Is German an official language in Belgium?

Official Languages: French, Dutch and German. Wallon, the local variant of French, is used by 33\% of population. Flemish is used by more than 60\% of the population, and is spoken in the northern part of the country. The languages learned at school are officially labelled French and Dutch.

Do most people in Belgium speak German?

German is the least prevalent official language in Belgium, spoken natively by less than 1\% of the population. The German-speaking Community of Belgium numbers 77,000, residing in an area of Belgium that was ceded by the former German Empire as part of the Treaty of Versailles, which concluded World War I.

Who speaks German in Belgium?

The German-speaking Community is the smallest of the three federal communities in Belgium. On a territory of 854 square kilometre it has a population of 73 000 inhabitants. These are predominantly German-speaking Belgian nationals, but also Walloon, Flemish and foreign citizens.

Can you live in Belgium with only English?

It isn’t practical to move to Belgium if you don’t want to learn another language. You won’t get very far only speaking English here. If you are English speaking and you are willing to learn another language to live and work here then I would say give it a go.

Why is German an official language of Belgium?

In the east of Wallonia, next to the German border, are nine communities that used to belong to Germany. Belgium was given them in 1919, as a compensation for the damages suffered during the First World War. The inhabitants here speak German. Do you have to panic now and buy three language guides?

Why is German spoken in Belgium?

In the east of Wallonia, next to the German border, are nine communities that used to belong to Germany. Belgium was given them in 1919, as a compensation for the damages suffered during the First World War. The inhabitants here speak German.

Why does Belgium speak German?

While the official use of Flemish Dutch and French in Belgium date back centuries, German is a comparative newcomer. The German-speaking part of Belgium only became part of the Kingdom as a result of the Treaty of Versailles, at the end of World War I, when it was ceded to Belgium by the former German Empire.

How many German-speaking people are there in Belgium?

On 1 January 2019 there were 77,527 people living in the German-speaking Community (2005: 72,512; 2010: 75,222). These inhabitants account for 0.7\% of the total population of Belgium.

What language is spoken in Germany?

German
Germany/Official languages

Is German and Dutch the same?

Dutch is a unique language with a lot of interesting features. It’s most notable for being within the same language family as German but closely similar to the English language. In other words, it’s the link between the two languages. Dutch, however, can’t be described as the mixture of German and English.

Where is German spoken in Belgium?

Bordering the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg, the area has its own parliament and government at Eupen….German-speaking Community of Belgium.

What languages are spoken in Belgium?

Belgium. One of the official languages of Belgium is German, which has the third largest German-speaking population outside of Germany. Despite its distinction as an official language, it is considered one of the least common in the country with only approximately 73,000 native speakers and over 2.47 million second language speakers.

What is the German-speaking community of Belgium?

The German-speaking Community of Belgium numbers 77,000, residing in an area of Belgium that was ceded by the former German Empire as part of the Treaty of Versailles, which concluded World War I. In 1940, Nazi Germany re-annexed the region following its invasion of Belgium during World War II; after the war it was returned to Belgium.

Is Belgium Germanic or romance?

Belgium straddles the border between Germanic and Romance-speaking Europe, and this position is reflected in the country’s political, cultural and linguistic makeup. With three major languages spoken under the same roof, what can go wrong?

Where is German an official language outside of Germany?

Below is a look at some of the countries and territories where German is an official language (outside of Germany). One of the official languages of Belgium is German, which has the third largest German-speaking population outside of Germany.