Introduction
Brussels is the capital of Belgium and the administrative centre of the
European Union.
Brussels has been given its character by the coexistence of French and
Flemish culture. Brussels is offi cially bilingual, French and Dutch. It has
a population of 1.025.000 inhabitants.
Brussels is served by Brussels Airport located in the nearby Flemish
municipality of Zaventem, and by the much smaller so-called Brussels
South Airport, located near Charleroi, (Wallonia), and some 50 km
from Brussels.
Brussels is also served by direct high-speed rail links: to the United
Kingdom, the Eurostar train via the Channel Tunnel; to Amsterdam,
Paris and Cologne by the Thalys and to Cologne and Frankfurt by the
German ICE.
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