Overview
The boundaries are complete up to municipality level. Part-municipalities aren't mapped 100% yet, but could still be handy to search addresses.
When name=* is used on ways, in order to avoid writing things like Liège Liège Liège, the following is recommended:
Mun1 -- Mun2 ARR: Arr1 -- Arr2 PROV: prov1 -- prov2
The municipality names are separated with a double hyphen and the arrondissement and province names are prefixed with ARR: and PROV:. The former em dash character has been replaced with double hyphen to prevent a DWG vandalism removing them.
Administrative boundaries
| Admin level
|
FR name
|
NL name
|
DE name
|
EN name
|
Remarks
|
| 2
|
Pays
|
Land
|
Staat
|
Country
|
A single country boundary. The country name is used when writing an international address.
|
| 4
|
Région
|
Gewest
|
Region
|
Region
|
Belgium is divided in three sovereign regions: Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. The regions decide mostly on economical matters. Regions are well known by locals, but not part of an address. However, the region can be easily guessed from the postcode (1xxx for Brussels, 2xxx 3xxx 8xxx and 9xxx for Flanders and 4xxx 5xxx 6xxx 7xxx for Wallonia).
|
| 6
|
Province
|
Provincie
|
Provinz
|
Province
|
The regions of Flanders and Wallonia are each divided in 5 provinces (so 10 provinces in total). Brussels does not have any provinces, and although it's enclosed by the province of Flemish-Brabant, it's not part of that province. Province boundaries are well known by locals (often different provinces compete in TV games), however, provinces are not part of any address information. For some provinces, the name is equal to their capital city, which may be confusing.
|
| 7
|
Arrondissement
|
Arrondissement
|
Arrondissement
|
Arrondissement
|
Arrondissements are rather hollow administrative divisions. Arrondissements mostly combine one city or bigger town with all surrounding municipalities. The name of the Arrondissement is normally equal to the name of that major town. Arrondissements aren't important at all, many people don't even know in what arrondissement they live.
|
| 8
|
Commune
|
Gemeente
|
Gemeinde
|
Municipality
|
A correct address always shows the municipality name. Municipalities do local road works, and decide the destination of a piece of ground. As a result of that, municipal boundaries are rather clear, and many people know of their friends in which municipalities they live.
In Belgium, a city is the same as a municipality, except that this municipality has been awarded the legal status of city. Cities and other municipalities therefore share the same admin_level=8, but can be distinguished via designation=*.
|
| Ville
|
Stad
|
Stadt
|
City
|
| 9
|
Section
|
Deelgemeente
|
Teilgemeinde
|
Part-municipality
|
The general consensus seems to map as admin_level=9 what NGI defines as submunicipalities.
Part-municipalities are no longer official administrative divisions. They used to be independent municipalities, until the big municipality merge in the 1960-70's. The boundaries are however rather well-known, because many people (certainly in rural areas) still refuse to use the official municipality in their address. As the boundaries don't exist anymore, the OSM boundaries are just estimates based on old maps, and can't be verified in many places. Mentioning a part-municipality in an address is accepted, but discouraged by the postal instances. Part-municipality names can also be ambiguous (the same name can be used for multiple places), while municipality names are unique throughout Belgium.
|
Other boundaries
Next to the administrative boundaries, there are also some other boundaries present in Belgium.
Belgium is also divided in 3 communities, which mostly overlap with the 3 regions. However, communities aren't economy-based, but language-based. The communities organise the politics surrounding culture and education. Both communities are active in the bi-lingual region of Brussels, as such, Brussels as a territory belongs to both communities. The German-speaking community is the smallest one, against the German border, and completely inside the Walloon region. Communities are mapped as a political boundary
Postcodes in Belgium are also mapped as boundaries. Mostly, there's a one-to-one relation between a postcode and a municipality. However, big municipalities (big cities) often have multiple postcodes to keep the number of inhabitants per postcode low enough; Brussels-City is a more complicated case because in addition of having 4 main zones numbered 1000, 1020, 1120 and 1130, some outer parts of its territory use 1030, 1040, 1050, 1070, which are postcodes typically associated with other municipalities. Therefore, one should never rely on a one-to-one relation for Brussels addresses. See boundary=postal_code for more info. Postcodes are part of official addresses, however, most people have to look them up when sending paper mail.
More information on the mapping of postal code boundaries can be found here: WikiProject Belgium/Boundaries/postal codes
Country (Land / Pays / Land)
boundary=administrative
admin_level=2
| Name
|
Relation
|
| België - Belgique - Belgien
|
52411 52411
|
Communities (Gemeenschappen / Communautés / Gemeinschaften)
boundary=political
political_division=linguistic_community
| Name
|
Relation
|
| Communauté française
|
78967 78967
|
| Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft
|
2425209 2425209
|
| Vlaamse Gemeenschap
|
53136 53136
|
Note that the Belgian corridors of the Vennbahn, between the mainland of Germany and the German exclaves (within the German community or locked by this community and the French community, need to be checked to see which Belgian municipalies actually contain them. See the section of municipalities below to assert this.
Regions (Gewesten / Régions / Regionen)
boundary=administrative
admin_level=4
| Name
|
Relation
|
| Région de Bruxelles-Capitale - Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest
|
54094 54094
|
| Région wallonne
|
90348 90348
|
| Vlaams Gewest
|
53134 53134
|
Provinces
boundary=administrative
admin_level=6
Arrondissements
boundary=administrative
admin_level=7
Municipalities and part municipalities (deelgemeente / section / Teilgemeinde) / divisions (sorted by province)
boundary=administrative
admin_level=8 (municipality)
admin_level=9 (deelgemeente / section / Teilgemeinde)
More detailed information about mapping part municipalities can be found here: WikiProject Belgium/Boundaries/Part-municipalities
Antwerpen
| Name
|
Relation
|
| Aartselaar
|
58545 58545
|
| Antwerpen
|
59518 59518
|
| Antwerpen
|
60709 60709
|
| Berchem
|
59515 59515
|
| Berendrecht-Zandvliet-Lillo
|
67940 67940
|
| Borgerhout
|
59577 59577
|
| Deurne
|
59576 59576
|
| Ekeren
|
62299 62299
|
| Hoboken
|
59534 59534
|
| Merksem
|
62307 62307
|
| Wilrijk
|
59519 59519
|
| Arendonk
|
1274223 1274223
|
| Baarle-Hertog
|
53137 53137
|
| Balen
|
1263915 1263915
|
| Beerse
|
1283042 1283042
|
| Berlaar
|
1186624 1186624
|
| Boechout
|
76278 76278
|
| Boechout
|
76297 76297
|
| Vremde
|
76300 76300
|
| Bonheiden
|
398062 398062
|
| Boom
|
58860 58860
|
| Bornem
|
391113 391113
|
| Bornem
|
|
| Hingene
|
|
| Mariekerke
|
|
| Weert
|
|
| Borsbeek
|
59501 59501
|
| Brasschaat
|
408294 408294
|
| Brecht
|
1277957 1277957
|
| Brecht
|
|
| Sint-Job-in-'t-Goor
|
|
| Sint-Lenaarts
|
|
| Dessel
|
1265121 1265121
|
| Duffel
|
964195 964195
|
| Edegem
|
58565 58565
|
| Essen
|
58565 58565
|
| Geel
|
1263541 1263541
|
| Grobbendonk
|
1283235 1283235
|
| Bouwel
|
|
| Grobbendonk
|
|
| Heist-op-den-Berg
|
1178384 1178384
|
| Booischot
|
|
| Hallaar
|
|
| Heist-op-den-Berg
|
|
| Itegem
|
|
| Schriek
|
|
| Wiekevorst
|
|
| Hemiksem
|
53376 53376
|
| Herentals
|
1275056 1275056
|
| Herentals
|
|
| Morkhoven
|
|
| Noorderwijk
|
|
| Herenthout
|
1283244 1283244
|
| Herselt
|
1282303 1282303
|
| Herselt
|
|
| Ramsel
|
|
| Hoogstraten
|
1284064 1284064
|
| Hoogstraten
|
|
| Meer
|
|
| Meerle
|
|
| Minderhout
|
|
| Wortel
|
|
| Hove
|
58642 58642
|
| Hulshout
|
1282313 1282313
|
| Houtvenne
|
|
| Hulshout
|
|
| Westmeerbeek
|
|
| Kalmthout
|
1284337 1284337
|
| Kapellen
|
61255 61255
|
| Kasterlee
|
1282971 1282971
|
| Kasterlee
|
3875061 3875061
|
| Lichtaart
|
3875062 3875062
|
| Tielen
|
3873203 3873203
|
| Kontich
|
58564 58564
|
| Kontich
|
58843 58843
|
| Waarloos
|
58847 58847
|
| Laakdal
|
1264101 1264101
|
| Eindhout
|
|
| Varendonk
|
|
| Veerle
|
|
| Vorst
|
|
| Lier
|
964259 964259
|
| Koningshooikt
|
|
| Lier
|
|
| Lille
|
1282972 1282972
|
| Gierle
|
|
| Lille
|
|
| Poederlee
|
|
| Wechelderzande
|
|
| Lint
|
58656 58656
|
| Malle
|
1277900 1277900
|
| Oostmalle
|
|
| Westmalle
|
|
| Mechelen
|
412864 412864
|
| Heffen
|
|
| Hombeek
|
|
| Leest
|
|
| Mechelen
|
|
| Muizen
|
|
| Walem
|
|
| Meerhout
|
1264080 1264080
|
| Merksplas
|
1284051 1284051
|
| Mol
|
1263864 1263864
|
| Mortsel
|
58641 58641
|
| Niel
|
58333 58333
|
| Nijlen
|
1283245 1283245
|
| Bevel
|
|
| Kessel
|
|
| Nijlen
|
|
| Olen
|
1282320 1282320
|
| Oud-Turnhout
|
1274222 1274222
|
| Putte
|
398058 398058
|
| Beerzel
|
|
| Putte
|
|
| Puurs
|
391117 391117
|
| Breendonk
|
|
| Liezele
|
|
| Puurs
|
|
| Ruisbroek
|
|
| Ranst
|
1283355 1283355
|
| Broechem
|
|
| Emblem
|
|
| Oelegem
|
|
| Ranst
|
|
| Ravels
|
1274221 1274221
|
| Poppel
|
|
| Ravels
|
|
| Weelde
|
|
| Retie
|
1265126 1265126
|
| Rijkevorsel
|
1277952 1277952
|
| Rumst
|
58824 58824
|
| Reet
|
58865 58865
|
| Rumst
|
58864 58864
|
| Terhagen
|
58863 58863
|
| Schelle
|
58364 58364
|
| Schilde
|
1283358 1283358
|
| 's-Gravenwezel
|
|
| Schilde
|
|
| Schoten
|
408297 408297
|
| Sint-Amands
|
391116 391116
|
| Lippelo
|
|
| Oppuurs
|
|
| Sint-Amands
|
|
| Sint-Katelijne-Waver
|
414402 414402
|
| Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver
|
|
| Sint-Katelijne-Waver
|
|
| Stabroek
|
60973 60973
|
| Hoevenen
|
60976 60976
|
| Stabroek
|
60974 60974
|
| Turnhout
|
1274122 1274122
|
| Vorselaar
|
1283231 1283231
|
| Vosselaar
|
1283041 1283041
|
| Westerlo
|
1282302 1282302
|
| Oevel
|
|
| Tongerlo
|
|
| Westerlo
|
|
| Zoerle-Parwijs
|
|
| Wijnegem
|
310363 310363
|
| Willebroek
|
414233 414233
|
| Blaasveld
|
|
| Heindonk
|
|
| Tisselt
|
|
| Willebroek
|
|
| Wommelgem
|
310381 310381
|
| Wuustwezel
|
1284088 1284088
|
| Gooreind
|
|
| Wuustwezel
|
|
| Zandhoven
|
1277901 1277901
|
| Massenhoven
|
|
| Zandhoven
|
|
| Zoersel
|
1283354 1283354
|
| Halle
|
|
| Zoersel
|
|
| Zwijndrecht
|
60889 60889
|
| Burcht
|
60888 60888
|
| Zwijndrecht
|
60887 60887
|
Brabant wallon
Brussels-Capital Region
| Name
|
Relation
|
| Anderlecht
|
58254 58254
|
| Auderghem/Oudergem
|
58263 58263
|
| Berchem (Saint-Agathe/Sint-Agatha)
|
60140 60140
|
| Bruxelles-Ville/Brussel-Stad
|
58274 58274
|
| Haren
|
|
| Laeken/Laken
|
|
| Neder-Over-Heembeek
|
|
| Etterbeek
|
58252 58252
|
| Evere
|
60144 60144
|
| Forest/Vorst
|
58249 58249
|
| Ganshoren
|
58257 58257
|
| Ixelles/Elsene
|
58250 58250
|
| Jette
|
58258 58258
|
| Koekelberg
|
58256 58256
|
| Molenbeek (Saint-Jean/Sint-Jan)
|
58255 58255
|
| Saint-Josse/Sint-Joost
|
58262 58262
|
| Saint-Gilles/Sint-Gillis
|
58248 58248
|
| Schaerbeek/Schaarbeek
|
58260 58260
|
| Uccle/Ukkel
|
58253 58253
|
| Watermael-Boisfort/Watermaal-Bosvoorde
|
58264 58264
|
| Woluwe (Saint-Lambert/Sint-Lambrecht)
|
60167 60167
|
| Woluwe (Saint-Pierre/Sint-Pieters)
|
60168 60168
|
Hainaut
Liège
Limburg
Luxembourg
Namur
Oost-Vlaanderen
Vlaams-Brabant
West-Vlaanderen
See also
Overview of all current boundaries: http://tools.geofabrik.de/osmi/?view=boundaries
See wiki page Key:boundary