Is Belgium really the “flat land” sung about in Jacques Brel’s famous chanson, the image that many people conjure up when they think of the small state in Western Europe? The answer is – like so often – a clear “yes and no”. In his song, Brel mainly evokes West Flanders, with its wide plains along the coast and inland, where fields, canals, and ruler-straight roads dominate the landscape. There, the image of flat expanses is indeed accurate. But for the whole country, the description… read more

This topic often causes confusion. It can generally be very simplified: Belgium lies between the Netherlands in the north and France in the south. The language border between Dutch and French runs horizontally through the center of Belgium. The capital Brussels, in the center of the country, is bilingual. Capital (Brussels): Belgian French and Belgian Dutch As the Belgian capital, centrally located in Belgium, Brussels (1.2 million inhabitants) is officially bilingual. Around 80% use Belgian French in everyday life, 20% Belgian Dutch. North Belgium (Flanders):… read more