Flemish Region
| Flemish Region Vlaams Gewest |
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| — Region of Belgium — | |||
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| Anthem: De Vlaamse Leeuw | |||
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| Country | Belgium | ||
| Seat of the Parliament | Brussels (but is not a part of the Flemish Region) | ||
| Government | |||
| • Minister-President | Kris Peeters | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 13,522 km2 (5,220.9 sq mi) | ||
| Population (1 January 2010)[1] | |||
| • Total | 6,251,983 | ||
| • Density | 462.4/km2 (1,197.5/sq mi) | ||
| Demographics | |||
| • Languages | Dutch | ||
| ISO 3166 code | BE-VLG | ||
| Celebration Day | July 11 | ||
| Website | www.flanders.be | ||
The Flemish Region (Dutch: 
Vlaams Gewest (help·info)) is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is usually simply referred to as Flanders, 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.
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[edit] Politics
Immediately after its establishment in 1980, the region transferred all its constitutional competencies to the Flemish Community. The current Flemish authorities (Flemish Parliament, Flemish Government) therefore represent all the Flemish people, 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.
[edit] 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 Community and the French Community, both having their institutions in Brussels.
| Province | Capital city | Administrative arrondissements | Population | Area | Population density | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Antwerp (Antwerpen) |
Antwerp (Antwerpen) | Antwerpen, Mechelen, Turnhout | 1,744,862 | 2,867 km² | 587 / km² |
| 2 |  Limburg (Limburg) |
Hasselt | Hasselt, Maaseik, Tongeren | 838,505 | 2,414 km² | 333 / km² |
| 3 |  East Flanders (Oost-Vlaanderen) |
Ghent (Gent) | Aalst, Dendermonde, Eeklo, Gent, Oudenaarde, Sint-Niklaas | 1,432,326 | 2,991 km² | 459 / km² |
| 4 |  Flemish Brabant (Vlaams-Brabant) |
Leuven | Halle-Vilvoorde, Leuven | 1,076,924 | 2,106 km² | 493 / km² |
| 5 |  West Flanders (West-Vlaanderen) |
Bruges (Brugge) | Brugge, Diksmuide, Ieper, Kortrijk, Oostende, Roeselare, Tielt, Veurne | 1,159,366 | 3,125 km² | 362 / km² |
[edit] 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. [2]
[edit] Transport
"De Lijn" serves as the main public transport company, run by the Flemish government. It consists of buses and trams. TEC is the equivalent company in Wallonia, and MIVB-STIB 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.
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Cities
Largest cities in the region include (with population figures in 2010):[3]
- Antwerp (483,505)
- Ghent (243,366)
- Bruges (116,741)
- Leuven (95,463)
- Mechelen (80,940)
- Aalst (80,043)
- Kortrijk (74,911)
- Hasselt (73,067)
- Sint-Niklaas (71,806)
- Ostend (69,064)
- Genk (64,757)
- Roeselare (57,432)
The Flemish Diamond (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.
[edit] Language
The official language is Dutch, sometimes colloquially referred to as Flemish. The main dialect groups include West Flemish, East Flemish, Brabantian 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 Drogenbos, Kraainem, Linkebeek, Sint-Genesius-Rode (French: Rhode-Saint-Genèse), Wemmel and Wezembeek-Oppem. Brussels was originally a Dutch-speaking city, but has been frenchified 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 Bever (French: Biévène), Herstappe, Mesen (French: Messines), Ronse (French: Renaix), Spiere-Helkijn (French: Espierres-Helchin), Voeren (French: Fourons)
[edit] Education
Education in Belgium is regulated by the communities. In Flanders this is done by the Flemish Community and in Brussels by both the Flemish and French Community.
- List of schools in Antwerp
- List of schools in East Flanders
- List of schools in Flemish Brabant
- List of schools in Limburg
- List of schools in West Flanders
[edit] See also
- Communities and regions of Belgium
- Provinces of regions in Belgium
- De Vlaamse Leeuw
- Count of Flanders
- Flanders
- Flemish
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- (English) Flemish authorities (Dutch: Vlaamse overheid).
- (English) Flanders online (also in French, German and Dutch).
- Toerisme Vlaanderen
- (French) French Flanders
- (Dutch) Frans-Vlaanderen
- (Dutch) The Flemish region reaches 6 million inhabitants
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