Many enterprises work closely with local knowledge and research centres to develop new products and services.

[6] The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was €270 billion in 2018, accounting for 59% of Belgium's economic output.

[7] "De Lijn" serves as the main public transport company, run by the Flemish government.

Largest cities in the region include (with population figures as of 1 January 2018):[8] The Flemish Diamond (Dutch: Vlaamse Ruit) is the name of the central, populous area in Flanders and consists of several of these cities, such as Antwerp, Ghent, Leuven and Mechelen.

Spelling and grammar are regulated by a single authority, the Dutch Language Union (Nederlandse Taalunie), comprising a committee of ministers of the Flemish and Dutch governments, their advisory council of appointed experts, a controlling commission of 22 parliamentarians, and a secretariat.

[13][14] The term Flemish can be applied to the Dutch spoken in Flanders; it shows many regional and local variations.

Brussels was originally a Dutch-speaking city (Brabantian dialect to be exact),[16] but it was francised in the 19th and 20th centuries and is now officially bilingual in French and Dutch[9] (although largely French-speaking in practice).