Belgium area: | 30,510sq km (11,780sq mi) |
population: | 10,239,085 |
capital (population): | Brussels (Brussel, Bruxelles, 959,318) |
government: | Federal constitutional monarchy |
ethnic groups: | Belgian 91% (Flemish 55%, Walloon 34%), German, Italian, French, Dutch, Turkish, Moroccan |
languages: | Dutch, French, German (all official) |
religions: | Christianity (Roman Catholic 72%) |
currency: | Euro = 100 cents |
Kingdom in
nw Europe. Belgium is a densely populated nation. Behind the North Sea coastline, which extends for
c.60km (40mi), lie coastal plains, including some polders – low-lying areas which have been drained and are protected from the sea by dykes. Central Belgium consists of low plateaux – except
Ardennes, a hilly region in the
se. The chief rivers, which occupy fertile valleys, are the Schelde in the
w, and the Sambre and Meuse flowing between the central plateau and the Ardennes. The capital is
Brussels. Other major cities include
Bruges,
Antwerp,
Ghent, and
Liège.
Climate and Vegetation
Belgium has a cool temperate climate. Moist winds from the Atlantic bring fairly heavy rain, and the Ardennes has heavy winter snowfalls. Brussels has mild winters and warm summers. Farmland and pasture cover
c.50% of Belgium. The forests, especially in the Ardennes, contain trees such as beech, birch, elm and oak, but in the
n, the birch forests and heathland have largely been replaced by plantations of evergreen trees.
History and Politics
One of the
Low Countries, in the Middle Ages Belgium was split into small duchies, such as
Brabant. In the 15th century, the country was united by the Dukes of
Burgundy. From 1482 to 1794, Belgium was ruled by the Netherlands, Spain, and Austria. Occupied during the French Revolutionary Wars, it passed to France in 1797.
In 1815, Belgium was subsumed into the Netherlands. Dutch discrimination led to rebellion and Belgium declared independence in 1830.
Leopold I became king. His successor,
Leopold II, encouraged industrialization and colonialism, notably in the Congo. In August 1914, Germany invaded Belgium, prompting British entry into World War I. Belgium stoutly resisted German occupation and it formed a major battleground in the war. In May 1940, Germany again invaded Belgium and
Leopold III capitulated.
In 1951, Leopold III was forced to abdicate and was succeeded by Baudouin. Despite the damage inflicted during World War II, the economy recovered quickly – helped by the Benelux customs union with Netherlands and Luxembourg (1958), and the formation of the European Common Market. Lying at the heart of Europe, Brussels is the administrative headquarters for the European Union (
EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (
NATO).
Belgium's relationship with its former colony, Congo (Zaïre), has been problematic: after granting independence in 1960, it sent troops to deal with coups in 1964 and 1978. A central domestic issue is the tension between Dutch-speaking Flemish and French-speaking
Walloons. During the 1980s, Belgium had a succession of coalition governments led by Wilfried Martens. In 1993, it adopted a federal system of government with three regional parliaments:
Flanders, Wallonia, and
Brussels. In the same year, Baudouin died and was succeeded by his brother, Albert II. In 1998, a paedophile murder case revealed corruption among the judiciary and police. After a second scandal, involving the dioxin contamination of food, a centre-right coalition won a landslide victory at elections in 1999, and Guy Verhofstadt replaced Jean-Luc Dehaene as prime minister.
Economy
Belgium is a major trading nation (2000 GDP per capita, US$25,300) with a modern transport system. Antwerp is one of the world's largest ports. Belgium's coal industry declined in the late 20th century, and it now imports many raw materials and fuels. The leading activity is manufacturing – products include steel and chemicals. Other industries include oil-refining, textiles, diamond cutting, and glassware. Agriculture employs only 3% of the workforce, but the country is mostly self-sufficient. The most valuable activities are dairy farming and livestock rearing. Belgium adopted the euro in 1999.
Political map
Physical map
Websites
http://www.belgium.be; http://www.opt.be
