Saeftinghe
| designation2_date = 9 April 1995
| designation2_number = 748<ref>{{Cite web|title=Westerschelde & Saeftinghe|website=[[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar]] Sites Information Service|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/748|access-date=25 April 2018}}</ref>
| designation3 = Ramsar
| designation3_offname = Vallées de la Scarpe et de l'Escaut
| designation3_date = 2 February 2020
| designation3_number = 2405<ref name="RSIS">{{Cite web|title=Vallées de la Scarpe et de l'Escaut|website=[[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar]] Sites Information Service|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2405|access-date=3 February 2020}}</ref>
}}
}}

The '''Scheldt''' ({{IPAc-en|ʃ|ɛ|l|t|,_|s|k|ɛ|l|t}} {{respell|SHELT|,_|SKELT}}; {{langx|fr|Escaut}} {{IPA|fr|ɛsko||LL-Q150 (fra)-Jérémy-Günther-Heinz Jähnick-Escaut.wav}}; {{langx|nl|Schelde}} {{IPA|nl|ˈsxɛldə||Nl-Schelde.ogg}}) is a {{convert|435|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}}<ref>{{Cite web
| title = VNSC Communicatie : vraagbaak voor alles op, rond en in de Schelde
| access-date = 2014-06-03
| url = http://www.vnsc.eu/
|language=nl}}</ref> river that flows through northern [[France]], western [[Belgium]], and the southwestern part of [[Netherlands|the Netherlands]], with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|sċeald}} ("shallow"), [[Modern English]] ''shoal'', [[Low German]] {{lang|nds|schol}}, [[West Frisian language|West Frisian]] {{lang|fy|skol}}, and obsolete [[Swedish language|Swedish]] {{lang|sv|skäll}} ("thin").{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

==Course==
The headwaters of the Scheldt are in [[Gouy, Aisne|Gouy]], in the [[Aisne]] department of northern France. It flows north through [[Cambrai]] and [[Valenciennes]], and enters Belgium near [[Tournai]]. [[Ghent]] developed at the confluence of the [[Lys (river)|Lys]], one of its main tributaries, and the Scheldt, which then turns east. Near [[Antwerp]], the largest city on its banks, the Scheldt flows west into the Netherlands toward the [[North Sea]].{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

Originally there were two branches from that point: the [[Oosterschelde]] (Eastern Scheldt); and the [[Westerschelde]] (Western Scheldt). In the 19th century, however, the Dutch built a [[levee|dyke]] that cuts the river off from its eastern (northern) branch and connects [[Zuid-Beveland]] with the mainland ([[North Brabant]]).  Today the river continues into the Westerschelde [[estuary]] only, passing [[Terneuzen]] to reach the North Sea between [[Breskens]] in [[Zeelandic Flanders]] and [[Vlissingen]] (Flushing) on [[Walcheren]].{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

The Scheldt is an important [[waterway]], and has been made navigable from its mouth up to Cambrai. Above Cambrai, the [[Canal de Saint-Quentin]] follows its course. The [[port of Antwerp]], the second-largest in Europe, developed on its banks. Several [[canal]]s (including the [[Scheldt-Rhine Canal]] connecting [[Antwerp]] to [[Rotterdam]], the [[Albert Canal]] connecting it to [[Liège]] and the [[Brussels–Scheldt Maritime Canal|Brussel-Scheldt]], [[Brussels Canal|Brussels]] and [[Brussels–Charleroi Canal|Brussels-Charleroi]] canals connecting it to [[Charleroi]] via [[Brussels]]) connect the Scheldt with the basins of the [[Rhine]], [[Meuse (river)|Meuse]], and [[Seine]] rivers, and with the industrial areas around [[Brussels]], [[Liège]], [[Lille]], [[Dunkirk]], and [[Mons, Belgium|Mons]].{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

The Scheldt flows through the following [[departments of France]], [[provinces of Belgium]], [[provinces of the Netherlands]], and towns:{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

* [[Aisne]] (F): [[Gouy, Aisne|Gouy]]
* [[Nord (département)|Nord]] (F): [[Cambrai]], [[Denain]], [[Valenciennes]]
* [[Hainaut (province)|Hainaut]] (B): [[Tournai]]
* [[West Flanders]] (B): [[Avelgem]]
* [[East Flanders]] (B): [[Oudenaarde]], [[Ghent]], [[Dendermonde]], [[Temse]]
* [[Antwerp (province)|Antwerp]] (B): [[Antwerp]]
* [[Zeeland]] (NL): [[Hulst]], [[Terneuzen]], [[Sluis]], [[Vlissingen]]

==History==
[[File:Antwerp across the Scheldt, photochrom.png|thumb|The Scheldt at Antwerp, photochrom, ca.&nbsp;1890-1900]]
[[File:1593 Valckenborch Ansicht von Antwerpen mit zugefrorener Schelde anagoria.JPG|thumb|"View of Antwerp with the frozen Scheldt" (1590) by [[Lucas van Valckenborch]]]]
[[File:Truman Byrnes greeting HMS Hambledon 1945.jpg|thumb|U.S. President [[Harry S. Truman]] and Secretary of State [[James F. Byrnes]] wave at [[HMS Hambledon (L37)|HMS ''Hambledon'']] while on board the [[USS Augusta (CA-31)|USS ''Augusta'']] on the river Scheldt as they head to the [[Potsdam Conference]] on 15 July 1945]] 
[[File:Scheldt aerial NW of Antwerp.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the Scheldt estuary, looking toward Antwerp from the northwest]]

The Scheldt estuary has always had considerable commercial and strategic importance. Called ''Scaldis'' in [[Roman Empire|Roman]] times, it was important for the shipping lanes to [[Roman Britain]]. [[Nehalennia]] was venerated at its mouth. The [[Franks]] took control over the region about the year 260 and at first interfered with the Roman supply routes as pirates. Later they became allies of the Romans. With the various divisions of the [[Frankish Empire]] in the 9th&nbsp;century, the Scheldt eventually became the border between the Western and Eastern parts of the Empire, which later became France and the [[Holy Roman Empire]].{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

This status quo remained intact, at least on paper, until 1528, but by then, both the [[County of Flanders]] on the western bank and Zeeland and the [[Duchy of Brabant]] on the east were part of the [[Habsburg]] possessions of the [[Seventeen Provinces]]. Antwerp was the most prominent harbour in Western Europe. After this city [[Fall of Antwerp (1584-1585)|fell back under Spanish control]] in 1585, the [[Dutch Republic]] took control of [[Zeelandic Flanders]], a strip of land on the left bank, and closed the Scheldt for shipping. That shifted the trade to the ports of [[Amsterdam]] and [[Middelburg, Zeeland|Middelburg]] and seriously crippled Antwerp, an important and traumatic element in the history of relations between the Netherlands and what was to become Belgium.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

Access to the river was the subject of the brief [[Kettle War]] of 1784, and during the [[French Revolution]] shortly afterwards, the river was reopened in 1792. Once Belgium had claimed its [[Belgian revolution|independence]] from the Netherlands in 1830, the treaty of the Scheldt determined that the river should remain accessible to ships heading for Belgian [[port]]s. Nevertheless, the Dutch government would demand a [[fee|toll]] from passing vessels until 16 July 1863.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Avalon Project - Belgian-American Diplomacy - Convention for the Extinguishment of the Scheldt Dues: July 20, 1863 |url=https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/bel004.asp |access-date=2023-05-18 |website=avalon.law.yale.edu}}</ref>

''The Question of the Scheldt'', a study providing "a history of the international legal arrangements governing the Western Scheldt", was prepared for the use of British negotiators at the [[Treaty of Versailles]] in 1919.<ref>{{Cite book
| publisher = H.M. Stationery Office
| last = Prothero
| first = G W
| title = Question of the Scheldt
| location = London
| series = Peace handbooks
| access-date = 2014-06-03
| date = 1920
| url = http://www.wdl.org/en/item/9195/
}}</ref>

In the [[World War II|Second World War]], the Scheldt estuary once again became a contested area. Despite Allied control of [[Antwerp]], German forces still occupied fortified positions in September 1944 throughout the Scheldt estuary west and north, preventing any Allied shipping from reaching the port. In the [[Battle of the Scheldt]], the [[Canadian First Army]] successfully cleared the area, allowing supply convoys direct access to the port of Antwerp by November 1944.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Terrible Victory: First Canadian Army and the Scheldt Estuary Campaign: September 13 - November 6, 1944|last=Zuehlke|first=Mark|publisher=Douglas & McIntyre|year=2009|isbn=978-1771620307|pages=460}}</ref>

==Tributaries and sub-tributaries==
[[File:River Scheldt in Antwerp at sunset.jpg|thumb|upright 2|The Scheldt in [[Antwerp]] at sunset]]

* [[Western Scheldt]] or Honte ([[Vlissingen]])
** [[Schijn]] ([[Antwerp]])
** [[Rupel]] ([[Rupelmonde]])
*** [[Nete (river)|Nete]] ([[Rumst]])
**** [[Kleine Nete]] ([[Lier, Belgium|Lier]])
***** [[Aa (Antwerp)|Aa]] ([[Grobbendonk]])
***** [[Wamp (river)|Wamp]] ([[Kasterlee]])
**** [[Grote Nete]] ([[Lier, Belgium|Lier]])
***** [[Wimp (river)|Wimp]] ([[Herenthout]])
***** [[Molse Nete]] ([[Geel]])
***** [[Laak river|Laak]] ([[Westerlo]])
*** [[Dijle]] ([[Rumst]])
**** [[Zenne]] ([[Mechelen]])
***** [[Maalbeek]] ([[Grimbergen]])
***** [[Woluwe]] ([[Vilvoorde]])
***** [[Maalbeek]] ([[Schaerbeek]])
***** [[Molenbeek (Brussels)|Molenbeek]] ([[Brussels]]-[[Laeken]])
***** [[Neerpedebeek]] ([[Anderlecht]]-Neerpede)
***** [[Zuun (river)|Zuun]] ([[Sint-Pieters-Leeuw]]-Zuun)
***** [[Geleytsbeek]] ([[Drogenbos]])
***** [[Linkebeek (river)|Linkebeek]] ([[Drogenbos]])
***** [[Molenbeek (Zenne)|Molenbeek]] ([[Lot, Belgium|Lot]])
***** [[Senette]] ([[Tubize]])
****** [[Hain (river)|Hain]] ([[Tubize]])
****** [[Samme]] ([[Braine-le-Comte]]-Ronquières)
******* [[Thines]] ([[Nivelles]])
**** [[Vrouwvliet]] ([[Mechelen]]) [further upstream named [[Grote Beek]], [[Meerloop]], [[Raambeek]], [[Zwartwaterbeek]], [[Boeimeer]]]
**** [[Demer]] ([[Rotselaar]])
***** [[Velp (river)|Velp]] ([[Halen]])
***** [[Gete]] ([[Halen]])
****** [[Herk (river)|Herk]] ([[Halen]])
******* [[Melsterbeek]] ([[Herk-de-Stad]])
****** [[Grote Gete]] ([[Zoutleeuw]])
****** [[Kleine Gete]] ([[Zoutleeuw]])
**** [[Voer (Dijle)|Voer]] ([[Leuven]])
**** [[IJse]] ([[Huldenberg]]-Neerijse)
**** [[Nethen]] ([[Grez-Doiceau]]-Nethen)
**** {{ill|Laan (river)|lt=Laan|nl|Laan (rivier)}} ([[Huldenberg]]-Terlanen-[[Sint-Agatha-Rode]])
***** [[Zilverbeek]] ([[Rixensart]]-Genval)
**** [[Thyle (river)|Thyle]] ([[Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve]])
** [[Durme]] ([[Temse]])
** [[Molenbeek (Erpe-Mere Bovenschelde)|Molenbeek]] ([[Wichelen]])
** [[Dender]] ([[Dendermonde]])
*** [[Mark (Dender)|Mark]] ([[Lessines]]-Twee-Akren)
*** [[Ruisseau d'Ancre]] ([[Lessines]])
*** [[Zulle (river)|Zulle]] ([[Ath]])
*** [[Eastern Dender]] ([[Ath]])
*** [[Western Dender]] ([[Ath]])
*** [[Molenbeek-Ter Erpenbeek]] ([[Hofstade (East Flanders)|Hofstade]])
** [[Lys (river)|Lys/Leie]] ([[Ghent]])
*** [[river Mandel|Mandel]] ([[Wielsbeke]])
*** [[Heulebeek]] ([[Kuurne]])
*** [[Gaverbeek]] ([[Kortrijk]])
*** [[Douve]] ([[Comines-Warneton]])
*** [[Deûle]]/Deule or Feule ([[Deûlémont]])
**** [[Marque (river)|Marque]] ([[Wasquehal]])
**** [[Souchez (river)|Souchez]] ([[Lens, Pas-de-Calais|Lens]])
***** [[Carency]] ([[Souchez]])
***** [[Ablain-Saint-Nazaire|Saint-Nazaire]] ([[Souchez]])
*** [[Laquette]] ([[Aire-sur-la-Lys]])
*** [[Lawe]] ([[De Gorge]]-[[Stegers]])
**** Brette, (Biette), Blanche, ruisseau de Caucourt, fossé d'Avesnes (Loisne)
*** [[Clarence (river)|Clarence]] ([[Meregem]])
**** [[Nave (river)|Nave]], [[Grand Nocq]]
*** Becque de [[Steenwerk]] (..)
** [[Zwalm (river)|Zwalm]] ([[Zwalm]])
** Rone ([[Kluisbergen]])
*** [[Rhosne]] ([[Ronse]])
** [[Scarpe (river)|Scarpe]] ([[Mortagne-du-Nord]])<ref name=sandre>{{sandre|id=E---004-|nom=L'Escaut Canalisée}}</ref>
*** [[Crinchon]] (..)
*** [[Ugy]] (..)
** [[Haine]] ([[Condé-sur-l'Escaut]])
*** [[Trouille (river)|Trouille]] ([[Mons, Belgium|Mons]]-[[Jeumont]])
*** [[Hogneau]] of Honneau ([[Condé-sur-l'Escaut]])
**** [[Honelle]] ([[Quiévrain]])
***** [[Aunelle]] (..)
***** [[Grande Honelle]] (..)
***** [[Petite Honelle]] (..)
** [[Rhonelle]] ([[Valenciennes]])
** [[Écaillon (river)|Écaillon]] ([[Thiant]])<ref name=sandre/>
** [[Selle (Scheldt tributary)|Selle]] ([[Denain]])<ref name=sandre/>
** [[Torrent d'Esnes]]
** [[Sensée]] ([[Bouchain]])<ref name=sandre/>
*** [[Hirondelle (river)|Hirondelle]] (..)
** [[Erclin]] ([[Iwuy]])
** [[Eauette]] ([[Marcoing]])

== Navigation ==
[[File:Escaut Location.jpg|alt=Location of navigable river Schedt/Escaut|thumb|The navigable river Escaut/Scheldt from Cambrai to the North Sea (from European Waterways Map and Directory, 5th edition)]]
Canalisation from Cambrai down to Valenciennes was completed in 1788. [[Napoleon]] saw the benefits of linking Paris to Belgium and accelerated completion of the [[Canal de Saint-Quentin]] to the south. The locks were deepened and doubled, as coal became the essential commodity of the industrial revolution. Upgrading downstream from Bouchain was started in the 1960s in both France and Flanders, but the waterway is still not fully compliant with European standards. All the locks on the high-capacity section are being doubled by European Class Vb size locks, {{convert|185|by|12|m|ft|abbr=on}}, as part of the overall European Seine-Scheldt waterway project.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Inland Waterways of France|last=Edwards-May|first=David|publisher=Imray|year=2010|isbn=978-1-846230-14-1|location=St Ives, Cambs., UK|pages=84}}</ref> The Pont des Trous, a listed fortified bridge in Tournai that has already been substantially modified, will again be raised to provide the necessary dimensions, including an air draught of {{convert|7.10|m|ftin|abbr=on}}.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

The 13&nbsp;km section between Cambrai (connection with Canal de Saint-Quentin) and [[Hordain]] (connection with [[Sensée Canal|Canal de la Sensée]]) is only navigable for small ships ([[péniche (barge)|péniche]]) and has 5 locks.<ref>[http://www.fluviacarte.com/fr/voies-navigables/region-r-1/voie--18 Fluviacarte], Escaut (à petit gabarit)</ref>

==See also==
* [[Scheldt–Rhine Canal]]
* [[Striene]] which was the main stem of the river until 1421, it flowed northwards.
* [[Zeeschelde]]
* [[Zwalm (River)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Scheldt}}
* [https://archive.today/20121220053828/http://www.scheldenet.nl/platform/modules/pagefiles/popup.php?file=/nl/schelde_en_natuur2/atlas/stroomgebied/Kaart_1.gif Water basin of the Scheldt]
* [http://www.scheldenet.nl www.scheldenet.nl]
* [http://www.scheldemonitor.org ScheldeMonitor; Research studies and monitoring activities]
* [http://www.deltaworks.org Deltaworks; Flood protection works in Scheldt Delta]
* [http://www.isc-cie.com International Scheldt Commission]
* [http://www.scaldit.org Scaldit - Interreg IV B NWE project for a safer and cleaner Scheldt River Basin District (FR - BE (Walloon Region - Brussels Cap. Region - Flemish Region) - NL)]
* [http://www.french-waterways.com/waterways/north/river-escaut/ River Escaut] with maps and details of places, ports and moorings, by the author of ''Inland Waterways of France'', Imray
* [http://www.french-waterways.com/waterways/canals-rivers-france/ Navigation details for 80 French rivers and canals] (French waterways website section)
* {{Wikisource-inline|list=
** {{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Scheldt |short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Scheldt |short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite Nuttall|title=Scheldt |short=x |noicon=x}}
** Paget-Tyrell Memorandum of August 7, 1916, Section 6 ([[s:Paget-Tyrell Memorandum#BELGIUM AND THE SCHELDT|Belgium and the Scheldt]])
}}
{{Rivers of France}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Scheldt basin| ]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta]]
[[Category:International rivers of Europe]]
[[Category:Rivers of France]]
[[Category:Rivers of Belgium]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Netherlands]]
[[Category:1528 disestablishments in Europe]]
[[Category:Rivers of Flanders]]
[[Category:Rivers of Wallonia]]
[[Category:Rivers of Aisne]]
[[Category:Rivers of Nord (French department)]]
[[Category:Rivers of Hauts-de-France]]
[[Category:Rivers of Antwerp Province]]
[[Category:Rivers of East Flanders]]
[[Category:Rivers of Hainaut (province)]]
[[Category:Rivers of West Flanders]]
[[Category:Rivers of Zeeland]]
[[Category:1520s disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Ramsar sites in Belgium]]
[[Category:Ramsar sites in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Ramsar sites in Metropolitan France]]