Partition of Belgium of Belgium in the east is in fact more an observer than a player in the difficult negotiations between Flanders and Wallonia. The region of Eupen-Malmedy was given to Belgium in the aftermath of the First World War. (The former German city of Malmedy and the surrounding villages are Walloon and therefore are not part of the German-speaking Community.) The territory consists of two detached parts with a total area of about . Approximately 75,000 people live there. The conflict between Walloons and Flemings provided the German-speaking Community with considerable autonomy. Although the region is too small to play a
History of the Dutch language uuatare"" ("A fish was swimming in the water") and ""Gelobistu in got alamehtigan fadaer"" ("Do you believe in God the almighty father"). The latter fragment was written around 900. Arguably the most famous text containing what is traditionally taken to be Old Dutch is: ""Hebban olla vogala nestas hagunnan, hinase hic enda tu, wat unbidan we nu"" ("All birds have started making nests, except me and you, what are we waiting for"), dating around the year 1100, written by a Flemish monk in a convent in Rochester, England. The oldest known single word is "wad", attested in the toponym "vadam"