Guelderland

Guelderland, or Gelderland, a Dutch province, having Germany in the S. and E., Overyssel in the N., and the Zuyder Zee on the W. It is in area 1,957 square miles. It is not so flat as some parts of Holland, and is indeed in many places quite picturesque. It enjoys a healthy climate and possesses a fertile soil from which wheat, rye, and tobacco are largely raised. The chief rivers are the Rhine, on which stands Arnheim, the capital. the Yssel, on which are Deventer and Kampen, the Waal, and the Maas. which forms the southern boundary. The present province was formed out of the old duchy of Gueldres, which for several centuries enjoyed practical independence, which lasted even after it had become Hapsburg property in 1483. In 1543, however, it became part of the Austrian Netherlands, In the War of Independence its sympathies were divided, the northern part alone taking part with the insurgents. In 1814 the old duchy was divided between Prussia and Holland.