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Belgians (Dutch: Belgen [ˈbɛlɣə(n)] ⓘ; French: Belges ⓘ; German: Belgier [ˈbɛlɡi̯ɐ] ⓘ) are people identified with the Kingdom of Belgium, a federal state in Western Europe. As Belgium is a multinational state, this connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural rather than ethnic.
Belgium, [a] officially the Kingdom of Belgium, [b] is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the south, and the North Sea to the west.
- Official Languages
- Use
- Multilingualism
- Non-Official Languages
- Footnotes
Legal status
The Belgian Constitution guarantees, since the country's independence, freedom of language in the private sphere. Article 30 specifies that "the use of languages spoken in Belgium is optional; only the law can rule on this matter, and only for acts of the public authorities and for legal matters." For those public authorities, there is extensive language legislation concerning Dutch, French and German, even though the Belgian Constitution does not explicitly mention which languages enjoy offi...
Dutch
Dutch is the most spoken primary language of Belgium and the official language of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region (merged to Flanders). Along with French, it is an official language of the Brussels-Capital Region. The main Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium are Brabantian, West Flemish, East Flemish, and Limburgish. All these are spoken across the border in the Netherlands as well, and West Flemish is also spoken in French Flanders. Much like English, Flemish dialects have adopted...
French
The second-most spoken primary (Belgian) language, used natively by approximately one third of the population, is French. It is the official language of the French Community (which, like the Flemish Community, is a political entity), the dominant language in Wallonia (having also a small German-speaking Community), as well as the Brussels-Capital Region. Almost all of the inhabitants of the Capital region speak French as either their primary language (50%) or as a lingua franca (45%). Many Fl...
In national politics, politicians can freely choose to speak in any of the three official languages. In turn, the Belgian parliamentprovides simultaneous interpretation for those who require it to assist in communication. Education is provided by the Communities, Dutch in the Flemish Community (Flanders and Brussels), French in the French Community...
In 2006, the Université catholique de Louvain, the country's largest French-speaking university, published a report with the introduction (translated): Within the report, professors in economics Ginsburgh and Weberfurther show that of Brussels' residents, 95% declared they can speak French, 59% Dutch, and 41% know the non-local English. Of those un...
In addition to the three official languages, others are spoken in Belgium, for instance in Wallonia, where French became dominant only relatively recently. Sometimes seen as dialects, the varieties related to French have been recognized by the French Community as separate languages (langues régionales endogènes, lit. ‘regional native languages’) si...
This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook (2024 ed.). CIA. (Archived 2006 edition)
Mbretëria Belge (flamenisht: Koninkrijk België; frëngjisht: Royaume de Belgique; gjermanisht: Königreich Belgien) ndodhet në pjesën perëndimore të Evropës dhe kufizohet me Holandën, Gjermaninë, Luksemburgun dhe Francën. Belgjika ka mbi dhjetë milion banorë që jetojnë në një sipërfaqe prej rreth tridhjetë e kater mijë ...
Belgjika (Holandisht: België; Frëngjisht: Belgique; Gjermanisht: Belgien) zyrtarisht Mbretëria e Belgjikës, është një shtet në Evropën Perëndimore dhe kufizohet me Holandën, Gjermaninë, Luksemburgun dhe Francën. Ajo mbulon një sipërfaqe prej 30,689 km 2 dhe ka një popullsi prej më shumë se 11.5 milionë.
Belgium (officially the Kingdom of Belgium; Dutch: Koninkrijk België, German: Königreich Belgien, French: Royaume de Belgique) is a country in Western Europe. Its capital, Brussels, is the home of many organizations including the European Union and NATO.
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2 days ago · Geography & Travel Countries of the World. Ethnic groups and languages. in Belgium in People. Also known as: Königreich Belgien, Kingdom of Belgium, Koninkrijk België, Royaume de Belgique. Written by. Leen Van Molle. Research Associate of the National Fund for Scientific Research, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium.
