Venue Work Shop Belgium

Brussels (French: Bruxelles, [bʁysɛl] ( listen); Dutch: Brussel, [ˈbrɵsəl] ( listen)), officially the Brussels-Capital Region^[6][7](French: Région de Bruxelles-Capitale, Dutch: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest),^[8] is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the de jure 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, but is separate from the region of Flanders (in which it forms an enclave) or Wallonia.^[11][12] Compared to most regions in Europe, Brussels has a relatively small territory, with an area of 161 km² (62.31 sq mi). The region has a population of 1.2 million and a metropolitan area with a population of over 2.1 million, the largest agglomeration in Belgium.^[13][14][15] Brussels is also part of a large conurbation which extends between Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven and Walloon Brabant and is home to over 5 million people.

Brussels has grown 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, Brussels has been a major centre for international politics and has become the home of numerous international organisations, politicians, diplomats and civil servants.^[16] Brussels is the de facto capital of the European Union, as it hosts a number of principal EU institutions (the other administrative centres are Luxembourg and Strasbourg).^[17][18][19] The name Brussels is sometimes used metonymically to describe the EU and its institutions.^[20][21] The secretariat of the Benelux and the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are also located in Brussels.^[22][23] Today, it is classified as an Alphaglobal city.^[24]

Historically a Dutch-speaking city, Brussels has seen a language shift to French from the late 19th century onwards. Today, the majority language is French, and the Brussels-Capital Region is an officially bilingual enclave within the Flemish Region. All road signs, street names, and many advertisements and services are shown in both languages.^[25] Brussels is increasingly becoming multilingual, being home to many international institutions. English is spoken as a second language by nearly a third of the population, while a large number of migrants and expatriates speak other languages, namely Arabic, Spanish, German and Italian.^[26]