Schelde

River of France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, rising in Aisne département, north France, and flowing 400 km/249 mi to join the North Sea south of Walcheren in the Netherlands. Antwerp, in Belgium, is the chief town on the Schelde.

The Schelde estuary was the scene of fierce fighting during World War II as Allied troops sought to dislodge entrenched German positions so they could use Antwerp as a supply port. The area was finally cleared in November 1944.

Course and tributaries It rises in the département of Aisne, France, and flows through the Belgian provinces of Hainaut, East Flanders, and Antwerp into the Netherlands, where it divides into two channels, north and south of the island of Beveland. The main Schelde channel, called de Hout, reaches the North Sea near Vlissingen. It is navigable as far as Cambrai, France, 320 km/199 mi from the sea. The chief tributaries are the Lys, Dender, Durme, and Rupel, and it is connected with the Somme, Seine, Sambre, Meuse, Rhine, and principal towns of Belgium by canals. In its lower course it traverses flat country, protected by dykes against the tide. At Antwerp it attains a height of 4 m/13 ft above sea level.