Facts & Figures about Brussels

An interesting fact is that Belgium (new window) is separated into 3 regions mainly due to differences in language – French and Dutch speakers. The regions are Flanders in the north (Dutch), Wallonia (new window) in the south (French) and Brussels in the center (Bilingual). There is also a small German-speaking area called the East Cantons.

• Conventional name for Belgium : Kingdom of Belgium
• Local name: Belgique (French) / België (Dutch) / Belgien (German)
• Capital city: Brussels, the Brussels-Capital region consists of 19 communes. Brussels is also the Capital of Europe
• Population: 1.1 million inhabitants in Brussels and roughly 30% of the city’s total population is foreign
• Location: Western Europe, bordered between the Netherlands, Germany, France and the North Sea
• Green Spaces: Parks, woods and forests account for 11.4% of the region’s territory
• Time zone: The time is GMT +1 in winter GMT + 2 in summer
• Climate: Brussels has a maritime climate, average temperature in summer is ± 16°Celsius (± 60° Fahrenheit) and ± 3°Celsius (± 37° Fahrenheit) in the winter
• Official languages: French, Dutch and German
• Monetary unit: Euros (€)
• The nearest airports for Brussels are: Brussels Airport (new window) (Zaventem) and Brussels South (new window) (Charleroi)
• Wifi: Wifi.brussels is the official wifi network of the Brussels Capital Region: http://wifi.brussels (new window)