The
Flemish Region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of
BelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
—alongside the
Walloon RegionThe Walloon Region, commonly called Wallonia, is one of the three federal Regions of Belgium, and its capital is Namur. It comprises, as defined by Article 5 of the Constitution of Belgium, the provinces of Walloon Brabant, Hainaut, Liège, Luxembourg and Namur...
and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is usually simply referred to as
FlandersFlanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, of which it is the institutional iteration within the context of the Belgian political system. It occupies the northern part of Belgium and has a surface area of 13,522 km² (44.29% of Belgium). It is one of the most densely populated regions of Europe with around 455 inhabitants per square kilometer.
Politics
Immediately after its establishment, the region transferred all its constitutional competencies to the
Flemish CommunityThe term Flemish Community has two distinct, though related, meanings:...
. The current Flemish authorities (
Flemish ParliamentThe Flemish Parliament constitutes the legislative power in Flanders, for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic region and a cultural community of Belgium The Flemish Parliament (Dutch: , and formerly called Flemish Council or Vlaamse Raad) constitutes the...
,
Flemish GovernmentThe Flemish Government is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region. It consists of up to a maximum of eleven ministers, chosen by the Flemish Parliament...
) therefore represent all the
Flemish peopleThe Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...
, including those living in the Brussels-Capital Region. Hence, the Flemish Region is governed by the Flemish Community institutions. However, members of the Flemish Community parliament who were elected in Brussels-Capital Region, have no right to vote on Flemish regional affairs.
Administrative divisions
The Flemish Region comprises 5 provinces, each consisting of administrative arrondissements which in turn contain municipalities (in total 308 municipalities in Flanders).
Brussels city, the seat of the Flemish parliament, is located within the Brussels-Capital Region, which is surrounded by the province of Flemish Brabant. Brussels contains both the
Flemish CommunityThe term Flemish Community has two distinct, though related, meanings:...
and the
French CommunityThe French Community of Belgium is one of the three official communities in Belgium along with the Flemish Community and the German speaking Community. Although its name could suggest that it is a community of French citizens in Belgium, it is not...
, both having their institutions in Brussels.
| Province | Capital city | Administrative arrondissements | Population | Area | Population density |
| 1 |
 Antwerp (province) (Antwerpen) |
Antwerp (Antwerpen) |
Antwerpen The Arrondissement of Antwerp is one of the three administrative arrondissements in the Province of Antwerp, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement...
, MechelenThe Arrondissement of Mechelen is one of the three administrative arrondissements in the Province of Antwerp, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement...
, TurnhoutThe Arrondissement of Turnhout is one of the three administrative arrondissements in the Province of Antwerp, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement...
|
1,744,862 |
2,867 km² |
587 / km² |
| 2 |
(Limburg) |
HasseltHasselt is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital of the Flemish province of Limburg...
|
Hasselt The Arrondissement of Hasselt is one of the three administrative arrondissements in the Province of Limburg, Belgium.It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement...
, MaaseikThe Arrondissement of Maaseik is one of the three administrative arrondissements in the Province of Limburg, Belgium. It is not a judicial arrondissement...
, TongerenThe Arrondissement of Tongeren is one of the three administrative arrondissements in the Province of Limburg, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement...
|
838,505 |
2,414 km² |
333 / km² |
| 3 |
 East Flanders (Oost-Vlaanderen) |
GhentGhent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
(Gent) |
AalstThe Arrondissement of Aalst is one of the six administrative arrondissements in the Province of East Flanders, Belgium. It forms the Judicial Arrondissement of Dendermonde together with the Arrondissements of Dendermonde and Sint-Niklaas.-History:...
, DendermondeThe Arrondissement of Dendermonde is one of the six administrative arrondissements in the Province of East Flanders, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement...
, Eeklo, Gent, Oudenaarde, Sint-Niklaas |
1,432,326 |
2,991 km² |
459 / km² |
| 4 |
 Flemish Brabant (Vlaams-Brabant) |
Leuven Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
|
Halle-VilvoordeThe Halle-Vilvoorde Arrondissement is one of the two administrative arrondissements in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. It almost completely surrounds the Brussels-Capital Region and lies to the west of the other arrondissement in the province, the Leuven Arrondissement...
, Leuven |
1,076,924 |
2,106 km² |
493 / km² |
| 5 |
 West Flanders (West-Vlaanderen) |
BrugesBruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
(Brugge) |
Brugge The Arrondissement of Bruges is one of the eight administrative arrondissements in the Province of West Flanders, Belgium.It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement...
, DiksmuideThe Arrondissement of Diksmuide is one of the eight administrative arrondissements in the Province of West Flanders, Belgium. It is one of the two arrondissements that form the Judicial Arrondissement of Veurne.-Municipalities:...
, IeperThe Arrondissement of Ypres is one of the eight administrative arrondissements in the Province of West Flanders, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement...
, KortrijkThe Arrondissement of Kortrijk is one of the eight administrative arrondissements in the Province of West Flanders, Belgium.It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement...
, OostendeThe Arrondissement of Ostend is one of the eight administrative arrondissements in the Province of West Flanders, Belgium.The Administrative Arrondissement of Ostend consists of the following municipalities:* Bredene* De Haan* Gistel* Ichtegem...
, RoeselareThe Arrondissement of Roeselare is one of the eight administrative arrondissements in the Province of West Flanders, Belgium.The Administrative Arrondissement of Roeselare consists of the following municipalities:*Hooglede*Ingelmunster*Izegem*Ledegem...
, TieltThe Arrondissement of Tielt is one of the eight administrative arrondissements in the Province of West Flanders, Belgium.-History:The Arrondissement of Tielt was created in 1818 and originally comprised the cantons of Ruiselede and Tielt, which were ceded from the Arrondissement of Bruges, and the...
, VeurneThe Arrondissement of Veurne is one of the eight administrative arrondissements in the Province of West Flanders, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement...
|
1,159,366 |
3,125 km² |
362 / km² |
Economy
Flanders is home to a diversified, relatively modern economy, with emphasis put on research and development. Many enterprises work closely with local knowledge and research centres to develop new products and services.
Transport
"
De LijnVlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn , usually known as simply De Lijn , is a company run by the Flemish government in Belgium to provide public transportation, similar to the way in which Belgian railroads or the postal system is run. It runs about 3650 buses and 359 trams...
" serves as the main public transport company, run by the Flemish government. It consists of buses and trams.
TECSociété Régionale Wallonne du Transport , is responsible for the supervision, strategic planning and marketing of a group of five regional public transport companies branded as TEC or "Transport En Commun" in Wallonia, Belgium. It is primarily a bus operator, but also operates the Charleroi tram...
is the equivalent company in Wallonia, and
MIVB-STIBThe Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company is the local public transport operator in Brussels, Belgium...
in Brussels. The railway network run by the NMBS, however, is still a federal responsibility.
The government is also responsible for about 500 kilometers of regional roads (Dutch:
gewestwegen) and about 900 kilometers of highways in the territory of the Flemish Region. Other types of roads are provincial roads and municipal roads.
Cities
Largest cities in the region include (with population figures in 2010):
- Antwerp (483,505)
- Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
(243,366)
- Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
(116,741)
- Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
(95,463)
- Mechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
(80,940)
- Aalst
Aalst is a city and municipality on the Dender River, 19 miles northwest from Brussels. It is located in the Flemish province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek. The municipality comprises the city of Aalst itself and the villages of Baardegem, Erembodegem, Gijzegem, Herdersem, Hofstade,...
(80,043)
- Kortrijk
Kortrijk ; , ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province West Flanders...
(74,911)
- Hasselt
Hasselt is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital of the Flemish province of Limburg...
(73,067)
- Sint-Niklaas
Sint-Niklaas is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Sint-Niklaas proper and the towns of Belsele, Nieuwkerken-Waas, and Sinaai....
(71,806)
- Ostend
Ostend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
(69,064)
- Genk
Genk is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the city of Genk itself...
(64,757)
- Roeselare
Roeselare is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Roeselare proper and the towns of Beveren, Oekene and Rumbeke....
(57,432)
The
Flemish DiamondThe Flemish Diamond is one of the larger European metropolitan regions, situated in the central provinces of Flanders and the capital region of Belgium.Herman Deweerdt : Het is zeker waar dat de Vlaamse ruit een centrum van economische activiteit is en dus een zeer belangrijke basis vormt voor de...
(Dutch:
Vlaamse Ruit) is the name of the central, populous area in Flanders and consists of several of these cities, such as Antwerp, Ghent, Leuven and Mechelen. Approximately 5,500,000 people live in the area.
Language
The official language is Dutch, sometimes colloquially referred to as Flemish. The main dialect groups include
West FlemishWest Flemish , , , Fransch vlaemsch in French Flemish) is a group of dialects or regional language related to Dutch spoken in parts of the Netherlands, Belgium, and France....
,
East FlemishEast Flemish is a group of dialects of the Dutch language, which is a Low Franconian language. It is spoken in the province of East Flanders in Belgium, but also spoken in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen in the Netherlands.-Brabantic Expansion:...
,
BrabantianBrabantian or Brabantish, also Brabantic , is a dialect group of the Dutch language. It is named after the historical Duchy of Brabant which corresponded mainly to the Dutch province of North Brabant, the Belgian provinces of Antwerp and Flemish Brabant, as well as the institutional Region of...
and Limburgish.
French may be used for certain administrative purposes in a limited number of the so-called "municipalities with language facilities" around the Brussels-Capital Region and on the border with
Wallonia.
"Rim municipalities" (around Brussels) are
DrogenbosDrogenbos is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality only comprises the town of Drogenbos proper. On January 1, 2006 Drogenbos had a total population of 4,876. The total area is 2.49 km² which gives a population density of 1,957 inhabitants per...
,
KraainemKraainem is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality only comprises the town of Kraainem proper. On January 1, 2006 Kraainem had a total population of 13,150...
,
LinkebeekLinkebeek is a Belgian municipality in Flanders, part of the province of Flemish Brabant, in the bilingual electoral and judicial district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde, and in the administrative district of Halle-Vilvoorde. The municipality only comprises the town of Linkebeek proper. As of January...
,
Sint-Genesius-RodeSint-Genesius-Rode is a municipality located in Flanders, one of three regions of Belgium, in the province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the town of Sint-Genesius-Rode only. On January 1, 2008, the town had a total population of 18,021...
(French:
Rhode-Saint-Genèse),
WemmelWemmel is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality only comprises the town of Wemmel proper. On January 1, 2006 Wemmel had a total population of 14,774. The total area is 8.74 km² which gives a population density of 1,690 inhabitants per km².The...
and
Wezembeek-OppemWezembeek-Oppem is a municipality in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, ten kilometres east of the centre of Brussels. The municipality only comprises the town of Wezembeek-Oppem proper. On January 1, 2006 Wezembeek-Oppem had a total population of 13,504...
. Brussels was originally a Dutch-speaking city, but has been
frenchifiedThe Frenchification of Brussels is the transformation of Brussels, Belgium, from a Dutch-speaking city to one that is bilingual or even multilingual, with French as both the majority language and lingua franca...
in the 19th and 20th century and is now largely French-speaking. A few municipalities in the Flemish agglomeration of Brussels are now also frenchified.
Municipalities with language facilities on the border with Wallonia are
BeverBever is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality only comprises the town of Bever proper. It is located at . On January 1, 2006 Bever had a total population of 2,023. The total area is 19.78 km² which gives a population density of 102 inhabitants per km²...
(French:
Biévène),
HerstappeHerstappe is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On January 1, 2008 Herstappe had a total population of 84. The total area is 1.35 km² which gives a population density of 61 inhabitants per km². It is the least populous municipality in Belgium. Only Saint-Josse-ten-Noode...
,
MesenMesen is a city located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality only comprises the town of Mesen proper. On January 1, 2006, Mesen had a total population of 988. The total area is 3.58 km² which gives a population density of 276 inhabitants per km².Mesen is the smallest city in...
(French:
Messines),
RonseRonse is a Belgian city and a municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality only comprises the city of Ronse proper.- Early settlements to 14th century :...
(French:
Renaix),
Spiere-HelkijnSpiere-Helkijn is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Helkijn and Spiere. On January 1, 2006 Spiere-Helkijn had a total population of 2,030. The total area is 10.78 km² which gives a population density of 188 inhabitants per...
(French:
Espierres-Helchin),
Voeren (French:
Fourons)
Education
Education in BelgiumEducation in Belgium is regulated and for the larger part financed by one of the three communities: Flemish, French and German-speaking. The national legislator only kept a very few, minimal competences for education as the age for mandatory schooling, and, indirectly, the financing of the...
is regulated by the communities. In Flanders this is done by the
Flemish CommunityThe term Flemish Community has two distinct, though related, meanings:...
and in Brussels by both the Flemish and
French CommunityThe French Community was an association of states known in French simply as La Communauté. In 1958 it replaced the French Union, which had itself succeeded the French colonial empire in 1946....
.
See also
- Communities and regions of Belgium
- Provinces of regions in Belgium
- De Vlaamse Leeuw
De Vlaamse Leeuw is the official anthem of Flanders, a region in the federal kingdom of Belgium.-Composition:...
- Count of Flanders
The Count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders from the 9th century until the abolition of the position by the French revolutionaries in 1790....
- Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
- French Flemish
External links
Flemish authorities (Dutch:
Vlaamse overheid).
Flanders online (also in French, German and Dutch).