Fanders? Or Belgium? 

What’s the difference between Flanders and Belgium? What language do people speak in Brussels? These questions and many more will be answered in this section! 

On the map 

Belgium is situated in Western Europe, and borders the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France. The surface area of Belgium is 30 528 km². 

Population 

Although Belgium is a small country, it has a population of 11.5 million: Brussels Capital Region has a population of 1.2 million; the Flemish Region has 6.6 million inhabitants; the Walloon Region has 3.6 million inhabitants. 

Languages 

Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French and German. 

                Flanders, the northern part of Belgium, is Dutch-speaking 

                Wallonia, the southern part of Belgium, is French-speaking 

                 In the east of Belgium, there is a small German-speaking community (70 000 inhabitants) 

                 Brussels, the capital, is officially Dutch-French bilingual. 

Besides the official languages, English is also widely spoken. And Belgium has a very diverse population, so you will hear many different languages spoken on and off campus. 

Political structure 

Belgium is a federal state, which was founded as a constitutional monarchy in 1831. It is a founding member of the European Union and the eurozone. 

The federal state of Belgium is composed of communities and regions. 

The three communities, delimited on linguistic grounds are: 

• The Flemish Community 
• The French Community 
• The German-speaking Community 

 The three regions are: 

• The Flemish Region (or simply Flanders) 
• The Walloon Region 
• The Brussels Capital Region 

The Flemish government is responsible for education, research, innovation, etc. Visa applications are the responsibility of the federal government. 

Source :https://www.studyinflanders.be/belgium-flanders-brussels