1.
Municipalities of Belgium
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As such, only Antwerp, having over 500,000 inhabitants, became subdivided into nine districts. The Belgian arrondissements, a level between province and municipality, or the lowest judicial level, are in English sometimes called districts as well. The municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants were grouped in so-called canton municipalities, in 1800, these canton municipalities were abolished again and the number of autonomous municipalities became 2,776. Not much changed during the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, only a number of municipalities were merged. In 1831, Belgium was divided into 2,739 municipalities, New municipalities were created until 1928. There were 2,528 municipalities in 1850,2,572 in 1875,2,617 in 1900 and this also includes the municipalities of the East Cantons that were added to Belgium following the First World War. In 1961, the so-called Unitary Law, of which the chapter was dedicated to the territorial organisation of the municipalities, was adopted. The authority to abolish municipalities was entrusted to the branch for a period of 10 years. Municipalities could be merged on financial grounds or on grounds of a geographical, linguistic, economic, in 1964 and in 1969 and 1970, roughly 300 municipalities ceased to exist and were subsumed into other municipalities. The number of municipalities was reduced from 2,663 in 1961 to 2,586 in 1965, article 4 of the constitution states that each municipality must belong to only one of the four official language areas that were established in 1962–63. In the three officially unilingual language areas, a couple of municipalities in the vicinity of another language area must provide limited facilities for speakers of that other language. Lucien Harmegnies, Minister of the Interior in the government of Gaston Eyskens decided to continue the process of reorganization of Belgium. In 1971, the provisions of the Unity Law were extended and modified to apply to large agglomerations and it was another Minister of the Interior, Joseph Michel, who managed the process. On December 30,1975, the law regarding the merger of the municipalities was adopted, the merger became effective on January 1,1977. The merger of 1977 further reduced the number of municipalities in Belgium from 2,359 to 596, because of the specific nature of the reorganization in Antwerp, the law of December 30,1975 didnt enter into force for Antwerp until January 1,1983. The formerly independent municipalities were called districts and were given an advisory function, however, on January 1,2001 they were given an administrative function again. The Mayor is not only the head of the municipality, he or she is also the representative of the Regional, in that capacity, he or she is responsible for the execution of laws, decrees, ordinances and orders. The Mayor is also responsible for the maintenance of order in his or her municipality
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Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
3.
Belgium
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Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a sovereign state in Western Europe bordered by France, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and the North Sea. It is a small, densely populated country which covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres and has a population of about 11 million people. Additionally, there is a group of German-speakers who live in the East Cantons located around the High Fens area. Historically, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg were known as the Low Countries, the region was called Belgica in Latin, after the Roman province of Gallia Belgica. From the end of the Middle Ages until the 17th century, today, Belgium is a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. It is divided into three regions and three communities, that exist next to each other and its two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region is a bilingual enclave within the Flemish Region. A German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia, Belgiums linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in its political history and complex system of governance, made up of six different governments. Upon its independence, declared in 1830, Belgium participated in the Industrial Revolution and, during the course of the 20th century, possessed a number of colonies in Africa. This continuing antagonism has led to several far-reaching reforms, resulting in a transition from a unitary to a federal arrangement during the period from 1970 to 1993. Belgium is also a member of the Eurozone, NATO, OECD and WTO. Its capital, Brussels, hosts several of the EUs official seats as well as the headquarters of major international organizations such as NATO. Belgium is also a part of the Schengen Area, Belgium is a developed country, with an advanced high-income economy and is categorized as very high in the Human Development Index. A gradual immigration by Germanic Frankish tribes during the 5th century brought the area under the rule of the Merovingian kings, a gradual shift of power during the 8th century led the kingdom of the Franks to evolve into the Carolingian Empire. Many of these fiefdoms were united in the Burgundian Netherlands of the 14th and 15th centuries, the Eighty Years War divided the Low Countries into the northern United Provinces and the Southern Netherlands. The latter were ruled successively by the Spanish and the Austrian Habsburgs and this was the theatre of most Franco-Spanish and Franco-Austrian wars during the 17th and 18th centuries. The reunification of the Low Countries as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands occurred at the dissolution of the First French Empire in 1815, although the franchise was initially restricted, universal suffrage for men was introduced after the general strike of 1893 and for women in 1949. The main political parties of the 19th century were the Catholic Party, French was originally the single official language adopted by the nobility and the bourgeoisie
4.
Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium
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Belgium is a federal state comprising three communities, three regions, and four language areas. For each of these types, the subdivisions together make up the entire country, in other words. The language areas were established by the Second Gilson Act, which entered force on August 2,1963. The division into language areas was included in the Belgian Constitution in 1970 and this is a schematic overview of the basic federal structure of Belgium as defined by Title I of the Belgian Constitution. Each of the entities either have their own Parliament and Government or their own Council, the language areas have no offices or powers and exist de facto as geographical circumscriptions, serving only to delineate the empowered subdivisions. The institutional communities are thus equally geographically determined, Belgian Communities do not officially refer directly to groups of people but rather to specific political, linguistic and cultural competencies of the country. There is no subnationality in Belgium, the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region each comprise five provinces. The Brussels-Capital Region is not a province, nor does it contain any, the three regions are further subdivided into 589 municipalities, which in general consist of several sub-municipalities. These sub-municipalities were independent municipalities in the past, but no longer serve an official purpose, the Federal State retains a considerable common heritage. This includes justice, defence, federal police, social security, public debt and other aspects of public finances, nuclear energy, the State is responsible for the obligations of Belgium and its federalized institutions towards the European Union and NATO. It controls substantial parts of public health, home affairs and foreign affairs and they supervise the provinces, municipalities and intercommunal utility companies. In several fields, the different levels each have their own say on specificities, each level can be involved in scientific research and international relations associated with its powers. Communities were created in 1970 as cultural communities with limited power, in 1980, more power was transferred from the federal state to these entities and they became simply communities. Both the Flemish and French Community have jurisdiction over the area of the Brussels-Capital Region, consequently, they do not have a defined number of inhabitants. The German-speaking Community is the community with an area over which they have sole jurisdiction as a community. It is located within the Walloon Region, which has transferred some regional powers to the German-speaking Community with regards to its area. The Flemish Region or Flanders occupies the part of Belgium. It has an area of 13,522 km2, or 44. 29% of Belgium
5.
Flemish Community
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The term community should then not be capitalized. State reforms in Belgium turned the country from a state into a federal one. Cultural communities were the first type of decentralisation in 1970, forming the Dutch, French, later on, in 1980, these became responsible for more cultural matters and were renamed to simply Community, the Dutch Community also being renamed to the Flemish Community. In the same state reform of 1980, the Flemish and Walloon Region were set up, in Flanders it was decided that the institutions of the Flemish Community would take up the tasks of the Flemish Region, so there is only one Flemish Parliament and one Flemish Government. Legally speaking, in the region of Brussel-Capital, the Flemish Community is responsible not for people but for Flemish institutions such as schools, theatres, libraries. The reason is no distinct sub-national status exists in Belgium. Yet, individuals living in Brussels can opt by their own choice for certain policies of the Flemish Community, Dutch is the official language of the Flemish Community. Minorities speak French, Yiddish, Turkish, Arabic, Berber, Italian, Spanish, English, though most of these groups are recent immigrants, since the Middle Ages, Jews have formed the oldest minority to retain its own identity. Compared with most areas in the Netherlands, the dialects of Flemish people still tend to be strong. In Dutch, these are often called tussentaal or, rather derogatorily, more recently, a number of local initiatives have been set up to save the traditional dialects and their diversity. In Brussels, the dialect is heavily influenced by French. Nowadays, most Flemings in Brussels do not speak the local dialect and this is due in part to the relatively large numbers of young Flemings coming to Brussels, after a long period of many more others moving out while French-speakers moved in. In certain municipalities along the border with the Walloon and the Brussels-Capital regions and these cover rights such as to receive official documentation in their own tongue. The community competencies there, are exercised by the two affected institutional communities, the Flemish Community therefore established a local elected council and executive to cater for intermediate-level decision making & public services. The VGC then recognised local, municipal institutions to care of the purely local public service in these community areas. Flanders has a radio and television broadcasting company, the Vlaamse Radio en Televisieomroep or VRT in Dutch. Since 1989, several companies for region-wide radio and television broadcasting have become established. There are also so-called regional broadcast companies of which the range is limited to smaller parts of the Flemish Region
6.
Flemish Region
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The Flemish Region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is simply referred to as Flanders. It occupies the part of Belgium and covers an area of 13,522 km2. It is one of the most densely populated regions of Europe with around 470 inhabitants per square kilometer, immediately after its establishment in 1980, the region transferred all its constitutional competencies to the Flemish Community. Thus, the current Flemish authorities represent all the Flemish people, hence, the Flemish Region is governed by the Flemish Community institutions. However, members of the Flemish Community parliament elected in the Brussels-Capital Region have no right to vote on Flemish regional affairs, the Flemish Region comprises five provinces, each consisting of administrative arrondissements that, in turn, contain municipalities. Brussels city, the seat of the Flemish parliament, is located within the Brussels-Capital Region, Brussels contains both the Flemish Community and the French Community, both having their institutions in Brussels. Flanders is home to a modern economy, with emphasis put on research. Many enterprises work closely with local knowledge and research centres to develop new products, De Lijn serves as the main public transport company, run by the Flemish government. It consists of buses and trams, TEC is the equivalent company in Wallonia, and MIVB-STIB in Brussels. The railway network run by the NMBS, however, is a federal responsibility, the Flemish government is also responsible for about 500 kilometers of regional roads and about 900 kilometers of highways in the territory of the Flemish Region. Other types of roads are roads and municipal roads. Approximately 5,500,000 people live in the area, the official language is Dutch, sometimes colloquially referred to as Flemish. The main dialect groups include West Flemish, East Flemish, Brabantian, French may be used for certain administrative purposes in a limited number of the so-called municipalities with language facilities around the Brussels-Capital Region and on the border with Wallonia. Rim municipalities are Drogenbos, Kraainem, Linkebeek, Sint-Genesius-Rode, Wemmel, Brussels was originally a Dutch-speaking city, but it was frenchified in the 19th and 20th century and is now largely French-speaking. A few municipalities in the Flemish agglomeration of Brussels are now also frenchified, municipalities with language facilities on the border with Wallonia are Bever, Herstappe, Mesen, Ronse, Spiere-Helkijn, Voeren. Communities and regions of Belgium Provinces of regions in Belgium De Vlaamse Leeuw Count of Flanders Flanders Flemish Flemish authorities, toerisme Vlaanderen French Flanders Frans-Vlaanderen The Flemish region reaches 6 million inhabitants
7.
Provinces of Belgium
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The country of Belgium is divided into three regions. Two of these regions, the Flemish Region or Flanders, and Walloon Region, the third region, the Brussels-Capital Region, is not divided into provinces, as it was originally only a small part of a province itself. Many of the provinces evolved from earlier duchies and counties of the name and similar location. At the time of the creation of Belgium in 1830, only nine provinces existed, including the province of Brabant and these divisions reflected political tensions between the French-speaking Walloons and the Dutch-speaking Flemish, the Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual. The division into provinces is fixed by Article 5 of the Belgian Constitution, the provinces are subdivided into 43 administrative arrondissements, and further into 589 municipalities. These each had their own identities and governments, though in the modern period almost all the Belgian states became part of larger entities. Each of the provinces of Belgium takes its name from one of these predecessors. At the time of the independence of Belgium from the Netherlands in 1830, the first article of the Belgian Constitution said, Belgium is divided into provinces. These provinces are Antwerp, Brabant, West Flanders, East Flanders, Hainaut, Liège, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, in 1839 half of the province of Limburg became part of the Netherlands, which consequently has its own province of Limburg. In 1920, following the First World War, Belgium annexed the Eupen-Malmedy territory, during the second half of the 20th century, Belgium transitioned from a unitary state to a federal state with three Communities and three Regions. As part of the reforms, the province of Brabant was split in 1995 three ways, into two provinces and into the Brussels-Capital Region. The two new Brabant provinces became part of the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region respectively, the remaining eight provinces became part of these regions as well, so the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region each contain five provinces. The Provincial Councils are the bodies of the population of the provinces. This is the equivalent of the States-Provincial in the Netherlands, the numbers of seats in the Provincial Councils are proportional to the population of the province, the numbers were reduced in both Flanders and Wallonia, starting 2013. They are directly elected each six years, at the time of the municipal elections. Before 1994, the elections instead coincided with the national elections. Until then, the provincial councils also appointed Provincial Senators to the Belgian Senate, the executive branch was previously called the Permanent Deputation. In the Flemish Region it is now called the Deputation and it consists of the Governor
8.
Antwerp (province)
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Antwerp is the northernmost province both of the Flemish Region, also called Flanders, and of Belgium. It borders on North Brabant province of the Netherlands and the Belgian provinces of Limburg, Flemish Brabant and its capital is Antwerp which comprises the Port of Antwerp. It has an area of 2867 km² and with 1.8 million inhabitants it is the countrys most populous province, the province consists of 3 arrondissements, Antwerp, Mechelen and Turnhout. The eastern part of the province comprises the part of the Campine region. During the early Middle Ages the region was part of the Frankish Empire, the territory of the present day province belonged to several pagi of which the region around Antwerp belonged to the Pagus Renesium. The Pagus Toxandria stretched from North Brabant into the Campine region, to the south there was the Pagus Bracbatinse and the Pagus Hasbaniensis. In 843 the Carolingian Empire of Charlemagne was divided among his sons, in 974 Otto II established the Margraviate of Antwerp as a defence against the County of Flanders. In 1106, Henry V granted the Margraviate to Godfrey I of Leuven and his descendants would from 1235 onwards become the Dukes of Brabant and the region itself was the northern part of the Duchy of Brabant. In 1430 the Duchy became part of the Duchy of Burgundy until 1477 when it fell to the House of Habsburg. In 1713, at the end of the Spanish Succession War the region part of the Austrian Netherlands until 1794. On 1 October 1795 the former Austrian Netherlands were annexed by France under the French Directory, the modern province was created as the Department of the two Netes during the First French Empire. After the defeat of Napoleon, the became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands as the province of Central Brabant, distinguishing it from North Brabant. In 1830, after Belgiums independence the province was renamed Antwerp, common with Flemish Brabant, North Brabant and Brussels, the local dialect is a Brabantian variety. The province of Antwerp has a council, elected every six years. The current governor is Cathy Berx, appointed in 2008 by the Flemish Government, the last elections were held on 14 October 2012. a, that each have 2 deputies. The three parties have a majority of 50 seats out of 72, highest point, Beerzelberg located in the municipality Putte. Most important rivers, Scheldt, Rupel, Grote Nete, Kleine Nete The province has a network of roads, railroads, canals, historically, the traffic infrastructure was an important element of connecting the Port of Antwerp with the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Both the Iron Rhine railroad and the E313 and E34 highway connect Antwerp with the Ruhr Area, the river Schelde, an important waterway, connects the Port of Antwerp with the North Sea
9.
Arrondissements of Belgium
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Arrondissements of Belgium are subdivisions below the provinces of Belgium. There are administrative, judicial and electoral arrondissements and these may or may not relate to identical geographical areas. The 43 administrative arrondissements are a level between the municipalities and the provinces. Brussels-Capital forms a single arrondissement for all 19 municipalities in the region by that name, Belgium had 27 judicial arrondissements until April 1,2014. Until 1999 the electoral districts for the election of the parliaments were electoral arrondissements, the arrondissement of Brussels-Capital is not part of any province and consequently forms its own electoral district
10.
Arrondissement of Mechelen
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The Arrondissement of Mechelen is one of the three administrative arrondissements in the Province of Antwerp, Belgium. It is both an administrative and an arrondissement, as the territory for both coincides. The Arrondissement of Mechelen was created in 1800 as the third arrondissement in the Department of Deux-Nèthes and it originally comprised the cantons of Duffel, Heist-op-den-Berg, Lier, Mechelen and Puurs. In 1977, the municipality of Muizen was added to the arrondissement from the Arrondissement of Leuven. The Administrative Arrondissement of Mechelen consists of the municipalities
11.
Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams
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Christian Democratic and Flemish is a Christian democratic Flemish political party in Belgium. The party has ties to both trade unionism and trade associations and the Farmers League. Until 2001, the party was named the Christian Peoples Party and it was traditionally the largest political party of Flanders, until it was overtaken by the New Flemish Alliance in the 2010s. CD&V participated in most governments and has generally the largest number of mayors, most Prime Ministers of Belgium and Ministers-President of Flanders have been CD&V politicians. Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council from 2009 to 2014, is one of the politicians of CD&V. CD&V is a member of the European Peoples Party and Centrist Democrat International, the history of the CD&V dates back to the 19th century. It originated in the 19th century catholic party, or Parti conservateur, at the end of the century, the new fraction of the so-called Christian democrats shifted the focus of the party slightly to the left. In the interwar years the party was renamed Catholic Bloc, then, the Christian Social Party existed from 1945 until 1968. In 1968, the PSC-CVP was split into to the French-speaking Christian Social Party, in 2001 the CVP changed its name to the CD&V. The party was almost continually in power from its establishment until 1999, in 1999, the Flemish Liberals and Democrats became the largest party in Belgium, and formed a majority purple government of liberals, social democrats and greens. The same happened in the Flemish Government, but with the addition of Flemish nationalists, in 2003 CD&V again lost the federal elections which continuated the federal center-left coalition, but this time without the Greens. In 2004, Flemish elections were held and the CD&V once more became the largest political party by representation in the Flemish Parliament, after successful local elections in 2006, the party became the largest party in the Belgian Chambre of Representatives after the federal elections of 2007. The CD&V led the subsequent coalition talks, which repeatedly stalled, on the 20 March 2008, a new federal government was finally assembled, led by Yves Leterme. Kris Peeters subsequently became the next minister-president of Flanders, from 30 December 2008 till 25 November 2009, Herman Van Rompuy led his first cabinet before becoming the first permanent president of the European Council. Afterwards, Yves Leterme led his second government, in June 2009, Flemish elections were held and the CD&V remained the largest party of Flanders. Kris Peeters stayed as Flemish minister-president, the party also remained the largest Flemish party in the European Parliament after the 2009 European elections. In 2010, the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats decided to out of the federal coalition. The federal elections of 2010 resulted in a loss of historic proportions for CD&V
12.
Municipality
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It is to be distinguished from the county, which may encompass rural territory and/or numerous small communities such as towns, villages and hamlets. The term municipality may also mean the governing or ruling body of a given municipality, a municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district. The term is derived from French municipalité and Latin municipalis, a municipality can be any political jurisdiction from a sovereign state, such as the Principality of Monaco, or a small village, such as West Hampton Dunes, New York. The power of municipalities range from virtual autonomy to complete subordination to the state, municipalities may have the right to tax individuals and corporations with income tax, property tax, and corporate income tax, but may also receive substantial funding from the state. Similar terms include Spanish ayuntamiento, also called municipalidad, Polish gmina, Dutch/Flemish Gemeente, in Australia, the term local government area is used in place of the generic municipality. Here, the LGA Structure covers only incorporated areas of Australia, incorporated areas are legally designated parts of states and territories over which incorporated local governing bodies have responsibility. In Canada, municipalities are local governments established through provincial and territorial legislation, the Province of Ontario has different tiers of municipalities, including lower, upper, and single tiers. Types of upper tier municipalities in Ontario include counties and regional municipalities, nova Scotia also has regional municipalities, which include cities, counties, districts, or towns as municipal units. In India, a Nagar Palika or Municipality is a local body that administers a city of population 100,000 or more. Under the Panchayati Raj system, it directly with the state government. Generally, smaller cities and bigger towns have a Nagar Palika. Nagar Palikas are also a form of local self-government entrusted with duties and responsibilities. Such a corporation in Great Britain consists of a head as a mayor or provost, since local government reorganisation, the unit in England, Northern Ireland and Wales is known as a district, and in Scotland as a council area. A district may be awarded borough or city status, or can retain its district title, in Jersey, a municipality refers to the honorary officials elected to run each of the 12 parishes into which it is subdivided. This is the highest level of government in this jurisdiction. In the United States, municipality is usually understood as a city, town, village, or other local government unit, in the Peoples Republic of China, a direct-controlled municipality is a city with equal status to a province, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing. In Taiwan, a municipality is a city with equal status to a province, Kaohsiung, New Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Taipei. In Portuguese language usage, there are two words to distinguish the territory and the administrative organ, when referring to the territory, the word concelho is used, when referring to the organ of State, the word município is used
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Population density
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Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume, it is a quantity of type number density. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and most of the time to humans and it is a key geographical term. Population density is population divided by land area or water volume. Low densities may cause a vortex and lead to further reduced fertility. This is called the Allee effect after the scientist who identified it, commonly this may be calculated for a county, city, country, another territory, or the entire world. The worlds population is around 7,000,000,000, therefore, the worldwide human population density is around 7,000,000,000 ÷510,000,000 =13.7 per km2. If only the Earths land area of 150,000,000 km2 is taken into account and this includes all continental and island land area, including Antarctica. If Antarctica is also excluded, then population density rises to over 50 people per km2, thus, this number by itself does not give any helpful measurement of human population density. Several of the most densely populated territories in the world are city-states, microstates, cities with high population densities are, by some, considered to be overpopulated, though this will depend on factors like quality of housing and infrastructure and access to resources. Most of the most densely populated cities are in Southeast Asia, though Cairo, for instance, Milwaukee has a greater population density when just the inner city is measured, and the surrounding suburbs excluded. Arithmetic density, The total number of people / area of land, physiological density, The total population / area of arable land. Agricultural density, The total rural population / area of arable land, residential density, The number of people living in an urban area / area of residential land. Urban density, The number of people inhabiting an urban area / total area of urban land, ecological optimum, The density of population that can be supported by the natural resources. S. States by population density Selected Current and Historic City, Ward & Neighborhood Density
14.
Scheldt
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The Scheldt is a 350-kilometre long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to Old English sceald shallow, Modern English shoal, Low German schol, Frisian skol, the headwaters of the Scheldt are in Gouy, in the Aisne department of northern France. It flows north through Cambrai and Valenciennes, and enters Belgium near Tournai, in Ghent, where it receives the Lys, one of its main tributaries, the Scheldt turns east. Near Antwerp, the largest city on its banks, the Scheldt flows west into the Netherlands towards the North Sea, today the river therefore continues into the Westerschelde estuary only, passing Terneuzen to reach the North Sea between Breskens in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and Vlissingen on Walcheren. The Scheldt is an important waterway, and has been navigable from its mouth up to Cambrai. The port of Antwerp, the second largest in Europe, lies on its banks, several canals connect the Scheldt with the basins of the Rhine, Meuse and Seine, and with the industrial areas around Brussels, Liège, Lille, Dunkirk and Mons. In Roman times, it was important for the lanes to Roman Britain. Nehalennia was venerated at its mouth, the Franks took control over the region about the year 260 and at first interfered with the Roman supply routes as pirates. Later they became allies of the Romans, Antwerp was the most prominent harbour in Western Europe. After this city fell back under Spanish control in 1585, the Dutch Republic took control of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, a strip of land on the left bank, and closed the Scheldt for shipping. Access to the river was the subject of the brief Kettle War of 1784, once Belgium had claimed its independence from the Netherlands in 1830, the treaty of the Scheldt determined that the river should remain accessible to ships heading for Belgian ports. Nevertheless, the Dutch government would demand a toll from passing vessels until 16 July 1863, in the Second World War, the Scheldt estuary once again became a contested area. Paget-Tyrell Memorandum of August 7,1916, Section 6
15.
Puurs
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Puurs is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. It is located in the Flemish Region, the municipality comprises the towns of Breendonk, Liezele, Kalfort, Ruisbroek and Puurs proper. There is also the hamlet of Kalfort, on January 1,2006, Puurs had a total population of 16,029. The total area is 33.41 km2 which gives a density of 480 inhabitants per km². Puurs sits about 5 meters above sea level. Its geography shows only minor elevation differences, Puurs is mainly rural, with some low intensity industry development in the North alongside the N16 motorway. However, because of its proximity to the cities of Antwerp and Brussels and its excellent accessibility, signs of habitation dating back to the Iron Age, as well as early Roman and Merovingian times, have been found in Puurs. Arguably, the Benedictine abbeys of Saint-Cornelimunster of Aachen were the lords of Puurs in the 10th century A. D, in 1278 the municipality was acquired by the Abbey of Sint-Bernards upon Scheldt, whose property it would remain until the end of the 18th century. Puurs Saint-Peter Church is quite large and is sometimes referred to as the regions cathedral. It was built in the 15th century, on the remains of a roman-style church, the baroque-style bell tower was added in the late 17th century. The classical center piece was completed in 1744, the lands of Kalfort are widely renowned for producing the most delicious asparagus, and at the beginning of summer a festival is held in honour of this white gold. The internationally sold Duvel beer is brewed in Breendonk, by the Duvel-Moortgat brewery, each year in August, a 100 km long foot march called the Dodentocht passes by the brewery, and participants and spectators can enjoy Duvel beer for free. Fort Breendonk was used by the Nazis as a prison camp. It is kept in its World War II state and is open for visiting, Fort Breendonk and its twin sister Fort Liezele were initially built by the Belgian military just before World War I, as part of a string of fortresses designed to protect the approaches to Antwerp. Since 1976, the site of the fort has been part of the municipality of Willebroek, the Dendermonde-Puurs Steam Railway is a heritage railroad that links up Puurs and Dendermonde. The maintenance road that runs alongside serves as a bicycle track, bikers can leave the track in Sint-Amands and follow the scenic route up North on the banks of the river Scheldt. Puurs is twinned with, Dębica in Poland Dina Tersago, former Miss Belgium Klein-Brabant Official website - Only available in Dutch
16.
Emile Verhaeren
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Emile Verhaeren was a Belgian poet who wrote in the French language, and one of the chief founders of the school of Symbolism. He was born in a Flemish French-speaking, middle-class family in Sint-Amands, nevertheless Emile Verhaeren also spoke the local dialect. At the age of eleven, he was sent to a boarding school in Ghent run by Jesuits, the Jesuit College of Sainte Barbe. He then went to law at the University of Leuven. Here he produced his first literary efforts in a student paper, during those years, he became acquainted with like-minded students. They later became his collaborators on the revolutionary artistic magazine La Jeune Belgique, having gained his law degree, he became a trainee with Edmond Picard, a renowned criminal lawyer, who also played a pivotal role on the Brussels artistic scene. Emile Verhaeren came in frequent contact with young, radical writers and he tried only two cases in a courtroom before deciding to dedicate his life to poetry and literature. He soon became the spokesperson for the revival at the turn of the century. His articles brought many promising young talents, such as James Ensor, through these articles, he became a lifelong friend of the Neo-impressionist Belgian painter Théo van Rysselberghe, resulting in a vast body of letters. He was one of the most prolific poets of his era and his first collection of poems, Les Flamandes, was published in 1883. Inspired by the paintings of Jacob Jordaens, David Teniers and Jan Steen, Verhaeren described in a direct and often provocative, naturalistic way his country and it was an immediate success in avant-garde milieus, but caused a great deal of controversy in Catholic circles. His next book, Les Moines, was not the success he had hoped for and this, and his health problems, led to a deep crisis. In this period he published Les Soirs, Les Débâcles and Les Flambeaux noirs, on 24 August 1891 he married Marthe Massin, a talented artist from Liège. His new-found happiness found expression in three books, Les Heures Claires, Les Heures dAprès-midi and Les Heures du Soir. His later poems include Les Rythmes souverains, Les Villes à pignons and he wrote his first play, Les Aubes, in 1898. Here he waged a fight against social injustice and the decline of life in the countryside, in 1912, he produced a tragedy, Hélène de Sparte, which was performed in German and Russian, besides French. In 1898 he moved to Saint-Cloud, near Paris, by the turn of the century, he had become world-famous. His works were translated more than twenty languages
17.
Rouen
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Rouen is a city on the River Seine in the north of France. It is the capital of the region of Normandy, formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, Rouen was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy during the Middle Ages. It was one of the capitals of the Anglo-Norman dynasties, which ruled both England and large parts of modern France from the 11th to the 15th centuries. The population of the area at the 2007 census was 532,559. People from Rouen are known as Rouennais, Rouen and its metropolitan area of 70 suburban communes form the Agglomeration community of Rouen-Elbeuf-Austreberthe, with 494,382 inhabitants at the 2010 census. Rouen was founded by the Gaulish tribe of Veliocasses, who controlled an area in the lower Seine valley. The Gauls named the settlement Ratumacos and the Romans called it Rotomagus, Roman Rotomagus was the second city of Gallia Lugdunensis, after Lugdunum. In the 5th century, it became the seat of a bishopric, in the 10th century Rouen became the capital of the Duchy of Normandy and the residence of the dukes, until William the Conqueror established his castle at Caen. During the early 12th century the population reached 30,000. In 1150, Rouen received its charter, which permitted self-government. During the 12th century, Rouen was probably the site of a Jewish yeshiva, at that time, about 6,000 Jews lived in the town, comprising about 20% of the total population. The well-preserved remains of a medieval Jewish building, that could be a yeshiva, were discovered in the 1970s under the Rouen Law Courts. In 1200, a destroyed part of Rouens Romanesque cathedral, leaving just St Romains tower, the side porches of its front. New work on the present Gothic cathedral of Rouen began, in the nave, transept, choir, on 24 June 1204, Philip Augustus entered Rouen and annexed Normandy to the French Kingdom. The fall of Rouen meant the end of Normandys sovereign status and he demolished the Norman castle and replaced it with his own, the Château Bouvreuil, built on the site of the Gallo-Roman amphitheatre. A textile industry developed based on wool imported from England, competing with the northern County of Flanders, the city found its market niche in the Champagne fairs. Rouen also depended on the traffic of the Seine for its prosperity. Wine and wheat were exported to England, with tin and wool received in return, in the late 13th century urban strife threatened the city, in 1291, the mayor was assassinated and noble residences in the city were pillaged
18.
Klein-Brabant
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Klein-Brabant is a Flemish region in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The region got a lot of attention during and after the broadcasting of the Eén series Stille Waters, the yearly Dodentocht and the Schelde Internationale Muziekstroom-route also contribute to the image of the region. The region includes the municipalities of Sint-Amands, Bornem and Puurs, there is also a police zone, named Politiezone Klein-Brabant
19.
Dutch language
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It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language, after English and German. Dutch is one of the closest relatives of both German and English and is said to be roughly in between them, Dutch vocabulary is mostly Germanic and incorporates more Romance loans than German but far fewer than English. In both Belgium and the Netherlands, the official name for Dutch is Nederlands, and its dialects have their own names, e. g. Hollands, West-Vlaams. The use of the word Vlaams to describe Standard Dutch for the variations prevalent in Flanders and used there, however, is common in the Netherlands, the Dutch language has been known under a variety of names. It derived from the Old Germanic word theudisk, one of the first names used for the non-Romance languages of Western Europe. It literarily means the language of the people, that is. The term was used as opposed to Latin, the language of writing. In the first text in which it is found, dating from 784, later, theudisca appeared also in the Oaths of Strasbourg to refer to the Germanic portion of the oath. This led inevitably to confusion since similar terms referred to different languages, owing to Dutch commercial and colonial rivalry in the 16th and 17th centuries, the English term came to refer exclusively to the Dutch. A notable exception is Pennsylvania Dutch, which is a West Central German variety called Deitsch by its speakers, Jersey Dutch, on the other hand, as spoken until the 1950s in New Jersey, is a Dutch-based creole. In Dutch itself, Diets went out of common use - although Platdiets is still used for the transitional Limburgish-Ripuarian Low Dietsch dialects in northeast Belgium, Nederlands, the official Dutch word for Dutch, did not become firmly established until the 19th century. This designation had been in use as far back as the end of the 15th century, one of them was it reflected a distinction with Hoogduits, High Dutch, meaning the language spoken in Germany. The Hoog was later dropped, and thus, Duits narrowed down in meaning to refer to the German language. g, in English, too, Netherlandic is regarded as a more accurate term for the Dutch language, but is hardly ever used. Old Dutch branched off more or less around the same time Old English, Old High German, Old Frisian and Old Saxon did. During that period, it forced Old Frisian back from the western coast to the north of the Low Countries, on the other hand, Dutch has been replaced in adjacent lands in nowadays France and Germany. The division in Old, Middle and Modern Dutch is mostly conventional, one of the few moments linguists can detect somewhat of a revolution is when the Dutch standard language emerged and quickly established itself. This is assumed to have taken place in approximately the mid-first millennium BCE in the pre-Roman Northern European Iron Age, the Germanic languages are traditionally divided into three groups, East, West, and North Germanic. They remained mutually intelligible throughout the Migration Period, Dutch is part of the West Germanic group, which also includes English, Scots, Frisian, Low German and High German
20.
French language
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French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages, French has evolved from Gallo-Romance, the spoken Latin in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues doïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to Frances past overseas expansion, there are numerous French-based creole languages, a French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French. French is a language in 29 countries, most of which are members of la francophonie. As of 2015, 40% of the population is in Europe, 35% in sub-Saharan Africa, 15% in North Africa and the Middle East, 8% in the Americas. French is the fourth-most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union, 1/5 of Europeans who do not have French as a mother tongue speak French as a second language. As a result of French and Belgian colonialism from the 17th and 18th century onward, French was introduced to new territories in the Americas, Africa, most second-language speakers reside in Francophone Africa, in particular Gabon, Algeria, Mauritius, Senegal and Ivory Coast. In 2015, French was estimated to have 77 to 110 million native speakers, approximately 274 million people are able to speak the language. The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie estimates 700 million by 2050, in 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked French the third most useful language for business, after English and Standard Mandarin Chinese. Under the Constitution of France, French has been the language of the Republic since 1992. France mandates the use of French in official government publications, public education except in specific cases, French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland and is spoken in the western part of Switzerland called Romandie, of which Geneva is the largest city. French is the language of about 23% of the Swiss population. French is also a language of Luxembourg, Monaco, and Aosta Valley, while French dialects remain spoken by minorities on the Channel Islands. A plurality of the worlds French-speaking population lives in Africa and this number does not include the people living in non-Francophone African countries who have learned French as a foreign language. Due to the rise of French in Africa, the total French-speaking population worldwide is expected to reach 700 million people in 2050, French is the fastest growing language on the continent. French is mostly a language in Africa, but it has become a first language in some urban areas, such as the region of Abidjan, Ivory Coast and in Libreville. There is not a single African French, but multiple forms that diverged through contact with various indigenous African languages, sub-Saharan Africa is the region where the French language is most likely to expand, because of the expansion of education and rapid population growth
21.
Bornem
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Bornem is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Bornem proper, Hingene, Wintam, Mariekerke, there are also the hamlets of Branst, Buitenland, Eikevliet and Wintam. On 1 January 2006, Bornem had a population of 20,064. The total area is 45.76 km² which gives a density of 438 inhabitants per km². Bornem Castle, Residence of the House Marnix de Sainte-Aldegonde, Bornem Abbey, only Cistercensian Abbey in Flanders, residence of former general Amadeus de Bie and Henricus Smeulders
22.
Hamme
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Hamme is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Hamme proper, Kastel Moerzeke, St-Anna, on March 18,2010, Hamme had a total population of 24,026. The total area is 40.21 km² which gives a density of 578 inhabitants per km². The current mayor of Hamme is Herman Vijt, from the CD&V party, Hamme also has its own legends. The most famous one is the legend of the Hamse Wuiten, the people of Hamme are also called Hamse Wuitens. The Hamse wuiten is also the mascot in a streetparade at the end of March every year. The inhabitants dress up and build big trucks with funny giant puppets, making fun of local and national politicians, ferdinand Bracke, cyclist Herman Brusselmans, writer Kristel Verbeke, singer Hanne Verbruggen, singer Media related to Hamme at Wikimedia Commons Hamme
23.
East Flanders
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East Flanders is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on Zeelandic Flanders and on the provinces of Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, of Hainaut and it has an area of 2,991 km² which is divided into six administrative districts containing 65 municipalities. The provincial population is 1,408,484 and the capital is Ghent, during the short-lived Napoleonic Empire, most of the area of the modern province was part of the Department of Escaut, named after the River Scheldt. The provincial flag has a lion with red tongue and claws, on a background of horizontal white. This is a recent adaptation, formerly, East Flanders used the Flemish flag, the old flag is still publicly used, e. g. for road signs. The province has several geographic and/or tourist regions, Denderstreek Meetjesland Waasland Flemish Ardennes Important rivers are the Scheldt, the Dender merges into the Scheldt in the city of Dendermonde. East Flanders is divided into 6 administrative arrondissements, subdivided into a total of 65 municipalities, in addition, there are 3 judicial and 3 electoral arrondissements. The province had a population of 1,445,831 as of 1 January 2011 and it had 734,000 inhabitants in 1380 and about a million in 1900. The capital and biggest city is Ghent, also the second largest city in the Flemish Region, other smaller cities are Aalst, Sint-Niklaas and Dendermonde in the east of the province. The provincial council consists of 72 members which were last elected in the 2012 elections, previously it consisted of 84 members. The deputation of East Flanders is a coalition of the political parties CD&V, Open Vld, the biggest party in the council, N-VA, is not included. The daily government is led by the governor, who is appointed by the Flemish Government, andré Denys has been the governor of East Flanders from 26 November 2004 until 21 January 2013. Jan Briers, who is not member of a party but was nominated by N-VA. The province has a budget of approximately 300 million euro
24.
Buggenhout
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Buggenhout is a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek. The municipality comprises the towns of Buggenhout proper, Briel, Opdorp, on December 31,2013, Buggenhout had a total population of 14,444. The total area is 25.25 square kilometres, which gives a density of 572 inhabitants per square kilometre. The current mayor of Buggenhout is Tom Van Herreweghe, from the NCD party, Buggenhout is also known for its forest, the Buggenhoutbos, which is the largest forest of East Flanders. In Opdorp lays the geographic centre of Flanders, Buggenhout has two breweries, Bosteels Brewery and De Landtsheer, now called Brouwerij Malheur. The original meaning of the name is beechwood or beech forest, the name is derived from the Middle Dutch Bucghenhout from Old Dutch Bukenholt. Buken comes from Proto-Germanic *bokjon, holt from *hulta, Buggenhout still contains a small forested area called Buggenhoutbos. Media related to Buggenhout at Wikimedia Commons Official website
25.
Londerzeel
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Londerzeel is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Londerzeel proper, Malderen, Steenhuffel, on 1 January 2006, Londerzeel had a total population of 17,435. The total area is 36.29 km² which gives a density of 480 inhabitants per km². Their football team is K. Londerzeel S. K. Gerard Walschap, Londerzeel has been twinned with Gladenbach since 2010. Media related to Londerzeel at Wikimedia Commons Official website Palm- Available only in Dutch and French
26.
Flemish Brabant
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Flemish Brabant is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut, Flemish Brabant also surrounds the Brussels-Capital Region. It has an area of 2,106 km² which is divided into two administrative districts containing 65 municipalities, the split was made to accommodate the eventual division of Belgium in three regions. It is a province with a cultural history and a great diversity of typical products. The province is made up of two arrondissements, the Halle-Vilvoorde Arrondissement has Brussels in its middle and is therefore mainly a residential area, even though it also has large industrial zones and contains Belgiums main airport. The other arrondissement is the Leuven Arrondissement, centered on Leuven, other such special municipalities can be found along the border between Flanders and Wallonia, and between Wallonia and the German-speaking area of Belgium. Halle-Vilvoorde mostly surrounds Brussels, which is officially bilingual but whose inhabitants mostly speak French, the history of Brabant can be found at the Duchy of Brabant article, see also Duke of Brabant. The Governor is the representative or commissioner of the Federal and the Flemish Government in Flemish Brabant and he is appointed by the Flemish Government, on the unanimous advice of the Federal Council of Ministers. The current Governor is Lodewijk De Witte, he has been the Governor of Flemish Brabant since it was created in 1995 as a result of the splitting up of the Province of Brabant. He also presides over the Deputation, however, he doesnt have the right to vote in the Deputation except in cases where the Deputation exercises a judicial function. Flemish Brabant is that only province that has a Deputy Governor as well and he is responsible for ensuring that the language legislation is observed in the peripheral municipalities of Flemish Brabant. The Provincial Council of Flemish Brabant consists of 72 members elected for a term of office of 6 years, the last election was held on Sunday 14 October 2012. She is assisted by a Bureau which consists of two Vice-Presidents, four Secretaries, three Quaestors and the leaders of the fractions in the Provincial Council. The governing majority in the Provincial Council for 2013–2018 is formed by CD&V, Open VLD, sp. a and these parties together have a majority of 43 out of 72 seats. The Deputation is the organ responsible for the daily administration of the province. It consists of the Governor and six Deputies elected by the Provincial Council from among its midst. For the 2013–2018 legislative term, the Deputies are divided among the majority parties as follows, Flemish Brabant has 65 municipalities,35 in the Arrondissement of Halle-Vilvoorde and 30 in Leuven. Official web site of the Flemish Brabant province
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Arrondissement of Antwerp
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The Arrondissement of Antwerp is one of the three administrative arrondissements in the Province of Antwerp, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement, the territory of the Judicial Arrondissement of Antwerp coincides with that of the Administrative Arrondissement of Antwerp. The Arrondissement of Antwerp was created in 1800 as the first arrondissement in the Department of Deux-Nèthes and it originally comprised the cantons of Antwerp, Boom, Berchem, Brecht, Ekeren and Zandhoven. In 1923, the municipalities of Burcht and Zwijndrecht in the Arrondissement of Sint-Niklaas were added to the arrondissement. The Administrative Arrondissement of Antwerp consists of the municipalities
28.
Aartselaar
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Aartselaar is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Aartselaar proper, on January 1,2006 Aartselaar had a total population of 14,375. The total area is 10.93 km² which gives a density of 1,316 inhabitants per km². The municipality of Aartselaar is located in the outskirts of Antwerp. It is known for its 1801 windmill as well as the race called Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen. The origin of the name of the town is obscure, the most probable etymology refers to Arcelar, media related to Aartselaar at Wikimedia Commons
29.
Antwerp
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Antwerp is a city in Belgium, the capital of Antwerp province in the region of Flanders. With a population of 510,610, it is the most populous city proper in Belgium and its metropolitan area houses around 1,200,000 people, which is second behind Brussels. Antwerp is on the River Scheldt, linked to the North Sea by the Westerschelde estuary, the Port of Antwerp is one of the biggest in the world, ranking second in Europe and within the top 20 globally. Antwerp has long been an important city in the Low Countries, the inhabitants of Antwerp are nicknamed Sinjoren, after the Spanish honorific señor or French seigneur, lord, referring to the Spanish noblemen who ruled the city in the 17th century. The city hosted the 1920 Summer Olympics, according to folklore, notably celebrated by a statue in front of the town hall, the city got its name from a legend about a giant called Antigoon who lived near the Scheldt river. He exacted a toll from passing boatmen, and for those who refused, he severed one of their hands, eventually the giant was killed by a young hero named Silvius Brabo, who cut off the giants own hand and flung it into the river. Hence the name Antwerpen, from Dutch hand werpen, akin to Old English hand and wearpan, a longstanding theory is that the name originated in the Gallo-Roman period and comes from the Latin antverpia. Antverpia would come from Ante Verpia, indicating land that forms by deposition in the curve of a river. Note that the river Scheldt, before a period between 600 and 750, followed a different track. This must have coincided roughly with the current ringway south of the city, however, many historians think it unlikely that there was a large settlement which would be named Antverpia, but more something like an outpost with a river crossing. However, John Lothrop Motley argues, and so do a lot of Dutch etymologists and historians, aan t werp is also possible. This warp is a hill or a river deposit, high enough to remain dry at high tide. Another word for werp is pol hence polders, historical Antwerp allegedly had its origins in a Gallo-Roman vicus. Excavations carried out in the oldest section near the Scheldt, 1952–1961, produced pottery shards, the earliest mention of Antwerp dates from the 4th century. In the 4th century, Antwerp was first named, having been settled by the Germanic Franks, the name was reputed to have been derived from anda and werpum. The Merovingian Antwerp was evangelized by Saint Amand in the 7th century, at the end of the 10th century, the Scheldt became the boundary of the Holy Roman Empire. Antwerp became a margraviate in 980, by the German emperor Otto I, in the 11th century Godfrey of Bouillon was for some years known as the marquis of Antwerp. In the 12th century, Norbert of Xanten established a community of his Premonstratensian canons at St. Michaels Abbey at Caloes
30.
Boechout
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Boechout is a municipality of Belgium located in the Flemish province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Boechout proper and Vremde, on January 1,2006 Boechout had a total population of 12,090. The total area is 20.66 km² which gives a density of 585 inhabitants per km². Boechout also hosts the Sfinks Festival, jan Frans Willems, writer Media related to Boechout at Wikimedia Commons Official Boechout & Vremde website
31.
Boom, Belgium
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Boom is a Belgian town, located in both the arrondissement and province of Antwerp. On 1 January 2006 Boom had a population of 16,096. The total area is 7.37 km² which gives a density of 2,185 inhabitants per km². History of this community started in the late 1300s, the boom in the population growth of Boom happened some time during the 19th century. In Boom, people venerated a miraculous statue of our lady of Boom, Boom is located between three big cities, and is situated along the Rupel river. Because of the presence of clay around Boom, the region is known for and has many clay pits. Egidius Aerts, flautist and composer Bobbejaan Schoepen, singer-songwriter, guitarist and he was also an actor, fantasist and founder of the Bobbejaanland amusement park in Belgium. Luc Van der Kelen, journalist at Het Laatste Nieuws, glen De Boeck, football player and coach. Mano Mundo, worldmusic festival in De Schorre, tomorrowland, EDM World-famous and largest Dance Music festival in the world, that more than 400,000 people have attended since its 2005 launch. Feria Andaluza, Spanish festival in De Schorre, K. Rupel Boom F. C. Football club, currently playing in the Belgian Third Division. Kangeroes Boom, Basketball club, currently playing in the second division, braxgata, Hockey club, currently playing in the first division. Hockey club of the year by the European Hockey Federation in 2009, fudji Yama Boom-Niel-Schelle, Judo club, founded in 1958 Boom municipality official website
32.
Borsbeek
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Borsbeek is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Borsbeek proper, on January 1,2006 Borsbeek had a total population of 10,257. The total area is 3.92 km² which gives a density of 2,617 inhabitants per km². Media related to Borsbeek at Wikimedia Commons Official website
33.
Brasschaat
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Brasschaat is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Brasschaat proper, in November 2006, Brasschaat won the LivCom-Award 2006 for the most liveable municipality in the world. The history of Brasschaat started with Celtic settlements, the Gallic tribe of the Belgae displaced them and were in turn conquered by the Romans, who built a major road in the area. After the Germanic invasions in the 3rd and 4th century, the region was Christianized. In the Middle Ages the little river Laar, flowing through the woods of the municipality, the first mention of Breesgata, sometimes also spelled Brexgata, dates from 1269. In 1482, a convent of nuns was founded here, traces of which can still be seen today, the village of Brasschaat belonged geographically to the Campine region, but politically and ecclesiastically was part of the Bishopric of Liège until 1569. At that time, the village had about 4,500 inhabitants and 383 horses, the end of the 16th century was particularly hard on the population. In the span of 25 years, the wars between Catholics and Protestants greatly reduced the population to 420 people and 59 horses, at the end of the plague pandemic that struck the community in 1610, only 26 families were left. The guild of Sint-Antonius, currently still the oldest local association, was founded in 1667, in 1823, Brasschaat became theoretically a municipality of its own, separate from Ekeren. It named its own mayor and municipal council the following year and its independence would however be recognized only in 1830. Because of its position in the defense of the port of Antwerp. The Brasschaat fort, still today, was built in 1912. Between 1937 and 1939 the fortifications were expanded with additional bunkers, many of these old military buildings nowadays host colonies of bats. In 1945, a school in Brasschaat run by Averbode Abbey was hit by a V-1 flying bomb, killing a monk, the ancient Brexgata name is found in the designation of an international university association seated in Strasbourg. The name was chosen in homage to the municipality of Brasschaat, the yearly Dorpsdag takes place on the first Sunday in September and features a procession commemorating the consecration of the main chapel in 1753. Brasschaat is known as a park town and this includes various woods and former shooting ranges. One of the best known nature preservations around Brasschaat is De Inslag, the De Mik castle, complete with drawbridge, is surrounded by English gardens and an arboretum. The Brasschaat area also houses a farm and an artillery museum
34.
Brecht, Belgium
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Brecht is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Brecht proper, Sint-Job-in-t-Goor and Sint-Lenaarts, on January 1,2006 Brecht had a total population of 26,464. The total area is 90.84 km² which gives a density of 291 inhabitants per km². Brecht is a municipality in the north of the Antwerp province. Noorderkempen, a station on the HSL4, opened on 15 June 2009. Leonard Lessius, moral theologian, born in Brecht Jean Kockerols, Roman Catholic bishop Brecht Abbey Official website Tourism in Brecht
35.
Edegem
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Edegem is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Edegem proper, on January 1,2006 Edegem had a total population of 21,668. The total area is 8.65 km² which gives a density of 2,504 inhabitants per km². The old Sint-Antoniuskerk is no longer open to the public and it is not sure when it was first built. The absence of heavy industry makes Edegem a typical commuter town, despite its location next to the metropolis of the city of Antwerp, Edegem is not fully urbanized. Sint-Antoniuskerk The Sint-Antoniuskerk is a church that was built between the 16th and 17th century. The Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes In 1884 a cave was built, after the present at the site of Our Lady of Lourdes. It became a popular place of worship when truckloads of Christians came to visit the site. When the population of Edegem grew in the beginning of the 20th century the Sint-Antoniuskerk in the center of town became too small, thus plans were made to build an expansion. But when World War I broke out in 1914, the expansion was delayed, the church was designed by architect Louis De Vooght to be a neo-Byzantine basilique. Construction began in September 1931 and ended in the first half of 1933, in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI gave the Basilica of Edegem the official status of basilica minor. Kasteel Hof Ter Linden Kasteel Hof Ter Linden is a Neoclassical villa in Edegem and its origins can be traced back to the early 15th century. In 1587–88 the estate was destroyed by Irish soldiers, reconstruction began in 1607, in 1725 it became a Hof van Plaisantie and in 1770–1773 the current Neoclassical facade was built. An impressive alley of Lindentrees, planted in 1756, connects the castle with the Sint-Anoniuskerk, in the 20th century the castle was inhabited by Baron and Baroness de Roest dAlkmade. Marie Gevers, novelist, born at Edegem, on 30 December 1883, leo Tindemans, former prime minister of Belgium, diplomat, professor and chairman of the European Peoples Party. Willy Vandersteen, world-renowned creator of books, died August 28,1990. François-Xavier de Donnea, former Belgian defence minister, mayor of the City of Brussels, born at Edegem, christine Van Broeckhoven, molecular biologist and professor in Molecular genetics. Ilse Heylen, judoka and bronze winner at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens
36.
Essen, Belgium
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Essen is a municipality in the Belgian province of Antwerp which comprises the towns of Essen Centrum, Heikant, Horendonk, Wildert, Statie and Hoek. In 2007, Essen had a population of 17,143, the total area is 47.48 km² which gives a population density of 358 inhabitants per km². The town is near the border with the Netherlands and it has a railway station, and is the last stop in Belgium for rail services travelling north. The station before Essen is Wildert, the next station is Roosendaal, North Brabant, Netherlands. The Grand Prix Rouwmoer is a race held in December
37.
Hemiksem
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Hemiksem is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Hemiksem proper, on January 1,2010 Hemiksem had a total population of 10,166. The total area is 5.44 km² which gives a density of 1,868 inhabitants per km². It is renowned in Flanders for its Casa Blanca festival, witch at its peak had more than 80.000 visitors over three days. The most notable sight in Hemiksem is the 13th century St. Bernards Abbey, media related to Hemiksem at Wikimedia Commons Official website
38.
Hove, Belgium
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Hove is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Hove proper, on January 1,2006, Hove had a total population of 8,307. The total area is 5.99 km² which gives a density of 1,388 inhabitants per km². The municipality lies approximately 9 kilometres from the city of Antwerp and it is a small community, and is said to be one of the most expensive areas in Belgium. Many people pay large sums of money to live there because it is one of the safest places in Belgium, hugo Matthysen Bart Peeters Jan Leyers - singer-songwriter/philosopher/TV-producer Van Den Weygaert, Luc. Ouderits, Hove,2010,26 p. Van Den Weygaert, Hove, culturele en toeristische verkenningen, Edit. Ouderits, Hove,2012,24 p. Van Gysel, bijdrage tot de geschiedenis van Hove, Edit. Jos Verheyen, Boechout,1957,80 p. Media related to Hove, Belgium at Wikimedia Commons Hove official website
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Kalmthout
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Kalmthout is a municipality in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the villages of Kalmthout, Achterbroek and Nieuwmoer, on January 1,2007 Kalmthout had a population of 17,508. The total area is 59.45 square kilometres, Kalmthout has a population density of 294 inhabitants per km². In addition to Kalmthout itself, the municipality contains the communities of Dorp-Heuvel, Heide, Achterbroek. The Arboretum Kalmthout is one of Belgiums most beautiful botanical gardens, the Kalmthoutse Heide is a nature reserve of nearly 10,000 acres spanning the border between Belgium and the Netherlands. The Kalmthoutse Heide is a big park in Kalmthout. It is open to the public and has more that 15 different routes that can carry for 10s of kilometers, media related to Kalmthout at Wikimedia Commons Kalmthout Official website Scouts Kalmthout heuvel Official website Arboretum Kalmthout Official website Kalmthoutse Heide
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Kapellen, Belgium
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Kapellen is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality consists only of the town of Kapellen proper, on January 1,2006 Kapellen had a total population of 25,948. The total area is 37.11 km² which gives a density of 699 inhabitants per km². A number of neighbourhoods in Kapellen have a character and are characterized by their villaparcs, exclusive landhouses. Many who flee the always busy town enjoy Kapellens peaceful nature, the towns football club is R. Cappellen F. C. and has played at the national level for many years
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Kontich
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Kontich is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Kontich proper and Waarloos, on December 31,2010, Kontich had a total population of 20,584. The total area is 23.67 km³ which gives a density of 866 inhabitants per km³. Kontich exists of three parts, Kontich Centrum, Waarloos and Kontich Kazerne, Kontich Kazerne has a big industrial center and a train station on the line between Antwerp and Mechelen. The barracks which gave the name to the settlement have closed however, the Centrum part of Kontich has the town center. The E19 highway between Antwerp and Brussels passes through Kontich, Kontich comes from the Latin word condacum which means confluence of 2 streams. Martinus Dom, first abbot of the Trappist abbey of Westmalle Paul Byttebier, medical doctor and politician Media related to Kontich at Wikimedia Commons Official website
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Malle
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Malle is a municipality located in the Campine region of the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the villages of Oostmalle and Westmalle, on 1 January 2013 Malle had a total population of 14,950. The total area is 51.99 km² which gives a density of 288 inhabitants per km². A Mallum was a court session presided by the count. In Celtic, the name O Maoileoin, means a devotee of St. John, a record of the name Malle emerges for the first time in 1194, when the bishop of Kamerijk donated the altar of Malle and Vorsele to the Chapter of Our Kind Lady of Antwerp. Originally Oostmalle, Westmalle and Zoersel were joined into one domain, Malle, the origin of Oostmalle dates back to the Roman era, when a settlement was built along the Roman road from Trajectum ad Rhenum to Bavay. During the Middle Ages, Oostmalle was part of the Duchy of Brabant, governed by lords like Jan Van Hesselbeke, the lower feudal rights belonged to the House of Breda, the higher rights belonged to the Duke of Brabant. Westmalles origin dates to before 1100, when the place of residence of the representative of the Duke of Brabant was mentioned in historical record, the history of Westmalle Castle reflects the history of the governing families of Westmalle. Henry I, Duke of Brabant granted some rights to the abbot of the Abbey of Villers on the condition that a monastery would be built in Westmalle. However, the monastery was built in Hemiksem instead, Westmalle was governed by a local Meier belonging subsequently to the families van der Moelen, de Cotereau en Powis and also by the Abbot of the Abbey of Villers. About 1300 the feudal rights of Oostmalle were divided between Jan van Hesselbeke and Jacobus van Dworp, Jan Volkaert I, was married with the daughter of the Jan van Hesselbeke. He owned half of the rights of Oostmalle, while the other half was owned by his brother-in-law Jacob van Couree. Later on the rights went to the Lords of Berchem. Between 1431 and 1464 Willem van Berchem built a castle in Oostmalle, by the end of the 16th century, from 1602 onwards, during the entire Ancien Régime, all feudal rights of Oostmalle belonged to the family van Renesse, descendants of Jan van Renesse. Almost continuously the Campine villages were plundered and besieged, foreign troops caused severe havoc, Oostmalle suffered most from the plague between 1575 and 1605. In 1542, during the wars of Charles of Guelders against Charles V, Oostmalle, the entire region suffered severely during the Eighty Years War, between the Protestant north of the Low Countries and the Spanish-controlled Southern Netherlands. During the eighties of the 16th century, only 23 families survived in Westmalle and they had to hide for four years at Westmalle Castle because of the Spanish troops, during the 17th century the region suffered from several attacks from the Dutch Republic. Around 1620, Croatian soldiers of the Spanish army occupied Malle, in 1626 a Chapel of Saint Anthony was built in Salphen for people from Oostmalle who fled their village to escape the plague
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Mortsel
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Mortsel is a city and municipality close to the city of Antwerp located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the city of Mortsel proper, on January 1,2006 Mortsel had a total population of 24,427 people. The total area is 7.78 km² which gives a density of 3,138 inhabitants per km². This is the highest population density of any municipality in the Flemish Region, the city consists of the areas Mortsel-Dorp, Oude-God and Luithagen. Mortsel is bordered by Antwerp, Borsbeek, Boechout, Hove, Mortsel was the scene for one of the major collateral damage tragedies of World War II. On April 5,1943, the bombing of the Minerva car factory, the last V2 launched against Antwerp also fell in Mortsel, killing 27 people, on March 27,1945. The headquarters of Agfa-Gevaert are situated in Mortsel
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Niel, Belgium
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Niel is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Niel proper, on January 1,2006 Niel had a total population of 8,798. The total area is 5.27 km² which gives a density of 1,669 inhabitants per km². Niel is home for Niel Jaarmarkt Cyclo-cross, a race held in. The race is part of the Cyclo-cross Gazet van Antwerpen, jan Decleir, actor, leading actor in the Academy Award winner Karakter was born in Niel Waterfront Researchpark Media related to Niel, Belgium at Wikimedia Commons Official website
Media related to Sint-Amands at Wikimedia Commons
Sint-Amands
