East Flanders (Dutch: Oost-Vlaanderen, French: (Province de) Flandre-Orientale, German: Ostflandern) is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders (clockwise from the North) on the Netherlands and in Belgium on the provinces of Antwerp, Flemish Brabant (both in Flanders), of Hainaut (Wallonia) and of West Flanders (Flanders). It has an area of 2,991 km² which is divided into six administrative districts (arrondissementen in Dutch) containing 65 municipalities. The provincial population is 1,408,484 and the capital is Ghent.
The flag has a black lion with red tongue and claws, on a background of horizontal white and green stripes. This is a recent adaptation. The flag of East-Flanders used to be the same as that of the Flanders region; a black lion on a yellow background. The old flag is still publicly used, e.g. for road signs.
Read more about East Flanders: Government
Famous quotes containing the words east and/or flanders:
“The majority of the men of the North, and of the South and East and West, are not men of principle. If they vote, they do not send men to Congress on errands of humanity; but while their brothers and sisters are being scourged and hung for loving liberty,... it is the mismanagement of wood and iron and stone and gold which concerns them.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,”
—John McCrae (1872–1918)