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Antwerp (population 450,000, Dutch: Antwerpen; French: Anvers) is a city in northern Belgium. Antwerp is the capital of the province of Antwerp.
Antwerp is notable as a centre of the diamond industry, both for trading and for cutting and polishing. Antwerp is also famous for its seaport with a lot of cargo shipping. Since the 90's it has been recognized as a fashion design city, namely because of some graduates of the Royal Academy of Fine arts - Fashion, became internationally successful. It is the heart of the Flemish part of Belgium.
Antwerp is also notable for its zoo, which is one of the oldest and most famous zoos in the world. The Antwerp Zoo is located in the middle of the city and hosts more than 4000 animals. The Royal Society for Zoology has been watching over the welfare of numerous animals and helping to protect threatened animals for more than 100 years.
Antwerp is nicknamed "The Jerusalem of the West" because of its large orthodox Jewish (hasidic) community.