The people of Belgium are primarily of two ethnic groups, the Flemings and the Walloons . The most distinguishing characteristic of these two groups is language. The Flemings speak Dutch, and the Walloons speak French. The predominantly Flemish provinces are in the northern half of Belgium, called Flanders, and the predominantly Walloon provinces are in the southern half, called Wallonia. The capital of Brussels, an enclave within the Flanders region, is mixed. In 1993 these three ethnolinguistic areas became official federal regions.