The Esco Department ( French: Département de l'Escaut ) is the administrative unit of the First French Empire , located on the lands of the modern Belgian province of East Flanders and the Dutch region of Zeeland Flanders . The department is named along the Scheldt River, which in France is called the Esko.
| Department of the First French Empire | |
| Esco department | |
|---|---|
| Escaut | |
 Esco Department in the territory of the historical Netherlands in 1811 | |
←  ←   →February 13, 1796 - May 30, 1814 | |
| Capital | Gent |
The department was established on February 13, 1796, after the Austrian Netherlands was occupied by French troops in 1795, and the Batavian Republic transferred the Sas van Gent district to France on May 16, 1795, in accordance with the Hague Treaty.
After the defeat of Napoleon, these lands became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands .