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___ Belgium |
 Blossoming season, Alken, Flemish Brabant, Belgium. Image: Niele Geypens |
 Location map of Belgium The country occupies an area of 30,528 km², it is about three-fourths the size of neighboring Netherlands, or about the size of the U.S. state of Maryland. Belgium is a federal state divided into three regions: Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north, francophone Wallonia in the south and Brussels, the bilingual capital, where French and Dutch share official status. There is also a small German-speaking minority in the eastern part of the country. The country has a population of 11,2 million people (in 2016), capital and largest city is Brussels. |
Belgium | Belgique | België | Belgien |
Country Profile |
Background: Belgium became independent from the Netherlands after a nationalist revolt in 1830. Occupied and devastated during both world wars, Belgium formed the Benelux Customs Union with the Netherlands and Luxembourg in 1948 and became a founding member of the EEC. 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. Read more about Belgium's History. |
Official Name: Royaume de Belgique - Koninkrijk Belgie local short form: Belgique - België int'l long form: Kingdom of Belgium int'l short form: Belgium ISO Country Code: be, bel Time Zone: CET -- Central European Time Actual Time: Sun-Dec-8 12:00 Local Time = UTC +1h Daylight Saving Time (DST) March - October (UTC +2) Country Calling Code: +32 Capital: Bruxelles (Brussels - pop. 954 460) Other Cities: Antwerp (pop. 445,570) Brugge (pop. 116,559) Charleroi (pop. 202,233) Gent (pop. 224,685) Liège (pop. 184,550) Namur (pop. 105,248) Verviers, Waterloo Government: Federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch Independence: 1830 (from the Netherlands) Geography: Location: Western Europe Area: 30,528 km² (11,786 sq. mi.) Highest elevation: Signal de Botrange (694 m) Climate: Temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy People: Nationality: noun: Belgian(s) adjective: Belgian Population: 11.2 million (2016) GNI per capita PPP: $ 31 549 (year) Religions: Predominantly Roman Catholic (although less than 20% practicing); Protestant, Jewish, Islamic, Anglican, Greek and Russian Orthodox recognized. Languages: Dutch, French, German Linguistic regions: Dutch-speaking 58%; French-speaking 32%; legally bilingual (Brussels) 9.3%; German-speaking 0.7% Literacy: 98%. Natural resources: Coal, natural gas, construction materials, silica sand, carbonates. Agriculture products: Sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk. Industries: Engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum. Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, finished diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs Exports partners: Germany 16.9%, France 15.5%, Netherlands 11.4%, UK 8.8%, USA 6%, Italy 5% (2015) Imports - commodities: raw materials, machinery and equipment, chemicals, raw diamonds, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, transportation equipment, oil products Imports partners: Netherlands 16.7%, Germany 12.7%, France 9.6%, USA 8.7%, UK 5.1%, Ireland 4.7%, China 4.3% (2015) Currency: Euro (EUR) |
Political system Belgium is a federally organized constitutional hereditary monarchy with a bicameral parliament. Head of state is the King. He appoints ministers, including a Prime Minister with parliament approval. Head of government is the Prime Minister. The federal legislative power is exercised by the King and the Chamber of Representatives. The two Houses of Parliament are the Chamber of Representatives with 150 and the Senate with 60 members. In Belgium voting is compulsory. Note: External links will open in a new browser window. Official Sites of Belgium The Belgian MonarchyOfficial website of the Belgian King and the members of the Royal Family. Prime Minister of Belgium Belgian Prime Minister’s website. Het federale Parlement van België - Le parlement fédéral de la Belgique The Federal Parliament of Belgium. The bicameral federal parliament is composed of the Senate (or upper house) and the Chamber of Representatives. Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Belgium. Portal Belgium.be Official portal of Belgium. Diplomatic Missions Permanent Mission of Belgium to the United Nations The Belgian UN Mission. Embassy of Belgium Washington D.C. Belgian Embassies Abroad Addresses of Belgian Embassies Abroad. Foreign Embassies in Belgium Addresses of Foreign Embassies in Belgium. Visa for Belgium Visa information for Belgium. Statistics Statistics Belgium Directorate-general Statistics and Economic information, the National Institute of Statistics. Weather Koninklijk Meteorologisch Instituut The Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium. Maps Map
of BelgiumPolitical Map of Belgium.  Google
Earth Belgium (Belgie, Belgique)Searchable map and satellite view of Belgium. Google
Earth BrusselsSearchable map and satellite view of Belgium's capital. Map
of EuropePolitical Map of Europe.  A floral carpet on the Grand Place in Brussels, the building on the left is Brussels Town Hall, the opposite building is known as the Breadhouse or Maison du Roi. Image: Wouter Hagens |
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NewsNews in Dutch language: De Standaard Daily news. De Morgen Daily news. Gazet van Antwerpen Daily newspaper. Het Laatste Nieuws Belgium daily. Het Nieuwsblad Belgium daily. News in French: La Libre Belgique Belgium and international news. Le Soir National and international news. Belgium News in German: Grenzecho |
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 Grand' Place Brussels © BTO/US |
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Arts & CultureAtomium Official Atomium's website of Belgium's most famous landmark. Cyberculture  Principia
CyberneticaPrincipia Cybernetica tries to tackle age-old philosophical questions with the help of the most recent cybernetic theories and technologies. Galleries Artsite Belgium Gallery List. Belgian Art Research Institute We plan to publish definitive catalogues raisonnés for several major Belgian artists. Famous Belgians Hergé Foundation Tintins Homepage. Jacques Brel Belgiums uber-most famous poet and singer. (site is not working) Magritte Magritte Museum displays works of the surrealist artist and great Belgian painter René Magritte. Paul Delvaux Foundation Paul Delvaux and museum dedicated to the Belgian painter, associated with Surrealism. Rubenshuis Antwerpen Peter Paul Rubens home. Fashion Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts Belgium - Fashion Department Think of unconventional fashion and you think of Antwerp. Opera De Munt/La Monnaie La Monnaie Opera House. Museum Musée de Louvain-la-Neuve University museum open to the public in 1979, part of the Department of Archeology and the History of Art, Louvain-la-Neuve. Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts- Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels. Design Museum Gent Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, Ghent. The accent in the collections and exhibitions lies on 20th century and actual design. Palais des Beaux-Arts de Charleroi Fine Arts at Charleroi. Royal Museums of Art and History One of the biggest museum institutions in Belgium. Royal Museum for Central Africa Part of the Belgian history. |
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Business & EconomyBelgium's modern, open, and private-enterprise-based economy has capitalized on its central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated mainly in the more heavily-populated region of Flanders in the north. With few natural resources, Belgium imports substantial quantities of raw materials and exports a large volume of manufactures, making its economy vulnerable to volatility in world markets. Belgian banks were severely affected by the international financial crisis in 2008 with three major banks receiving capital injections from the government, and the nationalization of the Belgian retail arm of a Franco-Belgian bank. Nationale Bank van België - Banque Nationale de Belgique The Central Bank of Belgium. Belgian Foreign Trade Agency Belgian Trade Promotion Organization. Brussels Stock Exchange (BSE) Brussels Stock Exchange merged with Paris Bourse, Lisbon Stock Exchange and the stock exchanges of Amsterdam, to form Euronext Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Belgium The official site of the Belgian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. business.belgium.be Information about investing in Belgium, part of Belgium's Information campaign about investing in Belgium. Golden Pages online Belgian's yellow pages. __Belgian Products The Atomium - Brusseles Since its creation in 1958, the Atomium has become a symbol of the 20th Century. Beer Paradise Belgian Breweries. Belgian Lace Belgian Lace Manufactory. Chocolate Neuhaus Chocolate since 1857. COTE D'OR Belgian Chocolate. Godiva Chocolate Godiva Chocolatier was founded in 1926 in Brussels. Diamonds Diamond High Council - HRD More than half of the world's consumption of rough as well as polished and industrial diamonds is traded in Antwerp. __Transportation Airlines Brussels Airlines Belgian airline, covering 43 European & 13 African destinations, corporate profile, timetables, etc. VLM Airlines The former regional business airline is now CityJet, CityJet bought Belgian airline VLM in 2007. Airport Brussels (Zaventem) International Airport Belgium's largest airport (IATA: BRU). Brussels South Charleroi Airport Second busiest airport Belgium's (IATA: CRL). _Rail Eurostar High-speed passenger train linking London, Paris and Brussels. NMBS/SNCB The Belgian Railways. |
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 The Atomium, the unique iconic landmark in Brussels consists of nine interconnected spheres, it is a model of an elementar arrangement of atoms of an iron crystal, enlarged 165 billion times. Image: © atomium.be - SABAM - DJ Sharko Destination Belgium - Travel and Tour GuidesDiscover Belgium: Wallonia, Flanders, Brussels, Antwerp, Charleroi, Ghent, Namur, WaterlooAccommodation, hotels, attractions, festivals, events, tourist boards, tours and much more. Office de Promotion du Tourisme Wallonie Belgian Tourist Office for Brussels and Wallonia. Toerisme Vlaanderen Belgian Tourist Office for Brussels and Flanders. Belgian National Tourist Office Official Site of the Belgian Tourist Office in The Americas.  Canal in Brugge, view from Huidenvettersplein with the famous 13th-century belfry in the background. Image: Elke Wetzig  Historic Centre of BruggeBrugge (Bruges) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, the Historic Town of Brugge, a medieval historic city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. La Grand-Place, BrusselsThe central square of Brussel since the Middle Ages, is surrounded by Gothic buildings, guildhalls, Brussels Town Hall, and the Breadhouse building which today houses the Museum of the City of Brussels  Lifts on the old Canal du CentreThe four hydraulic boat-lifts on the historic Canal du Centre, near the town of La Louvière, Wallonia, are industrial monuments built in the late 19th and early 20th century. Notre-Dame Cathedral in TournaiThe Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Tournai was built in the first half of the 12th century. The building combines the work of three design periods. It is especially distinguished by a Romanesque nave of extraordinary dimensions and a wealth of sculpture on its capitals. Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex The Plantin-Moretus Museum is a museum in Antwerp, it was originally a printing plant and publishing house dating from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The complex is is associated with the history of the invention and spread of printing. More World Heritage Sites in Belgium  The historic Canal du Centre, Wallonia. Image: Davidh820 Brussels VisitBrussels Welcome to the official website of the Tourism and convention bureau of Brussels. Welcome to Brussels A guide to Brussels. Other Belgian Cities: City of Antwerp Digital Metropolis Antwerp. Stad Brugge The City of Bruges. Ville de Charleroi The City of Charleroi. Gent The City of Ghent. Ville de Liège The City of Liege. Namur The City of Namur, the capital of Wallonia. Verviers The Wallonian Capital of Water. Commune de Waterloo The City of Waterloo. Hotels Le Métropole Brussels' legendary hotel. |
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EducationKatholieke Universiteit Leuven One of the best European universities. University of Ghent UGent, is one of the major universities in the Dutch-speaking region, founded in 1817 as a Latin-speaking State University. Université Libre de Bruxelles Founded in 1834. University of Liège University of Liège was founded in 1817 Vrije Universiteit Brussel Flemish university with a specific ideological basis, namely Free Inquiry, founded in 1970. Royal Library Belgium Koninklijke Bibliotheek België; Bibliothèque royale Belgique (Dutch, French) Science & Research Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Museum and research institution. Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium Official Belgian waether website. Royal Observatory of Belgium Home of the Belgian astronomy. Scientific and Technical Information Service (STIS) Information brokerage and document delivery. Research.be Belgian Portal for Research and Innovation in the fields of Science and Technology. |
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Environment & NatureEnvironmental organizations Belgium Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Belgium portal site to promote technical and scientific cooperation in the field of biodiversity. Greenpeace Belgium The Belgian Greenpeace organization (in French nad Dutch). Les Amis de la Terre-Belgique Friends of the Earth, Belgium. VMM - Vlaamse Milieumaatschappij The Flemish Environment Agency, a public Flemish institution. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) - Belgium The Belgian WWF site (in French nad Dutch). |
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HistoryBelgium History and politics About the different periods of Belgium's history. Belgium - Short History Outline of Belgian history. Genealogy Genealogy: Belgium - The BELGIUM-ROOTS Project |
Other Countries in Western Europe Austria | France | Germany | Liechtenstein | Luxembourg | Monaco | Netherlands | Switzerland Major Cities in Western Europe Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Brussels, Bordeaux, Frankfurt, The Hague, Hamburg, Köln (Cologne), Luxembourg City, Marseille, Monaco, München (Munich), Paris, Rotterdam, Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Toulouse, Vaduz, Vienna (Wien), Zürich |
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