History, Wonder Tales, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends The Flemish | Page 28

DEMOGRAPHICS
The highest population density is found in the area circumscribed by the BrusselsAntwerp-Gent-Leuven agglomerations that surround Mechelen and is known as the
Flemish Diamond, in other important urban centres as Bruges and Kortrijk to the west,
and notable centres Turnhout and Hasselt to the east. As of April 2005, the Flemish
Region has a population of 6,058,368 and about 15% of the 1,018,029 people in the
Brussels Region are also considered Flemish.
The (Belgian) laicist constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the various
government generally respects this right in practice. Since independence, Catholicism,
counterbalanced by strong freethought movements, has had an important role in
Belgium's politics, since the 20th century in Flanders mainly via the Christian trade
union (ACV) and the Christian Democrat party (CD&V). According to the 2001 Survey
and Study of Religion,[17] about 47 percent of the Belgian population identify
themselves as belonging to the Catholic Church while Islam is the second-largest
religion at 3.5 percent. A 2006 inquiry in Flanders, considered more religious than
Wallonia, showed 55% to call themselves religious, 36% believe that God created the
world. (See also Religion in Belgium).
According to Npdata, 9.7% of the Flemish population is of foreign descent. 4.5%
European (including 1.8% Dutch, 0.6% Italian and 0.4% French), and 5.1% from
outside the European union, (including 1.8% Moroccan and 1.5% Turks).
Education is compulsory from the ages of six to 18, but most Flemings continue to
study until around 23. Among the OECD countries in 1999, Flanders had the thirdhighest proportion of 18–21-year-olds enrolled in postsecondary education. Flanders
also scores very high in international comparative studies on education. Its secondary
school students consistently rank among the top three for mathematics and science.
However, the success is not evenly spread: ethnic minority youth score consistently
lower, and the difference is larger than in most comparable countries.
Mirroring the historical political conflicts between the freethought and Catholic
segments of the population, the Flemish educational system is split into a laïque
branch controlled by the communities, the provinces, or the municipalities, and a
subsidised religious—mostly Catholic—branch controlled by both the communities and
the religious authorities—usually the dioceses. It should however be noted that—at
least for the Catholic schools—the religious authorities have very limited power over
these schools. Smaller school systems follow 'methodical pedagogies' (Steiner,
Montessori, Freinet, ...) or serve the Jewish and Protestant minorit ies.

28