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The Flemish Region (Dutch: Vlaams ... Vlaamse Ruit) is the name of the central, populous area in Flanders and consists of several of these cities, such as Antwerp ...
Most Flemings live within the Flemish Region, which is a federal state within Belgium with its own elected government. However, like Belgium itself, the official capital of Flanders is the City of Brussels, [4] which lies within the Brussels-Capital Region, not the Flemish Region, and the majority of residents there are French speaking. The ...
Ghent (Dutch: Gent ⓘ; French: Gand ⓘ; historically known as Gaunt in English) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the province of East Flanders, and the third largest in the country, after Brussels and Antwerp. [2] It is a port and university city.
The status of "city" is historical and does not necessarily mean it has a high number of inhabitants: see city status in Belgium for more information. Brussels is not listed because it is not part of the Flemish Region; it is however included in the Flemish Community.
At the creation of Belgium in 1831, there were 2,739 municipalities in the country, which had fallen to 2,663 municipalities by 1961. Following a series of decisions and actions, carried out in 1975, 1983 and 2019, the fusion of the Belgian municipalities reduced the national total to 581 municipalities.
The County of Flanders was created in the year 862 as a feudal fief in West Francia, the predecessor of the Kingdom of France.After a period of growing power within France, it was divided when its western districts fell under French rule in the late 12th century, with the remaining parts of Flanders came under the rule of the counts of neighbouring Hainaut in 1191.
Under Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (born in the Flemish city Ghent), Flanders became a member of the Burgundian Circle. The county was later involved in the Guelders Wars. Through the Pragmatic Sanction of 1549, the County of Flanders was officially detached from France. It became an independent territory of the Holy Roman Empire.
The size of Charles' empire made the port city of Antwerp "the centre of the entire international economy" [7] Antwerp was the richest city in Europe at this time. [8] Antwerp's golden age is tightly linked to the fact that it became the financial centre where Spanish precious metals coming from the Americas were exchanged for banking credit of rich German families (namely the Fugger and the ...