Brussels

Brussels (Dutch: Brussel, French: Bruxelles, German: Br?ssel) is the capital of Belgium and is considered by many to be the headquarters of the European Union, as two of its four main institutions have their headquarters in the city.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Brussels is, first of all, a city located in the centre of Belgium and its capital, but it sometimes also refers to the largest municipality of the Brussels-Capital Region. This municipality inside Brussels is correctly named The City of Brussels (French: Bruxelles-Ville or Ville de Bruxelles, Dutch: Stad Brussel), which is one of 19 municipalities that make up the Brussels-Capital Region (see also: Municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region). The municipality has a population of about 140,000 while the Brussels-Capital Region has more than a million inhabitants. . http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/cntry_files.html

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Brussels-Capital Region is a region of Belgium in its own right, alongside the Flemish Region and Wallonia. Geographically, it is an enclave in the Flemish Region. Regions are one component of Belgium's complex institutions, the three communities being "the" other component: the Brussels inhabitants must deal with either the Flemish Community or the French (speaking) community for matters such as culture and education.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Brussels is also the capital of Flanders and of the French Community of Belgium (Communaut? fran?aise Wallonie-Bruxelles in French) ; all Flemish capital institutions are established here: Flemish Parliament, Flemish government and its administration.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Two of the three main institutions of the European Union - the European Commission and the Council of the European Union - have their headquarters in Brussels: the Commission in the Berlaymont building and the Council in the Justus Lipsius building facing it. The third main institution of the European Union, the European Parliament, also has a parliamentary chamber in Brussels in which its committee meet and some of its plenary sessions are held (the other plenary sessions are held in Strasbourg, and its administrative headquarters are in Luxembourg).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Brussels is also the political seat of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the Western European Union (WEU) and EUROCONTROL, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The "language frontier" divides Belgium into a northern, Dutch-speaking, region and a southern, French-speaking, region. Although the real language frontier and the official one are largely identical, there are bilingual pockets on both sides with, in certain cases, no specific linguistic rights for the population speaking the other language. The Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual, while the majority of its residents speaks French (see the linguistic history of Brussels in this article's linguistic situation section).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The highest building in Brussels is the South Tower (150 m); the most famous probably the Atomium, which is a remnant from the Expo '58.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dutch: Dutch usually refers to:...

French: French can refer to more than one article:...

German: German may mean:...

Brussels related Images and Photos (experimental)

Brussels Griffon Socks	Brussels Griffon Leash Hook	Brussels Griffon Caution Sign	Brussels Griffon 2012 Wall Calendar
Theatre Royal Brussels Choix Des Monuments	UFO over Brussels	Brussels Belgium - Lebaudy Airship with World Flags at Expo	I Love My Brussels Griffon Bumper Sticker
The Atomium Monument in Brussels Built for Expo '58 the 1958 Brussels World's Fair Belgium	St. Hubert Gallery at Brussels circa 1900	The Ommeganck in Brussels on 31st May 1615: Procession of Notre Dame De Sablon	The Ommeganck in Brussels in 1615: the Procession of the Guilds 1616