Speaking COMMUNES Number of French- Flemish- French and (wards) inhabitants speaking speaking Flemish Bruxelles 177,078 47,385 29,081 85,414 Anderlecht 64,157 11,211 24,320 23,486 Etterbeck 33,227 11,107 6,596 13,166 Forest 24,228 7,975 5,247 8,756 Ixelles 72,991 39,473 6,733 19,799 Jette 14,782 1,811 7,775 4,191 Koekelberg 12,750 1,770 5,702 4,378 Laeken 35,024 4,720 12,702 15,230 Molenbeek-St. Jean 72,783 11,663 24,910 31,331 Saint-Gilles 63,140 24,376 5,928 27,497 Saint-Josseten-Noode 31,865 10,547 3,349 14,859 Schaerbeek 82,480 20,975 13,677 40,525 Uccle 26,979 5,818 9,074 10,169 Woluwe--St.-Lambert 8,883 2,035 3,839 2,262 ------- ------- ------- ------- Totals 720,367 200,866 158,933 301,063 Although Brussels is generally placed on the Flemish side of the linguistic divide, it is interesting to note that the city may appropriately be considered as the northernmost extension of the area of Romance languages in Belgium. Only two villages of Flemish speech intervene between the capital and the Walloon area. They are Rhode-Saint-Genèse and Hoeylaert. Were it not for these two small communities, Brussels would not be an enclave of French speech in Flemish territory. But the two villages are separated by the forest of Soignes which extends in an elongated band, all the way south of Uccle and Boitsfort, to within reach of Waterloo. This wooded area acts as a link which connects Brussels with the ancient area of Romance speech. It tends to restrict Flemish in this section to the lowland to which it really belongs. Within the city limits the canal, which now replaces the natural water course flowing on the site, divides Brussels into Flemish-speaking quarters and districts entirely given up to French language. West of the waterway, the native vernacular prevails predominantly. This section of the Belgian capital is the site of its industries. Its population consists mainly of laborers. As early as the twelfth century, the members of the city’s guilds found it convenient to reside along the banks of the stream which watered the heart of their settlement. In our day, this part of Brussels presents similar advantages to factory owners and operators of industrial plants. [Illustration: