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Encyclopedia > Communities and regions of Belgium
Belgium

This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
Belgium
Image File history File links Belgium_coa. ... The Kingdom of Belgium is a sovereign, independent state. ...



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Belgium is a federal state and is composed of three Communities, three Regions, and four linguistic regions. Two of the three regions each comprise five provinces, making a total of ten provinces. Belgium also comprises 589 municipalities, which in general consist of several sub-municipalities (which were independent municipalities before the municipal merger operation of 1977). These are the five most important subdivisions of Belgium, as laid out into the Belgian constitution (as far as the first four subdivisions are concerned) and law (as far as the municipalities are concerned). Other less important subdivisions include for instance the intra-municipal districts, the electoral, judicial and police districts, as well as the new inter-municipal police zones (lower level than the police districts). Successive Belgian kings are 1831-1865: Léopold I (34) 1865-1909: Léopold II (44) 1909-1934: Albert I (25) 1934-1951: Léopold III (16) 1944-1950: Charles, reigned as Prince Regent 1951-1993: Baudouin I (42) Since 1993: Albert II (13) None of these were King of... Albert II, King of the Belgians (Albert Félix Humbert Théodore Chrétien Eugène Marie), (born June 6, 1934), is the current King of the Belgians and a constitutional monarch. ... The executive branch of the Belgian federal government consists of ministers and secretaries of state (junior ministers or smaller departments) drawn from the political parties which form the government coalition. ... This is a list of Prime Ministers of Belgium, known regionally as: Premier Ministre in French, Eerste Minister in Dutch, and Premierminister in German. ... Guy Verhofstadt Guy Verhofstadt  Pronunciation (born April 11, 1953) is the current Prime Minister of Belgium. ... The Belgian Federal Parliament is a bicameral parliament. ... The Belgian Senate (Dutch: de Senaat, French: le Sénat) is one of the two chambers of the Belgian Federal Parliament. ... The Belgian Chamber of Representatives (Dutch: de Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers, French: la Chambre des Représentants) is one of the two chambers of the Belgian Federal Parliament. ... Belgium has a multi-party political system, with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments. ... Elections in Belgium gives information on election and election results in Belgium. ... The May 18, 2003 Belgian general elections were the first Belgian elections to be held under a new electoral code. ... The next Belgian general election is scheduled to take place on Sunday June 24, 2007. ... On June 13, 2004, regional elections were held in Belgium, to choose representatives in the regional councils of Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels, as well as in the German Community Council. ... The Belgian municipal elections, 2006 will take place on Sunday October 8, 2006. ... Belgium is a federal state and is composed of three communities, three regions, and four linguistic regions. ... Belgium is a federal state and is composed of three communities, three regions, and four linguistic regions. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Image File history File links European_flag. ... The Concert of Europe sanctioned the creation of Belgium in 1830 on the condition that the country remain strictly neutral. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... Belgium is a federal state and is composed of three communities, three regions, and four linguistic regions. ... Belgium is divided into 589 municipalities (Dutch: gemeenten, French: communes, German: Gemeinde) grouped into three regions and 10 provinces, except the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital region which do not belong to any of the 10 provinces. ... A Deelgemeente is a subdivision of Belgian municipalities. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... This is the translation in English of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Belgium as provided by the Parliament. ...


All these subdivisions have geographical boundaries: the Regions, the linguistic regions, the Communities, the provinces and the municipalities. The division by communities is equally geographically delimited: The Flemish government has legal authority (for its Community competencies) only within the areas of the Flemish and Brussels region; the French-speaking Community analogously has powers only within the areas of the Walloon and Brussels region. Belgian Communities do not officially refer directly to groups of people -there is indeed no subnationality in Brussels - but rather to the political, linguistic and cultural competencies of the country.


All Communities thus have a precise and legally established area where they can exert their competencies: the Flemish Community is competent in the Flemish and Brussels regions; the French-speaking Community in the Walloon (French linguistic region) and Brussels regions, and the German Community only in a small part of the province of Liège (Wallonia), bordering with Germany, which is the German linguistic region.


The three regions are the Brussels-Capital Region, the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region. The Brussels-Capital Region (French: R gion de Bruxelles-Capitale, Dutch: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, German: Region Br ssel-Hauptstadt) or Brussels Region (French: R gion Bruxelloise, Dutch: Brusselse Gewest) is one of the three regions of Belgium. ... The Flemish region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium (alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region). ... Wallonia (French: Wallonie, German: Wallonien, Walloon: Walonreye, Dutch: Wallonië) or the Walloon Region (French: Région Wallonne, Dutch: Waals Gewest) is the predominantly French-speaking region that constitutes one of the three federal regions of Belgium, with its capital at Namur. ...


The three communities are:

It should be noted that the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region officially have merged into the Flemish Community, with one parliament, one government and one administration, exerting both regional and community competencies. French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... The French Community of Belgium (French: Communauté française de Belgique, Dutch: Franse Gemeenschap van België) is one of the three official communities in Belgium along with the Flemish Community and the German speaking Community. ... Dutch ( ) is a Low Franconian language spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium (2005 [1]). // History Main article: History of the Dutch language The West Germanic dialect continuum can be divided according to tribe (see Germanic tribes), and according to the extent of their participation... The term Flemish Community has two distinct, though related, meanings: culturally and sociologically, it refers to Flemish organisations, media, social and cultural life; alternative expressions for this concept might be the Flemish people or the Flemish nation (in a similar sense as the Scottish nation, the Basque or Catalan); politically... German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ... Council of the German Speaking Community in Belgium (Eupen) Flag of the German-speaking community in Belgium The German-Speaking Community of Belgium (Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft Belgiens in German, short DGB) is one of the three federal communities in Belgium. ... The term Flemish Community has two distinctive, but closely related meanings: sociologically, politically and culturally, it refers to the Flemish people and all their organisations, media, social and cultural life; one might also speak of the Flemish nation (in a very similar sense as the Scottish nation, the Basque, catalan... The Flemish region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium (alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region). ... The term Flemish Community has two distinctive, but closely related meanings: sociologically, politically and culturally, it refers to the Flemish people and all their organisations, media, social and cultural life; one might also speak of the Flemish nation (in a very similar sense as the Scottish nation, the Basque, catalan...


The four linguistic regions are the French language region, the Dutch-language region, the bilingual region of Brussels-Capital and the German-language region (which has language facilities for French-speakers).


See also: ISO 3166-2:BE, the ISO codes for the regions and provinces of Belgium. ISO 3166-2:BE is an ISO standard which defines geocodes: it is the subset of ISO 3166-2 which applies to Belgium. ... The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from national standards bodies. ...

Contents


Communities

Communities Flemish Community French Community German-speaking Community
Dutch name Vlaamse Gemeenschap (Franse Gemeenschap) (Duitstalige Gemeenschap)
French name (Communauté flamande) Communauté française (Communauté germanophone)
German name (Flämische Gemeinschaft) (Französische Gemeinschaft) Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft
Location
Flag
Capital Brussels
(joint with Flemish region)
Brussels Eupen
Minister President Yves Leterme
(joint with Flemish region)
Marie Arena Karl-Heinz Lambertz
Web site www.flanders.be www.cfwb.be www.dglive.be

The term Flemish Community has two distinct, though related, meanings: culturally and sociologically, it refers to Flemish organisations, media, social and cultural life; alternative expressions for this concept might be the Flemish people or the Flemish nation (in a similar sense as the Scottish nation, the Basque or Catalan); politically... The French Community of Belgium (French: Communauté française de Belgique, Dutch: Franse Gemeenschap van België) is one of the three official communities in Belgium along with the Flemish Community and the German speaking Community. ... Council of the German Speaking Community in Belgium (Eupen) Flag of the German-speaking community in Belgium The German-Speaking Community of Belgium (Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft Belgiens in German, short DGB) is one of the three federal communities in Belgium. ... File links The following pages link to this file: Flanders Flemish Community Categories: Images with unknown source ... Image File history File links Franse_GemeenschapLocatie. ... Image File history File links Duitstalige_GemeenschapLocatie. ... Image File history File links Flag_Belgium_flanders. ... Image File history File links Flag_Belgium_wallonia. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Nickname: The Capital Of Europe, Comic City City of a 100 Museums Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 797 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area    - City 162 (Region) km²  (62. ... Nickname: The Capital Of Europe, Comic City City of a 100 Museums Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 797 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area    - City 162 (Region) km²  (62. ... St Nikolaus church in Eupen Eupen is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège, 15 km from the German border (Aachen), from the Dutch border (Maastricht) and from the nature reservation Hohes Venn (Ardennes). ... Yves Leterme (Wervik, 6 October 1960) is the current prime minister of Flanders. ...

Regions

Region Flemish region Walloon region Brussels capital region
Dutch name Vlaams gewest (Waals gewest) Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest
French name (Région Flamande) Région Walonne Région Capitale Bruxelles
German name (Flämische Region) Wallonische Region (Hauptstadtregion Brüssel)
Location
Flag
Capital Brussels Namur Brussels
ISO 3166-2:BE BE-VLG BE-WAL BE-BRU
Area 13522 km²
(44.29% of Belgium)
16844 km²
(55.18% of Belgium)
161 km²
(0.53% of Belgium)
Provinces Antwerp
Limburg
Flemish Brabant
East Flanders
West Flanders
Hainaut
Walloon Brabant
Namur
Liège
Luxembourg
none
Municipalities 308 262 19
Population 6,043,161
(58% of Belgium)
3,358,560
(32% of Belgium)
1,006,749
(10% of Belgium)
Population density 442/km² 199/km² 6238/km²
Minister President Yves Leterme (list) Elio Di Rupo (list) Charles Picqué (list)
Web site www.flanders.be www.wallonie.be www.brussels.irisnet.be

The Flemish region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium (alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region). ... National motto: Walon todi ! (Walloon forever!) Official languages French, German Capital Namur Minister-President Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe Area  - Total 16,844 km² Population  - Total (2002)  - Density 3,358,560 inhabitants 199. ... The Brussels-Capital Region (French: R gion de Bruxelles-Capitale, Dutch: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, German: Region Br ssel-Hauptstadt) or Brussels Region (French: R gion Bruxelloise, Dutch: Brusselse Gewest) is one of the three regions of Belgium. ... File links The following pages link to this file: Flanders Categories: Images with unknown source ... Wallonia highlighted against map of Belgium. ... File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Flag_Belgium_flanders. ... Image File history File links Flag_Belgium_wallonia. ... Image File history File links Flag_Belgium_brussels. ... Nickname: The Capital Of Europe, Comic City City of a 100 Museums Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 797 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area    - City 162 (Region) km²  (62. ... Namur, the Meuse, the Walloon parliament and the citadel. ... Nickname: The Capital Of Europe, Comic City City of a 100 Museums Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 797 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area    - City 162 (Region) km²  (62. ... ISO 3166-2:BE is an ISO standard which defines geocodes: it is the subset of ISO 3166-2 which applies to Belgium. ... Belgium is a federal state and is composed of three communities, three regions, and four linguistic regions. ... Antwerp is the northernmost province of Flanders and of Belgium. ... Limburg is the easternmost province of Flanders (which is one of the three regions of Belgium), and is located west of the Meuse river. ... Flemish Brabant is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. ... East Flanders is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. ... West Flanders (Dutch: West-Vlaanderen) is the westernmost province of Flanders and of Belgium. ... Hainaut (French; English traditionally Hainault, Dutch: Henegouwen, German: Hennegau, Walloon: Hinnot) is the westernmost province of Wallonia, in Belgium. ... Walloon Brabant is a province of Wallonia and of Belgium. ... Namur (Dutch: Namen) is a province of Wallonia and of Belgium. ... Liège is the easternmost province of Wallonia and of Belgium. ... Belgium is divided into 589 municipalities (Dutch: gemeenten, French: communes, German: Gemeinde) grouped into three regions and 10 provinces, except the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital region which do not belong to any of the 10 provinces. ... The Flemish region has 308 municipalities. ... Wallonia has the following 262 municipalities: Categories: ... The Brussels-Capital Region is divided into 19 municipalities: Seven municipalities have only one official name which are usable in Dutch and French although the name is Ducth; the other twelve officially have both a Dutch and a French name. ... Yves Leterme (Wervik, 6 October 1960) is the current prime minister of Flanders. ... This is a list of Minister-Presidents (prime ministers) of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. ... Elio Di Rupo (born July 18, 1951) is the leader of the French-speaking Belgian Socialist Party, i. ... This is the list of Minister-Presidents (prime ministers) of Wallonia, one of the three regions of Belgium. ... Charles Picqué (b. ... The regional government of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium, is headed by a Minister-President which acts as the prime minister of this regional government. ...

Brussels-Capital Region

The Brussels-Capital Region (Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest in Dutch, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale in French, Die Region Brüssel-Hauptstadt in German) or Brussels Region is centrally located and completely surrounded by the province of Flemish Brabant and thus by the Flemish Region. With a surface area of 162 km² (0.53% of Belgium) it is the smallest of the three regions. It contains Brussels, which acts both as federal and regional capital, and in total 19 municipalities. The population breakdown in the region is as follows: ±85% French-speaking, ±15% Flemish. Its official languages are both Dutch and French. The Brussels Capital Region contains only one administrative district, the Brussels Capital District. However, for many administrative and juridical purposes (e.g. electoral purpose), it forms a district with surrounding Flemish areas (something considered by competent judicial authorities as contrary to the Belgian Constitution). However, this often creates disfunctions in the public service, e.g. whenever mono-lingual French-speaking civil servants or policemen operate in the mono-lingual Flemish municipalities. The Brussels-Capital Region (French: R gion de Bruxelles-Capitale, Dutch: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, German: Region Br ssel-Hauptstadt) or Brussels Region (French: R gion Bruxelloise, Dutch: Brusselse Gewest) is one of the three regions of Belgium. ... Flemish Brabant is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. ... The Flemish region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium (alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region). ... Nickname: The Capital Of Europe, Comic City City of a 100 Museums Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 797 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area    - City 162 (Region) km²  (62. ... Flanders (Dutch: Vlaanderen) has several main meanings: the social, cultural and linguistical, scientific and educational, economical and political community of the Flemings; some prefer to call this the Flemish community (others refer to this as the Flemish nation) which is, with over 6 million inhabitants, the majority of all Belgians...


Although many believe that the capital of Belgium is the City of Brussels municipality, the Belgian Constitution makes it clear that the capital of Belgium is Brussels in the broad meaning of the term (cf. Art. 194 and 166 of the Constitution). In practice, the functions, buildings and civil servants of all national Belgian institutions can be found all over the Brussels region and not only in the city of Brussels. Following the same logic, the significant dedicated national funds for those capital functions are shared between all 19 municipalities of the Brussels region. Among the national institutions outside the city of Brussels, one can find many buildings of national ministeries, including the main building of the ministry of pensions, the military headquarters (in Evere), the national telecommunications company. Finally, also the particular name of the Brussels region, with the explicit 'capital' in it, is a very symbolic proof of the ambitions from the main local politicians, and of the recognition for that capital function in Belgian legislation. The City of Brussels (Bruxelles-Ville or Ville de Bruxelles in French, Stad Brussel in Dutch) is one of the municipalities (the largest one) of the Brussels-Capital Region in Belgium. ... Nickname: The Capital Of Europe, Comic City City of a 100 Museums Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 797 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area    - City 162 (Region) km²  (62. ...


The Brussels Region does not belong to any of the provinces. Within the Region, 99% of the provincial competencies are assumed by the Brussels regional institutions. Remaining is only a provincial governor and some aides.


Within Brussels, the two Communities have their own institutions that act as "intermediary levels" of government and public service, sitting below the Community institutions, and above the municipal institutions:

The Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie (or VGC, or, in English, the Flemish Community Commission) is the local representative of the Flemish authorities in the Brussels-Capital Region, one of the three regions of Belgium. ... The Commission communautaire française (or COCOF, or, in English, the French Community Commission) is the local representative of the French-speaking authorities in the Brussels-Capital Region, one of the three regions of Belgium. ...

Flemish Region

Main article: Flanders

The Flemish Region or Flanders (Vlaams Gewest or Vlaanderen in Dutch) occupies the northern part of Belgium. It has a surface area of 13522 km² (44.29% of Belgium) and is divided into 5 provinces which contain a total of 308 municipalities. Flanders (Dutch: Vlaanderen) has several main meanings: the social, cultural and linguistical, scientific and educational, economical and political community of the Flemings; some prefer to call this the Flemish community (others refer to this as the Flemish nation) which is, with over 6 million inhabitants, the majority of all Belgians...


The official language is Dutch, often referred to by its inhabitants as Flemish. French may be used for certain administrative purposes in a limited number of the so-called "municipalities with linguistic facilities" around the Brussels Capital Region and on the border with Wallonia. The term Flemish can be a linguistic one, referring to the speech of the Flemings, inhabitants of Flanders, or a geographical one, referring to any attribute of Flanders, but not to its official language, which is exclusively Dutch. ... The municipalities with linguistic facilities or municipalities with facilities (Dutch: faciliteitengemeenten, French: communes à facilités) are Belgian municipalities with special law provisions to protect rights of their (historic) linguistic minorities. ... Wallonia (French: Wallonie, German: Wallonien, Walloon: Walonreye, Dutch: Wallonië) or the Walloon Region (French: Région Wallonne, Dutch: Waals Gewest) is the predominantly French-speaking region that constitutes one of the three federal regions of Belgium, with its capital at Namur. ...


Brussels is part of Flanders, but only for all its Flemish inhabitants and local institutions (which indeed live in both the Flemish Region and the Brussels Region). It is also the official capital of Flanders. The Flemish Region has no institutions on its own. Its competencies were transferred to the unified Flemish institutions that combine both regional and community competencies. As a result, the Flemish region (nor the Flemish Community) has not a single civil servant of its own, no legislative council etc. Since, the unified institutions exert all their power and competencies (see also: Vlaams Parlement). Nickname: The Capital Of Europe, Comic City City of a 100 Museums Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 797 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area    - City 162 (Region) km²  (62. ... Flanders (Dutch: Vlaanderen) has several main meanings: the social, cultural and linguistical, scientific and educational, economical and political community of the Flemings; some prefer to call this the Flemish community (others refer to this as the Flemish nation) which is, with over 6 million inhabitants, the majority of all Belgians... The Flemish Parliament (Dutch: Vlaams Parlement, and formerly called Flemish Council or Vlaamse Raad) constitutes the legislative power in Flanders, for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic region and a cultural and linguistic community of Belgium. ...


Walloon Region

Main article: Wallonia

The Walloon Region or Wallonia (Région Wallonne or Wallonie in French) occupies the southern part of Belgium. It has a surface area of 16844 km² (55.18% of Belgium) and is also divided into 5 provinces which contain a total of 262 municipalities. Its capital is Namur. Wallonia (French: Wallonie, German: Wallonien, Walloon: Walonreye, Dutch: Wallonië) or the Walloon Region (French: Région Wallonne, Dutch: Waals Gewest) is the predominantly French-speaking region that constitutes one of the three federal regions of Belgium, with its capital at Namur. ... Namur, the Meuse, the Walloon parliament and the citadel. ...


The official languages are French and German (only in nine eastern municipalities near the German border, which were "given" to Belgium after WWI), though Dutch may be used for administrative purpose in the so-called municipalities with linguistic facilities on the border with Flanders. Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire Canada France Italy Russian Empire United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria German Empire Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Sir Arthur Currie Ferdinand Foch Nicholas II Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Oskar Potiorek İsmail Enver Ferdinand I... The municipalities with linguistic facilities or municipalities with facilities (Dutch: faciliteitengemeenten, French: communes à facilités) are Belgian municipalities with special law provisions to protect rights of their (historic) linguistic minorities. ...


Provinces

Main article: Provinces of Belgium


 
 

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