Brussels
Capital region of Belgium / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Brussels?
Summarize this article for a 10 years old
Brussels (French: Bruxelles [bʁysɛl] (
listen) or [bʁyksɛl] (listen); Dutch: Brussel [ˈbrʏsəl] (listen)), officially the Brussels-Capital Region[7][8] (French: Région de Bruxelles-Capitale;[lower-alpha 1] Dutch: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest),[lower-alpha 2] is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital of Belgium.[9] The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country and is a part of both the French Community of Belgium[10] and the Flemish Community,[11] but is separate from the Flemish Region (within which it forms an enclave) and the Walloon Region.[12][13]
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
_St._Michael_&_St._Gudula_Cathedral_Tower,_Brussels.jpg)
.jpg)
Brussels is the most densely populated region in Belgium, and although it has the highest GDP per capita,[14] it has the lowest available income per household.[15] The Brussels Region covers 162 km2 (63 sq mi), a relatively small area compared to the two other regions, and has a population of over 1.2 million.[16] The five times larger metropolitan area of Brussels comprises over 2.5 million people, which makes it the largest in Belgium.[17][18][19] It is also part of a large conurbation extending towards the cities of Ghent, Antwerp, and Leuven and the province of Walloon Brabant, in total home to over 5 million people.[20]
Brussels grew from a small rural settlement on the river Senne to become an important city-region in Europe. Since the end of the Second World War, it has been a major centre for international politics and home to numerous international organisations, politicians, diplomats and civil servants.[21] Brussels is the de facto capital of the European Union, as it hosts a number of principal EU institutions, including its administrative-legislative, executive-political, and legislative branches (though the judicial branch is located in Luxembourg, and the European Parliament meets for a minority of the year in Strasbourg).[22][23][lower-alpha 3] Because of this, its name is sometimes used metonymically to describe the EU and its institutions.[24][25] The secretariat of the Benelux and the headquarters of NATO are also located in Brussels.[26][27]
As the economic capital of Belgium and a top financial centre of Western Europe with Euronext Brussels, Brussels is classified as an Alpha global city.[28] It is also a national and international hub for rail, road and air traffic,[29] and are sometimes considered, together with Belgium, as the geographic, economic and cultural crossroads of Europe.[30][31][32] The Brussels Metro is the only rapid transit system in Belgium. In addition, both its airport and railway stations are the largest and busiest in the country.[33][34]
Historically Dutch-speaking, Brussels saw a language shift to French from the late 19th century.[35] Nowadays, the Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual in French and Dutch.[36][37] French is the lingua franca with over 90% of the inhabitants being able to speak it.[38][39] Brussels is also increasingly becoming multilingual. English is spoken as a second language by nearly a third of the population and many migrants and expatriates speak other languages as well.[38][40]
Brussels is known for its cuisine and gastronomic offer (including its local waffle, its chocolate, its French fries and its numerous types of beers),[41] as well as its historical and architectural landmarks; some of them are registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[42] Principal attractions include its historic Grand-Place/Grote Markt (main square), Manneken Pis, the Atomium, and cultural institutions such as La Monnaie/De Munt and the Museums of Art and History. Due to its long tradition of Belgian comics, Brussels is also hailed as a capital of the comic strip.[43][44]