Editing Flanders (section)

=== Administrative divisions ===
{{Main|Provinces of Belgium|List of municipalities of the Flemish Region}}
[[File:VlaanderenProvincies.png|right|Provinces of Flanders]]

The present-day '''[[Flemish Region]]''' covers {{convert|13625|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} and is divided into [[Provinces of Belgium|five provinces]], [[Arrondissements of Belgium|22 arrondissements]] and [[List of municipalities of the Flemish Region|285 cities or municipalities]].

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" | Province !! Capital city !! Administrative arrondissements !! Municipalities !! Population<br />{{small|(1 January 2024)}}<ref name="statbel.fgov.be"/>!! Area<ref name="bestat.statbel.fgov.be">{{Cite web|url=https://bestat.statbel.fgov.be/bestat/crosstable.xhtml?view=90c1e218-dc4f-4827-824d-9b25abfefe59|title=be.STAT|website=bestat.statbel.fgov.be}}</ref>!! Density
|-
| 1 || {{flag|Antwerp}} (''Antwerpen'') || [[Antwerp]] (''Antwerpen'') || [[Arrondissement of Antwerp|Antwerp]], [[Arrondissement of Mechelen|Mechelen]], [[Arrondissement of Turnhout|Turnhout]] || 67 || style="text-align:right" | 1,926,522 || {{convert|2876|km2|abbr=on}} || {{convert|652|/km2|abbr=on}}
|-
| 2 || {{flag|Limburg (Belgium)|name=Limburg}} || [[Hasselt]] || [[Arrondissement of Hasselt|Hasselt]], [[Arrondissement of Maaseik|Maaseik]], [[Arrondissement of Tongeren|Tongeren]] || 38 || style="text-align:right" | 900,098 || {{convert|2427|km2|abbr=on}} || {{convert|363|/km2|abbr=on}}
|-
| 3 || {{flag|East Flanders}} (''Oost-Vlaanderen'') || [[Ghent]] (''Gent'') || [[Arrondissement of Aalst|Aalst]], [[Arrondissement of Dendermonde|Dendermonde]], [[Arrondissement of Eeklo|Eeklo]], [[Arrondissement of Ghent|Ghent]], [[Arrondissement of Oudenaarde|Oudenaarde]], [[Arrondissement of Sint-Niklaas|Sint-Niklaas]] || 55 || style="text-align:right" | 1,572,002 || {{convert|3007|km2|abbr=on}} || {{convert|509|/km2|abbr=on}}
|-
| 4 || {{flag|Flemish Brabant}} (''Vlaams-Brabant'') || [[Leuven]] || [[Halle-Vilvoorde administrative Arrondissement|Halle-Vilvoorde]], [[Leuven administrative Arrondissement|Leuven]] || 63 || style="text-align:right" | 1,196,773 || {{convert|2118|km2|abbr=on}} || {{convert|549|/km2|abbr=on}}
|-
| 5 || {{flag|West Flanders}} (''West-Vlaanderen'') || [[Bruges]] (''Brugge'') || [[Arrondissement of Bruges|Bruges]], [[Arrondissement of Diksmuide|Diksmuide]], [[Arrondissement of Ypres|Ypres]], [[Arrondissement of Kortrijk|Kortrijk]], [[Arrondissement of Ostend|Ostend]], [[Arrondissement of Roeselare|Roeselare]], [[Arrondissement of Tielt|Tielt]], [[Arrondissement of Veurne|Veurne]] || 62 || style="text-align:right" | 1,226,375 || {{convert|3197|km2|abbr=on}} || {{convert|376|/km2|abbr=on}}
|}

The province of Flemish Brabant is the most recently created, being formed in 1995 after the splitting of the [[province of Brabant]] on a linguistic basis.

Most municipalities are made up of several former municipalities, now called ''[[deelgemeente]]n''. The largest municipality (both in terms of population and area) is [[Antwerp]], having more than half a million inhabitants. Its nine ''deelgemeenten'' have a special status and are called [[Districts of Antwerp|districts]], which have an elected council and a college. While any municipality with more than 100,000 inhabitants can establish districts, only Antwerp did this so far. The smallest municipality (also both in terms of population and area) is [[Herstappe]] (Limburg).{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}

[[File:Bruxelles Brussels-Capital Belgium Map.svg|thumb|Brussels-Capital Region with the [[City of Brussels]] (one of 19 municipalities) in red]]

The '''[[Flemish Community]]''' covers both the [[Flemish Region]] and, together with the French Community, the [[Brussels|Brussels-Capital Region]]. Brussels, an enclave within the province of Flemish Brabant, is not divided into any province nor is it part of any. It coincides with the [[Arrondissement of Brussels-Capital]] and includes [[List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region|19 municipalities]].

The [[Flemish Government]] has its own local institutions in the Brussels-Capital Region, being the ''[[Flemish Community Commission|Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie]]'' (VGC), and its municipal antennae (''Gemeenschapscentra'', community centres for the Flemish community in Brussels). These institutions are independent from the educational, cultural and social institutions that depend directly on the Flemish Government. They exert, among others, all those cultural competences that outside Brussels fall under the provinces.