Country: Please select Country Bulgaria Belgium Czech Republic Denmark Germany Estonia Greece Spain France Ireland Italy Cyprus Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Hungary Malta Netherlands Austria Poland Portugal Romania Slovenia Slovak Republic Finland Sweden United Kingdom NUTS 1: Select a NUTS 1 region RÉGION BRUXELLES-CAPITALE VLAAMS GEWEST RÉGION WALLONNE NUTS 2: Select a NUTS 2 region first NUTS 3: Select a NUTS 3 region

The regions of Belgium

The Kingdom of Belgium consists of three regions (NUTS 1), ten provinces (NUTS 2), 43 districts (NUTS 3) and 589 municipalities. In addition, Belgium has three communities: the Flemish community, the French community and the German community.

The breakdown into provinces, districts and municipalities dates from when Belgium became independent. The administrative breakdown into regions and communities is more recent - since 1978, when Belgium became a federal State.

The Brussels Region consists of the district of the capital city of Brussels (19 municipalities). The Flemish Region comprises the provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, East Flanders and West Flanders and the province of Flemish Brabant (the district of Halle-Vilvoorde and Leuven). It comprises 22 districts and 308 municipalities. The Walloon Region, which has 20 districts and 262 municipalities, comprises the provinces of Hainaut, Liège, Luxembourg and Namur, and the province of Walloon/Brabant (district of Nivelles).

When Belgium became independent it had 2 739 municipalities. After 243 municipalities were ceded to the Netherlands and G. D. Luxembourg in 1839, the figure increased to 2 675 in 1928, gradually declining thereafter until 1976. Following the mergers of 1977 the figure dropped to 596. Finally, in 1983, seven municipalities from the conurbation became part of the city of Antwerp.

Some of the mergers of municipalities needed changes in the boundaries of the districts and provinces. The main changes date from 1839, 1919, 1923 and 1963. The last changes were caused by the division of the Brussels district into the districts of the capital city of Brussels, Halle-Vilvoorde and Leuven (Province of Brabant) and the formation of the district of Mouscron (Province of Hainaut) from municipalities in the Province of West Flanders.