Communities, regions and provinces of Belgium

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Image:Belgium.geohive.gif 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 deelgemeente. 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).

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.

Of these communities, only the Flemings have 'some' exclusive territory (the Flemish region for the Flemish community and the Walloon for the French-speaking community). 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 and Brussels regions, and the German Community only in a small part of the province of Liège (Wallonia), bordering with Germany.

The three regions are the Brussels-Capital Region, the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region.

The three communities are:

the French-speaking Communauté Française ("French Community")
the Dutch-speaking Vlaamse Gemeenschap ("Flemish Community"); and
the German-speaking Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft ("Germanophone Community").

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.

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.

1 Communities
2 Regions

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Communities

Communities	Flemish Community	French Community	German-speaking Community
Dutch name	Vlaamse gemeenschap	(Franstalige gemeenschap)	(Duitstalige gemeenschap)
French name	(Communauté flamande)	Communauté française	(Communauté germanophone)
German name	(Flämische Gemeinschaft)	(Französische Gemeinschaft)	Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft
Location	Image:Vlaamse GemeenschapLocatie.png	Image:Franse GemeenschapLocatie.png	Image:Duitstalige GemeenschapLocatie.png
Flag	Image:Flag Belgium flanders.svg	Image:Flag Belgium wallonia.svg	Image:FlagofGermanBelgium.png
Capital	Brussels (joint with Flemish region)	Brussels	Eupen
Minister President	Yves Leterme (joint with Flemish region)	Marie Arena	Karl-Heinz Lambertz

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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	Image:Vlaams GewestLocatie.png	Image:Wallonia (Belgium).png	Image:BelgiumBrussels.png
Flag	Image:Flag Belgium flanders.svg	Image:Flag Belgium wallonia.svg	Image:Flag Belgium brussels.svg
Capital	Brussels	Namur	Brussels
ISO 3166-2:BE	BE-VLG	BE-WAL	BE-BRU
Area	13522 km²	16844 km²	161 km²
Population	6043161	3358560	1006749
Population density	442/km²	199/km²	6238/km²
Minister President	Yves Leterme (list)	Elio Di Rupo (list)	Charles Picqué (list)

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Brussels-Capital Region

Main article: 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.

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 ministery 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 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:

Vlaamse Gemeenschapsraad, Vlaamse gemeenschapscommissie (VGC) and its administration;
Commission Communautaire Française (COCOF) and its executive commission and its administration.

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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.

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.

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).

Province	Antwerp	Limburg	Flemish Brabant	East Flanders	West Flanders
Dutch name	Antwerpen	Limburg	Vlaams Brabant	Oost-Vlaanderen	West-Vlaanderen
French name	(Anvers)	(Limbourg)	(Brabant flamand)	(Flandre orientale)	(Flandre occidentale)
Location	Image:BelgiumAntwerp.png	Image:BelgiumLimburg.png	Image:BelgiumFlemishBrabant.png	Image:BelgiumEastFlanders.png	Image:BelgiumWestFlanders.png
Flag	Image:Antwerp Flag.png	Image:Limburg (Belgium) Flag.png	Image:Flemish Brabant Flag.png	Image:Oost-vlaanderen.png	Image:West Flanders Flag.png
Coat of Arms	Image:WapenAntwerpen.png		Image:Wapenschild vlaamsbrabant.png	Image:WapenOVl.png
HASC	BE.AN	BE.LI	BE.VB	BE.OV	BE.WV
FIPS	BE01	BE05	BE12	BE08	BE09
ISO 3166-2	VAN	VLI	VBR	VOV	VWV
Postal codes	2000-2999	3500-3999	1500-1999, 3000-3499	9000-9999	8000-8999
Area	2860 km² 21.15% of Flanders 9.38% of Belgium	2414 km² 17.85% of Flanders 7.92% of Belgium	2106 km² 15.57% of Flanders 6.91% of Belgium	2991 km² 22.12% of Flanders 9.81% of Belgium	3151 km² 23.30% of Flanders 10.33% of Belgium
Highest point	Beerzelberg (55 m)	Remersdaal (288 m)	Walshoutem (137 m)	Pottelberg (157 m)	Kemmelberg (156 m)
Subdivisions	3 Districts 70 municipalities	3 Districts 44 municipalities	2 Districts 65 municipalities	6 Districts 65 municipalities	8 Districts 64 municipalities
Capital	Antwerp (city) (Antwerpen)	Hasselt	Louvain (Leuven)	Ghent (Gent)	Bruges (Brugge)
Population	1682683 28% of Flanders	805786 13% of Flanders	1037786 17% of Flanders	1389199 23% of Flanders	1130040 19% of Flanders
Density	587 / km²	333 / km²	493 / km²	459 / km²	362 / km²
Governor	Camille Paulus	Steve Stevaert	Lodewijk De Witte	André Denys	Paul Breyne
Governement	CD&V,sp.a,VLD	???	CD&V,sp.a,VLD	CD&V,sp.a,VLD	CD&V,sp.a
website	www.provant.be	www.limburg.be	www.vlaamsbrabant.be	www.oost-vlaanderen.be	www.west-vlaanderen.be

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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.

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.

Hainaut

Hainaut has a surface area of 3800 km² (22.56% of Wallonia; 12.44% of Belgium), and is divided into seven administrative districts which contain 69 municipalities.

Walloon Brabant (Brabant Wallon in French)

Walloon Brabant has a surface area of 1093 km² (6.49% of Wallonia; 3.58% of Belgium), and contains only one administrative district with 27 municipalities.

Namur

Namur has a surface area of 3664 km² (21.75% of Wallonia; 11.99% of Belgium), and is divided into three administrative districts which contain 38 municipalities.

Liege

Liege has a surface area of 3844 km² (22.82% of Wallonia; 12.58% of Belgium), and is divided into four administrative districts which contain 84 municipalities.

Luxembourg

Luxembourg has a surface area of 4443 km² (26.38% of Wallonia; 14.54% of Belgium), and is divided into five administrative districts which contain 44 municipalities.

Communities, regions and provinces of Belgium		Image:Flag of Belgium.svg
Communities:	French Community of Belgium \| Flemish Community in Belgium \| German-speaking Community of Belgium
Regions and provinces:	Flanders: Antwerp \| East Flanders \| Flemish Brabant \| Limburg \| West Flanders
	Wallonia: Hainaut \| Liège \| Luxembourg \| Namur \| Walloon Brabant
	Brussels-Capital Region