The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

(Dutch and Flemish, Schelde; French, Escaut), a river in France and Belgium and in the Netherlands, where it forms an estuary. The Scheldt is 430 km long and drains an area of 35,500 sq km. It flows across the plains of Flanders and empties into the North Sea through the estuary known as the West Scheldt. Until 1867 it also formed an estuary called the East Scheldt. The river’s principal tributaries are the Lys and the Rupel.

In its lower course, the Scheldt is subject to tides as far as the city of Ghent; the tides reach an amplitude of 3.8 m at the river’s mouth. In the Scheldt’s delta, the river and its branches have been diked to protect the adjoining land from floods. High water occurs during the cold months. The mean flow rate is approximately 100 cu m per sec.

The Scheldt is navigable as far as the city of Cambrai in France. Oceangoing vessels can sail as far as Antwerp. A system of canals connects the river to the Senne, Somme, and Meuse (Maas). The Belgian cities of Ghent and Antwerp are situated on the Scheldt.