What is the capital city of Belgium?

The capital city of Belgium is Brussels. More precisely, the Belgian Constitution identifies the City of Brussels as the national capital, within the larger Brussels-Capital Region.

Brussels became the capital of independent Belgium after the Belgian Revolution of 1830. It sits near the country’s centre and has long been influenced by both Dutch- and French-speaking communities. Today, the Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual, although French is widely used in daily life.

Brussels is also a major international centre. It hosts Belgium’s federal institutions, NATO headquarters, and key European Union institutions, including the European Commission and the Council of the European Union. This is why it is often called the “capital of Europe,” although the EU does not have one formally designated capital.

A common mix-up is treating the Brussels-Capital Region and the City of Brussels as exactly the same place. The region contains 19 municipalities; the City of Brussels is one municipality and the country’s constitutional capital.