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FlandersFlandre and Flandern redirect here. For the ships, see SS Flandre and SS Flandern.

FlandersVlaanderen (Dutch)

—  Region and community of Belgium  —

Flag Coat of arms

Anthem: De Vlaamse Leeuw("The Flemish Lion")

Present-day Belgian Flanders (dark green) shown within Belgium and Europe. Brussels is in some contexts considered part of Flanders and in othercontexts separate.

County of Flanders 862–1795

Community in Belgium since 1970

Region in Belgium since 1980

Seat Brussels

Government

 • Body Flemish Government

 • Minister-President Kris Peeters

 • Legislature Flemish Parliament

Area

 • Land 13,522 km2 (5,221 sq mi)

Population (1 January 2012)

 • Total 6,350,765 (Flemish Region only)

 • Density 470/km2 (1,200/sq mi)

 • Official language Dutch

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Demonym Flemish (adjective), Fleming (person)Vlaams (adjective), Vlaming (person)

Time zone CET (UTC+1)

 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)

ISO 3166 code BE-VLG

Website http:/ / www. vlaanderen. be/

The area and population figures are given for the Flemish Region, not the Community.

Flanders (Dutch:  Vlaanderen Wikipedia:Media helpFile:Nl-Vlaanderen.ogg, French: Flandre) today normallyrefers to the Dutch-speaking northern part of Belgium, but it can also refer to two specific provinces within Flanders,West and East Flanders. It is one of the regions and communities of Belgium. Historically, the name referred to aregion located in the north-western part of present-day Belgium and adjacent parts of France and the Netherlands.Both in the historical and the contemporary meaning, the demonym associated with Flanders is Fleming, while thecorresponding adjective is Flemish. Brussels is the capital of Flanders, though not fully under its jurisdiction.Over the course of history, the geographical territory that was called "Flanders" has varied. From around 1000 AD,Flanders historically meant to English-speaking peoples the land situated along the North Sea from the Strait ofDover to the Scheldt estuary with ill-defined southern borders.[1] It came to refer specifically to the County ofFlanders, lasting from 862 to 1795, whose territory was situated in the northwestern part of what is now Belgium(approximately the modern Belgian provinces of East and West Flanders), and what are now parts of northern France(French Flanders), and the Netherlands (Zeelandic Flanders). Through marriage, the County of Flanders was joinedwith most of the rest of the Low Countries around 1400 AD, and it lost its independence. Most of the county'sterritory became part of an independent Belgium in 1830, and during the 19th and 20th centuries, it becameincreasingly commonplace to refer to the entire Dutch-speaking and northern part of Belgium as "Flanders",including the Belgian parts of the Duchy of Brabant and Limburg. In the late 20th century, Belgium became a federalstate in which the Dutch-speaking part was given autonomy as the Flemish Community (Dutch: VlaamseGemeenschap) and the Flemish Region (Dutch: Vlaams Gewest); these two entities were effectively merged, exceptthat the Flemish Community only has partial jurisdiction over Brussels, its capital.Flanders has figured prominently in European history. During the late Middle Ages, Flanders' trading towns (notablyGhent, Bruges and Ypres) made it one of the richest and most urbanized parts of Europe, weaving the wool ofneighbouring lands into cloth for both domestic use and export. As a consequence, a very sophisticated culturedeveloped, with impressive achievements in the arts and architecture, rivaling those of northern Italy. As part ofBelgium, Flanders was initially the poorer half of the country to industrialized Wallonia. In the second half of thetwentieth century, however, there has been a gradual shift of political and economic power to Flanders, which,having modernized its economy, is now more wealthy and prosperous than its southern counterpart.[2]

Geographically, Flanders is generally flat, and has a small section of coast on the North Sea. Flanders borders Franceto the west, the Netherlands to the north and east, and Wallonia to the south. The Brussels Capital Region is enclavedwithin the Flemish Region, while Voeren is an exclave of Flanders between Wallonia and the Netherlands. Flandersis agriculturally fertile and densely populated, with a population density of almost 500 people per square kilometer(1200 per square mile).

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Terminology

Northern part of BelgiumThe term "Flanders" has several main meanings:• the social, cultural and linguistic, scientific and educational, economical and political community of the Flemings,

in general called the "Flemish community" (small "c") (others refer to this as the "Flemish nation"). It has over 6million inhabitants, or about 60% of the population of Belgium.

• the constituent governing institution of the federal Belgian state through the institutions named the FlemishCommunity (capital "C"), exercising the powers in most of those domains for the aforementioned community,and the officially Dutch-speaking Flemish Region, which has powers mainly on economic matters. TheCommunity absorbed the Region, leading to a single operative body: the Flemish Government and a singlelegislative organ: the Flemish Parliament;

• the geographical region in the north of Belgium coinciding with the federal Belgian state's Flemish Region.Depending on the use including or excluding the bilingual Capital Region;

• the geographical area comprising the two westernmost provinces of the Flemish Region, West Flanders and EastFlanders, forming the central portion of the historic County of Flanders.

Historical parts of the County of Flanders• When Flandria appeared in the 8th century, it was a Frankish fief centred on Bruges. The region's name is

thought to derive from an Ingvaeonic stem flām- meaning "flooded land" (from Proto-Germanic *flauma-).[3]

Originally this name referred to the polders surrounding Bruges and dates from a period before the counts ofFlanders expanded their territory. In the 14th century, the county of Flanders reached its maximum size, andbecame the wealthiest part of the Seventeen Provinces. It extended over the modern-day Belgian provinces ofEast Flanders, West Flanders, and Hainaut.

• In the 14th century, the French kings conquered Picardy, where French was spoken. In the 16th century, Artoiswas also conquered by the French. In 17th and 18th century, king Louis XIV of France captured moreFrench-speaking areas in southern Flanders around Lille, referred to as Lilloise Flanders or la Flandre Lilloise,but also Maritime Flanders, where originally Dutch was spoken, and to this day, a Flemish dialect persists insome rural areas near Dunkirk. Both areas together are now referred to as French Flanders. The city of Lilleidentifies itself as a part of historic Flanders, and thus as "Flemish" in the geographical and historical sense, andthis is reflected, for instance, in the name of its local railway station TGV Lille-Flandres.

During this period of French encroachment on the region, the United Provinces also took some areas of northernFlanders. These areas now form Zeelandic Flanders (Zeeuws-Vlaanderen), a part of the Netherlands province ofZeeland.

Dutch-speaking part of BelgiumThe significance of the County of Flanders and its counts eroded through time, but the designation remained in avery broad sense. In the Early modern period, the term Flanders was associated with the southern part of the LowCountries: the Southern Netherlands. During the 19th and 20th centuries, it became increasingly commonplace torefer to the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium as "Flanders". The linguistic limit between French and Dutch wasrecorded in the early '60's, from Kortrijk to Maastricht. Now, Flanders extends over the northern part of Belgium,including the Belgian parts of the Duchy of Brabant and Limburg.The ambiguity between this eastwardly much wider area and that of the County (or the Belgian parts thereof), stillremains. In most present-day contexts however, in general the term Flanders is taken to refer to either the political,social, cultural, and linguistic community (and the corresponding official institution, the Flemish Community), or thegeographical area, one of the three institutional regions in Belgium, namely the Flemish Region.

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In history of art and other fields, the adjectives Flemish and Netherlandish are commonly used to designate all theartistic production in this area before about 1580, after which it refers specifically to the southern Netherlands. Forexample the term "Flemish Primitives", now outdated in English but used in French, Flemish and other languages, isa synonym for "Early Netherlandish painting", and it is not uncommon to see Mosan art categorized as Flemish art.In music the Franco-Flemish School is also known as the Dutch School.Describing Flanders as the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium is commonplace, although Jewish groups have beenspeaking Yiddish in Antwerp for centuries, and Flanders' minority residents include 170 nationalities[4] — theirlarger groups speaking French, English, Berber, Turkish, Arabic, Spanish, Italian and Polish. Typically, in eachgroup, most people switch to using Dutch in their daily life, while others maintain their language of origin.

History

Early historyThe area, roughly encompassing the later geographical meanings of Flanders, was considered to be in the northernand less economically developed part of Gallia Belgica, the most northeastern continental province of the RomanEmpire at its height. Linguistically, the tribes in this area were under Celtic influence in the south, and Germanicinfluence in the east, but there is disagreement about what language was spoken locally, which may even have beenan intermediate "Nordwestblock" language related to both. By the first century BC Germanic languages had becomeprevalent. In the future county of Flanders, the main Belgic tribe in Roman times was the Menapii, but also on thecoast were the Marsacii and Morini.

Historical FlandersCreated in the year 862 as a feudal fief in West Francia, the County of Flanders was divided when its westerndistricts fell under French rule in the late 12th century. The remaining parts of Flanders came under the rule of thecounts of neighbouring Hainaut in 1191. The entire area passed in 1384 to the dukes of Burgundy, in 1477 to theHabsburg dynasty, and in 1556 to the kings of Spain. The western districts of Flanders came finally under Frenchrule under successive treaties of 1659 (Artois), 1668, and 1678.During the late Middle Ages Flanders' trading towns (notably Ghent, Bruges and Ypres) made it one of the richestand most urbanized parts of Europe, weaving the wool of neighbouring lands into cloth for both domestic use andexport. As a consequence, a very sophisticated culture developed, with impressive achievements in the arts andarchitecture, rivaling those of northern Italy. Ghent, Bruges, Ypres and the Franc of Bruges formed the FourMembers, a form of parliament that exercised considerable power in Flanders.[5]

Increasingly powerful from the 12th century, the territory's autonomous urban communes were instrumental indefeating a French attempt at annexation (1300–1302), finally defeating the French in the Battle of the Golden Spurs(11 July 1302), near Kortrijk. Two years later, the uprising was defeated and Flanders remained part of the FrenchCrown. Flemish prosperity waned in the following century, however, owing to widespread European populationdecline following the Black Death of 1348, the disruption of trade during the Anglo-French Hundred Years' War(1337–1453), and increased English cloth production. Flemish weavers had gone over to Worstead and NorthWalsham in Norfolk in the 12th century and established the woolen industry.

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Low CountriesBeeldenstormIn 1500, Charles V was born in Ghent. He inherited the Seventeen Provinces (1506), Spain (1516) with its coloniesand in 1519 was elected Holy Roman Emperor.[6] The Pragmatic Sanction of 1549, issued by Charles V, establishedthe Low Countries as the Seventeen Provinces (or Spanish Netherlands in its broad sense) as an entity separate fromthe Holy Roman Empire and from France. In 1556 Charles V abdicated due to ill health (he suffered from cripplinggout).[7] Spain and the Seventeen Provinces went to his son, king Philip II of Spain.Over the first half of the 16th century Antwerp grew to become the second-largest European city north of the Alpsby 1560. Antwerp was the richest city in Europe at this time.[8] According to Luc-Normand Tellier "It is estimatedthat the port of Antwerp was earning the Spanish crown seven times more revenues than the Americas."[9]

The Sack of Antwerp in 1576, in which about 7,000people died.

Meanwhile, Protestantism had reached the Low Countries.Among the wealthy traders of Antwerp, the Lutheran beliefs ofthe German Hanseatic traders found appeal, perhaps partly foreconomic reasons. The spread of Protestantism in this city wasaided by the presence of an Augustinian cloister (founded 1514)in the St. Andries quarter. Luther, an Augustinian himself, hadtaught some of the monks, and his works were in print by 1518.The first Lutheran martyrs came from Antwerp. TheReformation resulted in consecutive but overlapping waves ofreform: a Lutheran, followed by a militant Anabaptist, then aMennonite, and finally a Calvinistic movement. Thesemovements existed independently of each other.

Philip II, a devout Catholic and self-proclaimed protector of theCounter-Reformation, suppressed Calvinism in Flanders, Brabant and Holland (what is now approximately BelgianLimburg was part of the Bishopric of Liège and was Catholic de facto). In 1566, the wave of iconoclasm known asthe Beeldenstorm was a prelude to religious war between Catholics and Protestants, especially the Anabaptists. TheBeeldenstorm started in what is now French Flanders, with open-air sermons (Dutch: hagepreken) that spreadthrough the Low Countries, first to Antwerp and Ghent, and from there further east and north. In total it lasted noteven a month.

The Eighty Years' War and its consequencesSubsequently, Philip II sent the Duke of Alba to the Provinces to repress the revolt. Alba recaptured the southern partof the Provinces, who signed the Union of Atrecht, which meant that they would accept the Spanish government oncondition of more freedom. But the northern part of the provinces signed the Union of Utrecht and settled in 1581the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. Spanish troops quickly started fighting the rebels, but before therevolt could be completely defeated, a war between England and Spain had broken out, forcing Philip's Spanishtroops to halt their advance. Meanwhile, the Spanish armies had already conquered the important trading cities ofBruges and Ghent. Antwerp, which was then the most important port in the world, also had to be conquered. On 17August 1585, Antwerp fell. This ended the Eighty Years' War for the (from now on) Southern Netherlands. TheUnited Provinces (the Northern Netherlands) fought on until 1648 – the Peace of Westphalia.

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Winter scene by Sebastian Vrancx, 1622

While Spain was at war with England, the rebels fromthe north, strengthened by refugees from the south,started a campaign to reclaim areas lost to Philip II'sSpanish troops. They managed to conquer aconsiderable part of Brabant (the later Noord-Brabantof the Netherlands), and the south bank of the Scheldtestuary (Zeeuws-Vlaanderen), before being stopped bySpanish troops. The front line at the end of this warstabilized and became the current border betweenpresent-day Belgium and the Netherlands. The Dutch(as they later became known) had managed to reclaim enough of Spanish-controlled Flanders to close off the riverScheldt, effectively cutting Antwerp off from its trade routes.

First the fall of Antwerp to the Spanish and later also the closing of the Scheldt were causes of a considerableemigration of Antverpians.[10] Many of the Calvinist merchants of Antwerp and also of other Flemish cities leftFlanders and emigrated to the north. A large number of them settled in Amsterdam, which was at the time a smallerport, of significance only in the Baltic trade. In the following years Amsterdam was rapidly transformed into one ofthe world's most important ports. Because of the contribution of the Flemish exiles to this transformation, the exodusis sometimes described as "creating a new Antwerp".Flanders and Brabant, due to these events, went into a period of relative decline from the time of the Thirty YearsWar.[11] In the Northern Netherlands however, the mass emigration from Flanders and Brabant became an importantdriving force behind the Dutch Golden Age.Southern Netherlands (1581–1795)

1609 map of the county of Flanders

Although arts remained at a relatively impressive level for anothercentury with Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) and Anthony van Dyck,Flanders experienced a loss of its former economic and intellectualpower under Spanish, Austrian, and French rule, with heavy taxationand rigid imperial political control compounding the effects ofindustrial stagnation and Spanish-Dutch and Franco-Austrian conflict.The Southern Netherlands suffered severely under the War of theSpanish Succession, but under the reign of empress Maria-Theresiathese lands economically flourished again. Influenced by theEnlightenment, the Austrian emperor Joseph II was the first sovereignwho has been in the Southern Netherlands since king Philip II of Spainleft them in 1559.

French Revolution and Napoleonic France (1795–1815)In 1794 the French Republican Army started using Antwerp as the northernmost naval port of France,[11] whichcountry officially annexed Flanders the following year as the départements of Lys, Escaut, Deux-Nèthes,Meuse-Inférieure and Dyle. Obligatory (French) army service for all men aged 16–25 was one of the main reasonsfor the people's uprising against the French in 1798, known as the Boerenkrijg (Peasants' War), with the heaviestfighting in the Campine area.United Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815–1830)After the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Brabant, sovereignty over the Austrian Netherlands – Belgium minus the East Cantons and Luxembourg – was given by the Congress of Vienna (1815) to the United Netherlands (Dutch: Verenigde Nederlanden), the state that briefly existed under Sovereign Prince William I of Orange Nassau, the latter King William I of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, after the

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French Empire was driven out of the Dutch territories. The United Kingdom of the Netherlands was born. TheProtestant King of the Netherlands, William I rapidly started the industrialisation of the southern parts of theKingdom. The political system that was set up however, slowly but surely failed to forge a true union between thenorthern and the southern parts of the Kingdom. The southern bourgeoisie mainly was Roman Catholic, in contrastto the mainly Protestant north; large parts of the southern bourgeoisie also primarily spoke French rather than Dutch.In 1815 the Dutch Senate was reinstated (Dutch: Eerste Kamer der Staaten Generaal). The nobility, mainly comingfrom the south, became more and more estranged from their northern colleagues. Resentment grew both among theRoman Catholics from the south and the Protestants from the north and among the powerful liberal bourgeoisie fromthe south and their more moderate colleagues from the north. On 25 August 1830 (after the showing of the opera 'LaMuette de Portici' of Daniel Auber in Brussels) the Belgian Revolution sparked off and became a fact. On 4 October1830, the Provisional Government (Dutch: Voorlopig Bewind) proclaimed the independence, which was laterconfirmed by the National Congress that issued a new Liberal Constitution and declared the new state aConstitutional Monarchy, under the House of Saxe-Coburg. Flanders now became part of the Kingdom of Belgium,which was recognized by the major European Powers on 20 January 1831. The de facto dissidence was finallyrecognized by the United Kingdom of the Netherlands on 19 April 1839.

Kingdom of BelgiumIn 1830, the Belgian Revolution led to the splitting up of the two countries. Belgium was confirmed as anindependent state by the Treaty of London of 1839, but deprived of the eastern half of Limburg (now DutchLimburg), and the Eastern half of Luxembourg (now the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg). Sovereignty over ZeeuwsVlaanderen, south of the Westerscheldt river delta, was left with the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which wasallowed to levy a toll on all traffic to Antwerp harbour until 1863.[11]

Rise of the Flemish MovementThe Belgian Revolution was not well supported in Flanders and even on the 4th of October 1830, when the Belgianindependence was eventually declared, Flemish authorities refused to take orders from the new Belgian governmentin Brussels. Only after Flanders was subdued with the aid of a large French military force one month later, under theleadership of the Count de Pontécoulant, did Flanders become a true part of Belgium.The French-speaking bourgeoisie showed very little respect for the Dutch-speaking part of the population. Frenchbecame the only official language in Belgium and all secondary and higher education in the Dutch language wasabolished.In 1834, all people even remotely suspected of being "Flemish minded" or calling for the reunification of theNetherlands were prosecuted and their houses looted and burnt. Flanders, until then a very prosperous Europeanregion, was not considered worthwhile for investment and scholarship. A study in 1918 demonstrated that in the first88 years of its existence, 80% of the Belgian GNP was invested in Wallonia. This led to a widespread poverty inFlanders, forcing roughly 300.000 Flemish to emigrate to Wallonia to start working there in the heavy industry.All of these events led to a silent uprising in Flanders against the French-speaking domination. But it was not until1878 that Dutch was allowed to be used for official purposes in Flanders (see language legislation in Belgium),although French remained the only official language in Belgium.In 1873, Dutch became the official language in public secondary schools. In 1898 Dutch and French were declaredequal languages in laws and Royal orders. In 1930 the first Flemish university was opened.The first official translation of the Belgian constitution in Dutch was not published until 1967.

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A memorial to soldiers killed in WorldWar I.

World War I and its consequencesFlanders (and Belgium as a whole) saw some of the greatest loss of life on theWestern Front of the First World War, in particular from the three battles ofYpres. Due to the hundreds of thousands of casualties at Ypres, the poppies thatsprang up from the battlefield afterwards, later immortalised in the Canadianpoem "In Flanders Fields", written by John McCrae, have become a symbol forlives lost in war.

Flemish feeling of identity and consciousness grew through the events andexperiences of war. The occupying German authorities took severalFlemish-friendly measures. More importantly, the experiences of manyDutch-speaking soldiers on the front led by French-speaking officers catalysedFlemish emancipation. The French-speaking officers often gave orders inFrench only, followed by "et pour les Flamands, la même chose!", meaning"and for the Flemish, the same thing!" (which did not help the Flemishconscripts, who were mostly uneducated farmers and workers unable to haveunderstood what had been said in French).[12] The resulting suffering is still remembered by Flemish organizationsduring the yearly Yser pilgrimage in Diksmuide at the monument of the Yser Tower.

Right-Wing Nationalism in the interbellum and World War IIDuring the interbellum and World War II, several right-wing fascist and/or national-socialistic parties emerged inBelgium, the Flemish ones being energized by the anti-Flemish discrimination of the Wallonians. Since these partieswere promised more rights for the Flemings by the German government during World War II, many of themcollaborated with the Nazi regime. After the war, collaborators (or people who were Zwart, "Black" during the war)were prosecuted and punished, among them many Flemish Nationalists whose main political goal had been theemancipation of Flanders. As a result, up until this day Flemish Nationalism is often associated with right-wing andsometimes fascist ideologies.Flemish autonomyAfter World War II, the differences between Dutch-speaking and French-speaking Belgians became clear in anumber of conflicts, such as the Royal Question, the question whether King Leopold III should return (which mostFlemings supported but not the Walloons) and the use of Dutch in the Catholic University of Leuven. As a result,several state reforms took place in the second half of the 20th century, which transformed the unitary Belgium into afederal state with communities, regions and language areas. This resulted also in the establishment of a FlemishParliament and Government. During the 1970s, all major political parties split into a Flemish and French-speakingparty.Several Flemish parties still advocate for more Flemish autonomy, some even for Flemish independence (seePartition of Belgium), whereas the French-speakers would like to keep the current state as it is. Recent governments(such as Verhofstadt I Government) have transferred certain federal competences to the regional governments.On 13 December 2006, a spoof news broadcast by the Belgian Francophone public broadcasting station RTBFdeclared that Flanders had decided to declare independence from Belgium.The 2007 federal elections showed more support for Flemish autonomy, marking the start of the 2007–2011 Belgian political crisis. All the political parties that advocated a significant increase of Flemish autonomy gained votes as well as seats in the Belgian federal parliament. This was especially the case for Christian Democratic and Flemish and New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) (who had participated on a shared electoral list). The trend continued during the 2009 regional elections, where CD&V and N-VA were the clear winners in Flanders, and N-VA became even the largest party in Flanders and Belgium during the 2010 federal elections, followed by the longest-ever government formation after which the Di Rupo I Government was formed excluding N-VA. Eight parties agreed on a sixth state

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reform which aim to solve the disputes between Flemings and French-speakers. The 2012 provincial and municipalelections however continued the trend of N-VA becoming the biggest party in Flanders.These victories for the advocates of much more Flemish autonomy are very much in parallel with opinion polls thatshow a structural increase in popular support for their agenda. Since 2006, certain polls have started showing amajority in favour of Flemish independence. Those polls are not yet representative, but they point to a significantlong-term trend.

Government and politics

Kris Peeters, Minister-President of Flanders,promoting Flanders in Action

Both the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region areconstitutional institutions of the Kingdom of Belgium, exercisingcertain powers within their jurisdiction, granted following a series ofstate reforms. In practice, the Flemish Community and Region togetherform a single body, with its own parliament and government, as theCommunity legally absorbed the competences of the Region. Theparliament is a directly elected legislative body composed of 124representatives. The government consists of up to a maximum ofeleven members and is presided by a Minister-President, currently KrisPeeters (Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams) leading a coalition of hisparty (CD&V) with New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) and SocialistischePartij Anders (sp.a).

The area of the Flemish Community is represented on the maps above,including the area of the Brussels-Capital Region (hatched on therelevant map). Roughly, the Flemish Community exercisescompetences originally oriented towards the individuals of theCommunity's language: culture (including audiovisual media),education, and the use of the language. Extensions to personal mattersless directly associated with language comprise sports, health policy

(curative and preventive medicine), and assistance to individuals (protection of youth, social welfare, aid to families,immigrant assistance services, etc.)[]

The area of the Flemish Region is represented on the maps above. It has a population of around 6 million (excludingthe Dutch-speaking community in the Brussels Region, grey on the map for it is not a part of the Flemish Region).Roughly, the Flemish Region is responsible for territorial issues in a broad sense, including economy, employment,agriculture, water policy, housing, public works, energy, transport, the environment, town and country planning,nature conservation, credit, and foreign trade. It supervises the provinces, municipalities, and intercommunal utilitycompanies.[]

The number of Dutch-speaking Flemish people in the Capital Region is estimated to be between 11% and 15%(official figures do not exist as there is no language census and no official subnationality). According to a surveyconducted by the Université catholique de Louvain in Louvain-la-Neuve and published in June 2006, 51% ofrespondents from Brussels claimed to be bilingual, even if they do not have Dutch as their first language.[13][14] Theyare governed by the Brussels Region for economics affairs and by the Flemish Community for educational andcultural issues.

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The Flemish Parliament

As mentioned above, Flemish institutions such as the FlemishParliament and Government, represent the Flemish Community and theFlemish Region. The region and the community thus de facto share thesame parliament and the same government. All these institutions arebased in Brussels. Nevertheless, both types of subdivisions (theCommunity and the Region) still exist legally and the distinctionbetween both is important for the people living in Brussels. Membersof the Flemish Parliament who were elected in the Brussels Regioncannot vote on affairs belonging to the competences of the FlemishRegion.

The official language for all Flemish institutions is Dutch. French enjoys a limited official recognition in a dozenmunicipalities along the borders with French-speaking Wallonia, and a large recognition in the bilingual BrusselsRegion. French is widely known in Flanders, with 59% claiming to know French according to a survey conducted bythe Université catholique de Louvain in Louvain-la-Neuve and published in June 2006.[15][16]

PoliticsHistorically, the political parties reflected the pillarisation (verzuiling) in Flemish society. The traditional politicalparties of the three pillars are Christian-Democratic and Flemish (CD&V), the Open Flemish Liberals andDemocrats (Open Vld) and the Socialist Party – Differently (sp.a).However, during the last half century, many new political parties were founded in Flanders. One of the first was thenationalist People's Union, of which the right nationalist Flemish Block (now Flemish Interest) split off, and whichlater dissolved into the now-defunct Spirit or Social Liberal Party, moderate nationalism rather left of the spectrum,on the one hand, and the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), more conservative but independentist, on the other hand.Other parties are the leftist alternative/ecological Green party; the short-lived anarchistic libertarian spark ROSSEMand more recently the conservative-right liberal List Dedecker, founded by Jean-Marie Dedecker, and the socialistWorkers' Party.Particularly the Flemish Block/Flemish Interest has seen electoral success roughly around the turn of the century,and the New Flemish Alliance during the last few elections, becoming even the largest party in the 2010 federalelections.

Flemish nation

Border crossing sign near Menen.

For some Flemings, Flanders is more than just a geographical area or the federalinstitutions (Flemish Community and Region). Supporters of the FlemishMovement even call it a nation and pursue Flemish independence, but most people(approximately 75%) living in Flanders say they are proud to be Belgian andopposed to the dissolution of Belgium.[17]

In 2012, the Flemish government drafted a "Charter for Flanders" (Handvest voorVlaanderen)[18] of which the first article says "Vlaanderen is een deelstaat van defederale Staat België en maakt deel uit van de Europese Unie." ("Flanders is afederated state[19] of the federal State of Belgium and is part of the EuropeanUnion"). Though interpreted by many Flemish nationalists as a statement, thisphrase is merely a quotation from the Belgian constitution and has no further legalvalue whatsoever.

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Administrative divisions

The present-day Flemish Region covers 13,522 km2 (5,221 sq mi) andis divided into five provinces, 22 arrondissemements and 308 cities ormunicipalities.

Province Capital city Administrative arrondissements Municipalities Area Population(density)

(1 January2012)

1  Antwerp (Antwerpen) Antwerp(Antwerpen)

Antwerp, Mechelen, Turnhout 70 2,867 km² 1,781,904(622/km²)

2  Limburg (Limburg) Hasselt Hasselt, Maaseik, Tongeren 44 2,414 km² 849,404(351/km²)

3  East Flanders(Oost-Vlaanderen)

Ghent (Gent) Aalst, Dendermonde, Eeklo, Ghent,Oudenaarde, Sint-Niklaas

65 2,991 km² 1,454,716(488/km²)

4  Flemish Brabant(Vlaams-Brabant)

Leuven Halle-Vilvoorde, Leuven 65 2,106 km² 1,094,751(520/km²)

5  West Flanders(West-Vlaanderen)

Bruges (Brugge) Bruges, Diksmuide, Ypres, Kortrijk, Ostend,Roeselare, Tielt, Veurne

64 3,125 km² 1,169,990(372/km²)

The province of Flemish Brabant is the most recent one, being formed in 1995 after the splitting of the province ofBrabant.Most municipalities are made up of several former municipalities, now called deelgemeenten. The largestmunicipality (both in terms of population and area) is Antwerp, having more than half a million inhabitants. Its ninedeelgemeenten have a special status and are called districts, which have an elected council and a college. While anymunicipality with more than 100,000 inhabitants can establish districts, only Antwerp did this so far. The smallestmunicipality (also both in terms of population and area) is Herstappe (Limburg).

Brussels-Capital Region with the City of Brussels(one of 19 municipalities) in red

The Flemish Community covers both the Flemish Region and,together with the French Community, the Brussels-Capital Region.Brussels, an enclave within the province of Flemish Brabant, is notdivided into any province nor is it part of any. It coincides with theArrondissement of Brussels-Capital and includes 19 municipalities.

The Flemish Government has its own local institutions in theBrussels-Capital Region, being the Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie(VGC), and its municipal antennae (Gemeenschapscentra, communitycentres for the Flemish community in Brussels). These institutions areindependent from the educational, cultural and social institutions thatdepend directly on the Flemish Government. They exert, among others,all those cultural competences that outside Brussels fall under the provinces.

Flanders 12

Geography and climate

The Sonian Forest

Flanders shares its borders with Wallonia in the south, Brussels beingan enclave within the Flemish Region. The rest of the border is sharedwith the Netherlands (Zeelandic Flanders, North Brabant and Limburg)in the north and east, and with France (French Flanders) and the NorthSea in the west. Voeren is an exclave of Flanders between Walloniaand the Netherlands, while Baarle-Hertog in Flanders forms acomplicated series of enclaves and exclaves with Baarle-Nassau in theNetherlands. Germany, although bordering Wallonia and close toVoeren in Limburg, does not share a border with Flanders. TheGerman-speaking Community of Belgium, also close to Voeren, doesnot border Flanders either. (The commune of Plombières, majority

French speaking, lies between them.)

Flanders is a highly urbanised area, lying completely within the Blue Banana. Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges and Leuvenare the largest cities of the Flemish Region. Antwerp has a population of more than 500,000 citizens and is thelargest city, Ghent has a population of 250,000 citizens, followed by Bruges with 120,000 citizens and Leuvencounts almost 100,000 citizens. Brussels is a part of Flanders as far as community matters are concerned, but doesnot belong to the Flemish Region.Flanders has two main geographical regions: the coastal Yser basin plain in the north-west and a central plain. Thefirst consists mainly of sand dunes and clayey alluvial soils in the polders. Polders are areas of land, close to orbelow sea level that have been reclaimed from the sea, from which they are protected by dikes or, a little furtherinland, by fields that have been drained with canals. With similar soils along the lowermost Scheldt basin starts thecentral plain, a smooth, slowly rising fertile area irrigated by many waterways that reaches an average height ofabout five metres (16.4 ft) above sea level with wide valleys of its rivers upstream as well as the Campine region tothe east having sandy soils at altitudes around thirty metres[20] Near its southern edges close to Wallonia one can findslightly rougher land richer of calcium with low hills reaching up to 150 m (492 ft) and small valleys, and at theeastern border with the Netherlands, in the Meuse basin, there are marl caves (mergelgrotten). Its exclave aroundVoeren between the Dutch border and the Walloon province of Liège attains a maximum altitude of 288 m (945 ft)above sea level.[21][]

The climate is maritime temperate, with significant precipitation in all seasons (Köppen climate classification: Cfb;the average temperature is 3 °C (37 °F) in January, and 21 °C (69.8 °F) in July; the average precipitation is65 millimetres (2.6 in) in January, and 78 millimetres (3.1 in) in July).

Economy

The Port of Antwerp is the second largest inEurope.

Total GDP of the Flemish Region in 2004 was € 165,847 million(Eurostat figures). Per capita GDP at purchasing power parity was 23%above the EU average. Flemish productivity per capita is about 13%higher than that in Wallonia, and wages are about 7% higher than inWallonia.[22]

Flanders was one of the first continental European areas to undergo theIndustrial Revolution, in the 19th century. Initially, the modernizationrelied heavily on food processing and textile. However, by the 1840sthe textile industry of Flanders was in severe crisis and there was

Flanders 13

The A12 with a railway in the centre.

famine in Flanders (1846–50). After World War II, Antwerp andGhent experienced a fast expansion of the chemical and petroleumindustries. Flanders also attracted a large majority of foreigninvestments in Belgium. The 1973 and 1979 oil crises sent theeconomy into a recession. The steel industry remained in relativelygood shape. In the 1980s and 90s, the economic centre of Belgiumcontinued to shift further to Flanders and is now concentrated in thepopulous Flemish Diamond area.[23] Nowadays, the Flemish economyis mainly service-oriented.

Belgium is a founding member of the European Coal and SteelCommunity in 1951, which evolved into the present-day European Union. In 1999, the euro, the single Europeancurrency, was introduced in Flanders. It replaced the Belgian franc in 2002.

The Flemish economy is strongly export-oriented, in particular of high value-added goods.[citation needed] The mainimports are food products, machinery, rough diamonds, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, clothing andaccessories, and textiles. The main exports are automobiles, food and food products, iron and steel, finisheddiamonds, textiles, plastics, petroleum products, and non-ferrous metals. Since 1922, Belgium and Luxembourg havebeen a single trade market within a customs and currency union—the Belgium–Luxembourg Economic Union. Itsmain trading partners are Germany, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States, andSpain.[citation needed]

Antwerp is the number one diamond market in the world, diamond exports account for roughly 1/10 of Belgianexports. The Antwerp-based BASF plant is the largest BASF-base outside Germany, and accounts on its own forabout 2% of Belgian exports. Other industrial and service activities in Antwerp include car manufacturing,telecommunications, photographic products.Flanders is home to several science and technology institutes, such as IMEC, Flanders DC and Flanders DRIVE.

InfrastructureFlanders has developed an extensive transportation infrastructure of ports, canals, railways and highways. The Portof Antwerp is the second-largest in Europe, after Rotterdam.[24] Other, much smaller ports are Ghent,Bruges-Zeebrugge and Ostend, the last two being located at the Belgian coast.Whereas railways are managed by the federal National Railway Company of Belgium, other public transport (DeLijn) and roads are managed by the Flemish region.The main airport is Brussels Airport, the only other civilian airport with scheduled services in Flanders is AntwerpInternational Airport, but there are two other ones with cargo or charter flights: Ostend-Bruges International Airportand Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport, both in West Flanders.

DemographicsThe highest population density is found in the area circumscribed by the Brussels-Antwerp-Ghent-Leuvenagglomerations that surround Mechelen and is known as the Flemish Diamond, in other important urban centres asBruges and Kortrijk to the west, and notable centres Turnhout and Hasselt to the east. On 1 January 2012, theFlemish Region had a population of 6,350,765 and about 15% of the 1,138,854 people in the Brussels Region arealso considered Flemish.[4][]

Flanders 14

A typical church, present in all villages inFlanders

Religion

The (Belgian) laicist, or secularist, constitution provides for freedom ofreligion, and the various governments in general respect this right inpractice. Since independence, Catholicism, counterbalanced by strongfreethought movements, has had an important role in Belgium'spolitics, since the 20th century in Flanders mainly via the Christiantrade union ACV and the Christian Democratic and Flemish party(CD&V). According to the 2001 Survey and Study of Religion,[25]

about 47 percent of the Belgian population identify themselves asbelonging to the Catholic Church, while Islam is the second-largestreligion at 3.5 percent. A 2006 inquiry in Flanders, considered morereligious than Wallonia, showed that 55% considered themselvesreligious, and 36% believed that God created the world.[26]

Jews have been present in Flanders for a long time, in particular inAntwerp. More recently, Muslims have immigrated to Flanders, nowforming the largest minority religion with about 3.9% in the FlemishRegion and 25% in Brussels.[27] The largest Muslim group is the

Moroccans, while the second largest is the Turks.

Arenberg Château, part of the KatholiekeUniversiteit Leuven, the oldest university in

Belgium and the Low Countries.

Education

Education is compulsory from the ages of six to 18, but most Flemingscontinue to study until around 23. Among the Organisation forEconomic Co-operation and Development countries in 1999, Flandershad the third-highest proportion of 18–21-year-olds enrolled inpostsecondary education. Flanders also scores very high ininternational comparative studies on education. Its secondary schoolstudents consistently rank among the top three for mathematics andscience. However, the success is not evenly spread: ethnic minorityyouth score consistently lower, and the difference is larger than in mostcomparable countries.[4]

Mirroring the historical political conflicts between the freethought and Catholic segments of the population, theFlemish educational system is split into a secular branch controlled by the communities, the provinces, or themunicipalities, and a subsidised religious—mostly Catholic—branch controlled by both the communities and thereligious authorities—usually the dioceses. It should however be noted that—at least for the Catholic schools—thereligious authorities have very limited power over these schools. Smaller school systems follow 'methodicalpedagogies' (e.g. Steiner, Montessori, or Freinet) or serve the Jewish and Protestant minorities. During the schoolyear 2003–2004, 68.30% of the total population of children between the ages of six and 18 went to subsidizedprivate schools (both religious schools or 'methodical pedagogies' schools).[28]

Flanders 15

HealthcareHealthcare is a federal matter, but the Flemish Government is responsible for care, health education and preventivecare.

CultureAt first sight, Flemish culture is defined by its language and its gourmandic mentality, as compared to the moreCalvinistic Dutch culture. Dutch and Flemish paintings enjoyed more equal international admiration.

Language and literature

statue of Gezelle in Bruges, Jules Lagae, sculptor

The standard language in Flanders is Dutch; spelling andgrammar are regulated by a single authority, the Dutch LanguageUnion (Nederlandse Taalunie), comprising a committee ofministers of the Flemish and Dutch governments, their advisorycouncil of appointed experts, a controlling commission of 22parliamentarians, and a secretariate.[][] The term Flemish can beapplied to the Dutch spoken in Flanders; it shows many regionaland local variations.[29]

Literature in non-standardized dialects of the current area ofFlanders originated with Hendrik van Veldeke's Eneas Romance,the first courtly romance in a Germanic language (12th century).With a writer of Hendrik Conscience's stature, Flemish literaturerose ahead of French literature in Belgium's early history.[][]

Guido Gezelle not only explicitly referred to his writings asFlemish but actually used it in many of his poems, and stronglydefended it:

Original from kleengedichtjes (1860?)[][]

Gij zegt dat ‘t vlaamsch te niet zal gaan:

‘t en zal!

dat ‘t waalsch gezwets zal boven slaan:'

‘t en zal!

Dat hopen, dat begeren wij:

dat zeggen en dat zweren wij:

zoo lange als wij ons weren, wij:

‘t en zal, ‘t en zal,

‘t en zal!

Translation

You say Flemish will fade away:

It shan't!

that Walloon twaddle will have its way:

It shan't!

This we hope, for this we hanker:

this we say and this we vow:

as long as we fight back, we:

It shan't, It shan't,

It shan't!

Flanders 16

The distinction between Dutch and Flemish literature, often perceived politically, is also made on intrinsic groundsby some experts such as Kris Humbeeck, professor of Literature at the University of Antwerp.[][30] Nevertheless,nearly all[citation needed] Dutch-language literature read (and appreciated to varying degrees) in Flanders is the same asthat in the Netherlands.Influential Flemish writers include Ernest Claes, Stijn Streuvels and Felix Timmermans. Their novels mostlydescribe rural life in Flanders in the 19th century and at beginning of the 20th. Widely read by the older generations,they are considered somewhat old-fashioned by present-day critics. Some famous Flemish writers of the early 20thcentury wrote in French, including Nobel Prize winners (1911) Maurice Maeterlinck and Emile Verhaeren. Theywere followed by a younger generation, including Paul van Ostaijen and Gaston Burssens, who activated theFlemish Movement.[] Still widely read and translated into other languages (including English) are the novels ofauthors such as Willem Elsschot, Louis Paul Boon and Hugo Claus. The recent crop of writers includes the novelistsTom Lanoye and Herman Brusselmans, and poets such as the married couple Herman de Coninck and KristienHemmerechts.At the creation of the Belgian state, French was the only official language. French was during a long period used as asecond language in Flanders and, like elsewhere in Europe, commonly spoken among the aristocracy. There is still aFrench-speaking minority in Flanders, especially in the municipalities with language facilities, along the languageborder and the Brussels periphery (Vlaamse Rand), though many of them are French-speakers that migrated toFlanders in recent decades. Many Flemings are also able to speak French, but proficiency has been on the decline.French is the primary language in the officially bilingual Brussels Capital Region, (see Francization of Brussels). InFrench Flanders, French is now the native language of the majority of the population and the only official language.Historically it was a Dutch-speaking region and there's still a minority of Dutch-speakers living there.

MediaThe public radio and television broadcaster in Flanders is VRT, which operates the TV channels één, Canvas,Ketnet, OP12 and (together with the Netherlands) BVN. Flemish provinces each have up to two TV channels aswell. Commercial television broadcasters include vtm and Vier (VT4). Popular TV series are for example Thuis andF.C. De Kampioenen.The five most successful Flemish films were Loft (2008; 1,186,071 visitors), Koko Flanel (1990; 1,082,000 ticketssold), Hector (1987; 933,000 tickets sold), Daens (1993; 848,000 tickets sold) and De Zaak Alzheimer (2003;750,000 tickets sold). The first and last ones were directed by Erik Van Looy, and an American remake is beingmade of both of them, respectively The Loft (2012) and The Memory of a Killer. The other three ones were directedby Stijn Coninx.Newspapers are grouped under three main publishers: De Persgroep with Het Laatste Nieuws, the most popularnewspaper in Flanders, De Morgen and De Tijd. Then Corelio with De Gentenaar, the oldest extant Flemishnewspaper, Het Nieuwsblad and De Standaard. Lastly, Concentra publishes Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Belangvan Limburg.Magazines include Knack and HUMO.

Flanders 17

Sports

Kim Clijsters was WTA Player of the Year in2005 and 2010

Association football (soccer) is one of the most popular sports in bothparts of Belgium, together with cycling, tennis, swimming and judo.[31]

In cycling, the Tour of Flanders is considered one of the five"Monuments". Other "Flanders Classics" races include Dwars doorVlaanderen and Gent–Wevelgem. Eddy Merckx is regarded as one ofthe greatest cyclists of all time, with five victories in the Tour deFrance and numerous other cycling records.[32] His hour speed record(set in 1972) stood for 12 years.

Jean-Marie Pfaff, a former Belgian goalkeeper, is considered one of thegreatest in the history of football (soccer).[33]

Kim Clijsters (as well as the French-speaking Belgian Justine Henin)was Player of the Year twice in the Women's Tennis Association as shewas ranked the number one female tennis player.

Kim Gevaert and Tia Hellebaut are notable track and field stars from Flanders.The 1920 Summer Olympics were held in Antwerp. Jacques Rogge has been president of the International OlympicCommittee since 2001.The Flemish government agency for sports is Bloso.

MusicFlanders is known for its music festivals, like the annual Rock Werchter, Tomorrowland and Pukkelpop. The GentseFeesten are another very large yearly event.The best-selling Flemish group or artist is the (Flemish-Dutch) group 2 Unlimited, followed by (Italian-born) RoccoGranata, Technotronic, Helmut Lotti and Vaya Con Dios.The weekly charts of best-selling singles is the Ultratop 50. Kvraagetaan by the Fixkes holds the current record forlongest time at #1 on the chart.

References[1] The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, the Unabridged Edition, NY, 1966[2] "Belgium." U.S. Department of State. Web. 26 July 2011. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2874.htm>.[3] Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, entry VLAMING (http:/ / gtb. inl. nl/ )[4] Note: The relation between nationality, genetic ethnicity, native and mainly spoken language(s) (within a group of same ethnicity and age, in

presence of elders, in ethnically mixed groups), and minority group identification, can be complex: Dutch nationals constituting one of thelargest groups of foreigners, share the standard language with Flemish locals but their accent is enough to immediately distinguish them. Themajority of immigrants from certain other countries, had belonged to a minority or disadvantaged group there. Children born in Belgium fromresidents of foreign nationality, very often acquired Belgian citizenship. Regardless nationality, according to Belgian Law, if for obligatoryeducation inscribed to a school located in the Flemish Region, the lessons will be in Dutch language; among schools in Brussels, one may aswell opt for one teaching in French. The determining of statistical samples and interpretation of publicized figures can easily lead to falseassumptions or conclusions.

[5] Philip the Good: the apogee of Burgundy by Richard Vaughan, p201[6][6] William Robertson, The History of the Reign of the Emperor Charles V (NY, 1874), p 116[7][7] William Robertson, The History of the Reign of the Emperor Charles V (NY, 1874), p 456[9] Luc-Normand Tellier (2009). " Urban world history: an economic and geographical perspective (http:/ / books. google. com/

books?id=cXuCjDbxC1YC& pg=PA308& dq& hl=en#v=onepage& q=& f=false)". PUQ. p.308. ISBN 2-7605-1588-5[10] Footnote: An Antverpian, derived from Antverpia, the Latin name of Antwerp, is an inhabitant of this city; the term is also the adjective

expressing that its substantive is from or in that city or belongs to it.[12]

— Note: This quote in French language "Et pour ...!" has become a coined expression in Belgium, and as such published abroad. E.g.:

Flanders 18

[13] Report of study by the Université Catholique de Louvain (http:/ / regards. ires. ucl. ac. be/ Archives/ RE042. pdf)[14] Article at Taaluniversum.org summarising report (http:/ / taalunieversum. org/ nieuws/ 1349/ )[15] Report of study by Université Catholique de Louvain (http:/ / regards. ires. ucl. ac. be/ Archives/ RE042. pdf)[16] Taaluniversum.org (http:/ / taalunieversum. org/ nieuws/ 1349/ ), summarising report[17] http:/ / www. knack. be/ nieuws/ belgie/ drie-op-vier-vlamingen-zijn-trotse-belgen/ article-1195114178145. htm[18] Handvest voor Vlaanderen (http:/ / docs. vlaamsparlement. be/ docs/ biblio/ opendigibib/ monografie/ 2012/

280_handvest_voor_vlaanderen_20120524. pdf)[19][19] "Deelstaat" is a Dutch word that is difficult to translate to English. "Deel" means "part" and "staat" is "state".[20] The altitude of Mechelen, approximately in the middle of the central plain forming the large part of Flanders, is 7 m (23 ft) above sea level.

Already closer to the higher southern Wallonia, the more eastern Leuven and Hasselt reach altitudes up to about 40 m (131 ft)[22] Onze Waalse collega’s kunnen niet volgen (http:/ / www. nieuwsblad. be/ Article/ Detail. aspx?ArticleID=DMA28052005_007), 29 May

2005, Het Nieuwsblad[26] Inquiry by 'Vepec', 'Vereniging voor Promotie en Communicatie' (Organisation for Promotion and Communication), published in Knack

magazine 22 November 2006 p. 14 [The Dutch language term 'gelovig' is in the text translated as 'religious', more precisely it is a verycommon word for believing in particular in any kind of God in a monotheistic sense, and/or in some afterlife.

[27] Jan Hertogen, In België wonen 628.751 moslims (http:/ / www. indymedia. be/ en/ node/ 29363), Indymedia, September 12, 2008[33] " Goalkeeping Greats (http:/ / www. goalkeepersaredifferent. com/ keeper/ goalkeeping_greats. htm)" Goalkeepersaredifferent.com.

Retrieved on 2008

External links• (English) Flemish authorities (http:/ / www. flanders. be) (Dutch: Vlaamse overheid)• (Dutch) Flemish authorities (http:/ / www. vlaanderen. be) (Dutch: Vlaamse overheid)• Flemish Government (http:/ / www. vlaanderen. be/ regering/ ) (Dutch: Vlaamse regering)• Flemish Community Council in Brussels (http:/ / www. vgc. be/ ) (Dutch: Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie

(VGC))• (English) Visit Flanders (http:/ / www. visitflanders. com)• (English) Flanders Today (http:/ / www. flanderstoday. eu) (Weekly independent magazine on Flanders)• Toerisme Vlaanderen (http:/ / www. toerismevlaanderen. be)• (French) French Flanders (http:/ / www. nordmag. com/ nord_pas_de_calais/ flandre/ flandre. htm)Coordinates: 51°00′N 4°30′E (http:/ / tools. wmflabs. org/ geohack/ geohack. php?pagename=Flanders&params=51_00_N_4_30_E_type:country_source:GNS_scale:2500000)

Article Sources and Contributors 19

Article Sources and ContributorsFlanders  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=568990322  Contributors: -Edwin-, 100110100, 1652186, 16@r, 4twenty42o, 64.20.82.xxx, Aaker, Abhijitsathe, Adso de Fimnu,AjaxSmack, Alai, Alansohn, Alextheliao, AlfonsVH, Aliekens, Alwetendheid alom, Andre Engels, Andreas Kaganov, Andrew Lancaster, Angusmclellan, Antandrus, Arda Valinor, ArthurHolland, Arwel Parry, Ashley Pomeroy, Ashmoo, Attilios, Augusta2, BRG, Backspace, Baggie1993, Barbaar, Baseballpolitieker, Bask, Beland, Belginusanl, Benbel, Bender235, Berek,Bgpaulus, BillFlis, Biruitorul, Bluezy, Bogger, Boston, Bradipus, Brandmeister (old), Brock, Btsz, Bunnyhop11, Buster7, Butros, Bz2, CSWarren, CalumH93, Camembert, CanisRufus, CarlLogan, CarolGray, Ceoil, ChaseAm, Chickenpock123, Chrihano, ChrisGualtieri, Chrism, Christopher Parham, Clicketyclack, Cmdrjameson, Coffee, Colonies Chris, Commander Keane,CommonsDelinker, Conversion script, Cr0uch, Crazy Boris with a red beard, Criti, Cruccone, Csprrr, CubaLibre, Curb Chain, DBaba, DO'Neil, Da descamps, Danlaycock, Darklilac, DavidParker, Den fjättrade ankan, Dentren, Der Statistiker, Dhades, Dhum Dhum, Diddley editsq, Dionysos1, Discospinster, DocWatson42, Docu, Domino theory, Donarreiskoffer, Draxtreme,Dricherby, Drphilharmonic, Dtremenak, Dwscomet, DéRahier, EagleOne, Eclecticology, Edcolins, El C, Emijrp, Eniagrom, Ereunetes, Erwin, Espillier, Eubulides, Eugene van der Pijll,EuroHistoryTeacher, Evilbu, F.Karels, FK-4, Fabartus, Fabiform, Facts707, Favonian, Fbkintanar, Ferronier, Ffransoo, Filiep, Fram, Franamax, Frans Fowler, Fred Bradstadt, FriedMilk,Fruitpunchline, FvdP, Galoubet, Ganchelkas, Gattopardo, Gauss, Ghaly, Ghewgill, Gidonb, Go Phightins!, Goddessofwizards911, GoldRenet, Gomm, Graham87, Gronky, Ground Zero,Guidogallopyn, Guilherme Paula, Haham hanuka, Hairy Dude, Hamoudafg, Harej, Hayden120, Hchc2009, Hemmer, Henna, Herman, Hermeias1988, Hfodf, Hibernian, Historian932, Hmains,Holdspa, Hooiwind, Hyperboreer, Ian Dalziel, Iblardi, Ida Shaw, Ihcoyc, Improv, In twilight, J.delanoy, JFMous, Jake Wartenberg, Jaknudsen, JamesAM, JdeJ, Jeronimo, Jiel.B, Jim.henderson,Jj137, Johnbod, Jor, Joseph Solis in Australia, José Fontaine, Jrbedding7, Jros83, JurgenG, JustAGal, Jxg, KDLM, Kaihsu, Kaikhosru, Kantokano, Karel Anthonissen, Karlstar, Kbh3rd,Kgaughan, KidneyPi, Kipala, Klik9, Klodde, Korinth111, Kralizec!, Kross, Kuifjeenbobbie, Kungfuadam, Kwamikagami, Kyle1278, LA2, LHOON, Laburke, Lamadude, Larzan, Le Fou,Leandrod, Leftmostcat, Leutha, Lexicon, Lightdarkness, Lightmouse, LilHelpa, Loginnigol, Loode, Lotje, Lucas Richards, Lud, Luwilt, Luxem, MF-Warburg, MJCdetroit, MLA, MZMcBride,Maab77, MacedonianBoy, Madame Meridian, Maelnuneb, Mallerd, Mamizou, Man vyi, Mandarax, Marek69, Marine79, Markussep, Martarius, Martin451, MartinHarper, Maryevelyn, Matilda,Mattb112885, Matthewdikmans, Mav, Mcicefreezed, Mcorazao, Meddlin' Pedant, Megan1967, Mel Etitis, Melodius, Michael042, Michaeldsuarez, Mikhail Klassen, Milkybars, Mjroots, MoeEpsilon, Monobi, Moyogo, Mrs.EasterBunny, N-edits, NTF, Neal Finne, Neddyseagoon, Neilbeach, Nickshanks, Nono64, Nownownow, Nuno Tavares, Nwbeeson, Odie5533, Ohconfucius,Olivier, Opus33, Oreo Priest, OwenBlacker, Oxymoron83, P vercauteren, Papoise, Parkjunwung, Patrick, PatrickMerlevede, Paul Willocx, Paul-L, Paul111, Pearle, Pecsaetan, Peter Isotalo,Phatom87, PhiRho, Phlebas, Piccolo Modificatore Laborioso, Picus viridis, PieterVermeersch, Pinfix, Pinkville, Pmeire, Poccil, Pol098, Polyphilo, Prasenberg, Provocateur, Pvosta, Qirex,Quadell, QueenCake, Qwyrxian, R'n'B, RJaguar3, RachelBrown, Ratatouille, Raven in Orbit, ReX0r, RedWolf, Redrose64, Redthoreau, Reedy, Renata, Rex Germanus, RexNL, Rhode Islander,Rich Farmbrough, Rich257, Rikboven, Rjwilmsi, Rohirok, Roland Goossens, Roofbird, Rosu III, Rudi Dierick, RudiDierick, Rumping, RussellKent, Ryba g, SPQRobin, Sam Hocevar, Scipius,Sebastianpy, Sevela.p, Severo, Shawisland, Sheynhertz-Unbayg, Shimeru, Showtime2009, Siegfried74, Sietse Snel, Sijo Ripa, SimonP, Sitethief, Sky4t0k, Snowolf, SomeHuman, Spangineer,Speculoos, SpookyMulder, Spot87, Ssolbergj, StayTunedForDanger134, Stbalbach, Steinsky, Steven Walling, Stevertigo, Stijn Calle, Stijn Vermeeren, Stormwriter, SummerWithMorons, SunCreator, Sus scrofa, SvenAERTS, Swctg, Synthe, Syp, TFMcQ, Tacovender, Tartessos75, Tavernsenses, Technopat, Tedder, Tesi1700, That Guy, From That Show!, The RedBurn,TheNewPhobia, Thegreenj, Theilert, Thinking of England, TimBentley, Timrollpickering, Tjmoel, Tobby72, Tom verbeure, Tomas vanderplaetse, Tomgreeny, Tothebarricades.tk, Tozznok,Trinite, Tungol, Tvanteen33, Tweeq, Twsx, Tyskjohan, Ulric1313, Una Smith, Unyoyega, Van Speijk, Van der Hoorn, Vancouveriensis, Vb, Velocitas, Verdy p, Vildricianus, Vrijheid,Warofdreams, Wester, Wik, Wikibob, Wikix, Wilfried Derksen, William Avery, Wmahan, YURiN, Yoenit, Zscout370, 544 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsFile:Flag of Flanders.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Flag_of_Flanders.svg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Adelbrecht, Cycn, Dinsdagskind, Foroa, Fry1989,J. Patrick Fischer, Juiced lemon, Leit, LimoWreck, Lokal Profil, Mattes, Mbch331, Mutxamel, Palosirkka, Phlegmatic, Wester, 1 anonymous editsFile:Arms of Flanders.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Arms_of_Flanders.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: Adelbrecht,CommonsDelinker, Cycn, Elvaube, Rinaldum, 2 anonymous editsFile:Flemish Community in Belgium and Europe.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Flemish_Community_in_Belgium_and_Europe.svg  License: Creative CommonsAttribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: Blank_map_of_Europe.svg: maix¿? derivative work: AlphathonFile:Loudspeaker.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Loudspeaker.svg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Bayo, Frank C. Müller, Gmaxwell, Gnosygnu, Husky,Iamunknown, Mirithing, Myself488, Nethac DIU, Omegatron, Rocket000, Shanmugamp7, Snow Blizzard, The Evil IP address, Túrelio, Wouterhagens, 27 anonymous editsFile:Incendio Ayuntamiento Amberes.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Incendio_Ayuntamiento_Amberes.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: FranzHogenbergFile:Sebastian Vrancx02.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Sebastian_Vrancx02.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Bukk, Mattes, Sailko, Tiago Vasconcelos,XenophonFile:Quad Flandria.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Quad_Flandria.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Matthias Quad (†1613) and Johannes Bussemacher /scanned by Marc Ryckaert (MJJR)File:Gesneuvelden Koksijde - België.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gesneuvelden_Koksijde_-_België.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike3.0,2.5,2.0,1.0  Contributors: Spotter2File:Kris Peeters 675.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Kris_Peeters_675.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: User:MichielHendryckxFile:Brussels - Vlaams Parlement.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Brussels_-_Vlaams_Parlement.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike3.0,2.5,2.0,1.0  Contributors: Spotter2File:Menen - Border crossing 1 cropped.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Menen_-_Border_crossing_1_cropped.jpg  License: GNU Free Documentation License Contributors: SPQRobinFile:VlaanderenProvincies.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:VlaanderenProvincies.png  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Cycn, Red devil 666, SPQRobin,Srtxg, WalterFile:Flag of Antwerp.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Flag_of_Antwerp.svg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Conti, Cycn, David Descamps, Foroa, JMCC1,Mattes, Ninane, Phlegmatic, Pumbaa80, WarXFile:Vlaams-limburg.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Vlaams-limburg.png  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Bernard Piette, BrightRaven, Bryan, Cycn, Foroa,Joey-das-WBF, Kneiphof, Koavf, Mattes, Ninane, Rodejong, Siebrand, UltratomioFile:Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Flag_of_Oost-Vlaanderen.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors:User:F5JMHFile:Flemish Brabant Flag.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Flemish_Brabant_Flag.png  License: unknown  Contributors: Cycn, Darwinius, Dinsdagskind, F5JMH,FSII, Himasaram, Jimmy44, Joey-das-WBF, Kelson, Koavf, Liftarn, Ninane, Sancho, Shizhao, SiBr4, WalcofordFile:Flag of West Flanders.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Flag_of_West_Flanders.svg  License: GNU Free Documentation License  Contributors: User:Fibonacci,User:FibonacciFile:BrusselLocatie.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:BrusselLocatie.png  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Aliman5040, Ben2, Donarreiskoffer, Michel wal,Red devil 666, Vascer, WesterFile:Zonien.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Zonien.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5  Contributors: Original uploader was Theunske atnl.wikipediaFile:Zicht op het Delwaidedok.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Zicht_op_het_Delwaidedok.jpg  License: GNU Free Documentation License  Contributors: Originaluploader was Arminius at nl.wikipediaFile:Lijn11 a12.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Lijn11_a12.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5  Contributors: Rafaël Delaedt (Arafi)File:Binderveld - Sint-Jan de Doperkerk.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Binderveld_-_Sint-Jan_de_Doperkerk.jpg  License: Creative CommonsAttribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: SonuweFile:Castle Arenberg, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven adj.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Castle_Arenberg,_Katholieke_Universiteit_Leuven_adj.jpg  License:Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported  Contributors: Juhanson

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File:Guidogezelle.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Guidogezelle.jpg  License: GNU Free Documentation License  Contributors: Original uploader was Donderwolk atnl.wikipediaFile:Kim Clijsters 2006.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Kim_Clijsters_2006.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Andrew Huse

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