Belgium Travel - Facts on Belgium

History		Top of Page
	Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830 and was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. It has prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy.
Geography		Top of Page
Location	Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands
Geographic Coordinates	50 50 N, 4 00 E
Area	Total: 30,528 sq km Land: 30,278 sq km Water: 250 sq km
Area - Comparative	About the size of Maryland
Land Boundaries	Total: 1,385 km Border countries: France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km
Coastline	66.5 km
Climate	Temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
Terrain	Flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Elevation Extremes	Lowest point: North Sea 0 m Highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m
Natural Resources	Coal, natural gas
Geography Note	Crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and NATO
Natural hazards	Flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
People		Top of Page
Population	10,379,067 (July 2006 est.)
Age Structure	0-14 years: 16.5% (male 873,130/female 836,785) 15-64 years: 66.1% (male 3,467,044/female 3,406,030) 65 years and over: 17.4% (male 746,969/female 1,062,268) (2007 est.)
Nationality	Noun: Belgian(s) Adjective: Belgian
Ethnic Groups	Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%
Religions	Religions: Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%
Language	Languages: Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)
Literacy	Definition: age 15 and over can read and write Total population: 98%

Government		Top of Page
Country Name	Conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium Conventional short form: Belgium Local short form: Belgique/Belgie Local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie
Government Type	Federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch
Capital	Brussels
Administrative Divisions	10 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Dutch: provincies, singular - provincie) and 3 regions* (French: regions; Dutch: gewesten); Antwerpen, Brabant Wallon, Brussels* (Bruxelles), Flanders, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaams-Brabant, Wallonia, West-Vlaanderen .
Independence	4 October 1830 a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands; 21 July 1831 the ascension of King Leopold I to the throne .
Flag Description	Three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the design was based on the flag of France.
Economy		Top of Page
Overview	This modern, private-enterprise economy has capitalized on its central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north. With few natural resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. Roughly three-quarters of its trade is with other EU countries. Public debt is nearly 100% of GDP. On the positive side, the government has succeeded in balancing its budget, and income distribution is relatively equal. Belgium began circulating the euro currency in January 2002. Economic growth in 2001-03 dropped sharply because of the global economic slowdown, with moderate recovery in 2004-06.
Currency	Euro
Currency Code	EUR
Communications		Top of Page
Telephone System	General assessment: highly developed, technologically advanced, and completely automated domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities.
Internet Country Code	.be
Transportation		Top of Page
Railways	total: 3,536 km standard gauge: 3,536 km 1.435-m gauge (2,950 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways	total: 150,567 km paved: 117,442 km (including 1,747 km of expressways) unpaved: 33,125 km (2004)
Waterways	2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2003)
Ports and Harbors	Antwerp (one of the world's busiest ports), Brussels, Gent, Liege, Oostende, Zeebrugge .
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