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Background Note: Belgium
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Kingdom of Belgium
Geography
Area: 32,547 square kilometers (12,566 sq. mi.), about the
size of Maryland.
Cities: Capital--Brussels (pop. 992,041). Other cities--Antwerp
(452,474); Ghent (228,016); Charleroi (200,460); Liège
(184,303); Bruges (116,811); and Namur (105,705).
People
Population (2004): 10,396,421; urban--69%.
Annual population growth rate: 0.4%.
Density: 861 per sq. mi. Linguistic regions--(Dutch-speaking)
Flanders 58%; (French-speaking) Wallonia 31.7%; (legally
bilingual) Brussels Capital Region 9.6%; German-speaking 0.7%.
Religions: Predominantly Roman Catholic, with Protestant,
Jewish, Muslim, Anglican, Greek and Russian Orthodox, as well as
secularism, "recognized" religions receiving government
subsidies.
Languages: Dutch, French, German.
Education: Literacy--98%.
Government
Type: Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch.
Independence: 1830.
Constitution: 1994 (revised).
Branches: Executive--King (head of state), Prime Minister
(head of government), Cabinet. Legislative--bicameral
parliament (Senate and House of Representatives). Flemish
Parliament and government for regional and community affairs;
Walloon Regional Parliament and government for Walloon regional
affairs; Francophone Community Parliament and government for
Francophone community affairs; Brussels Regional Parliament and
government for Brussels regional affairs; and German-language
Community Parliament and government for community affairs.
Major political parties: Christian Democratic, Liberal,
Socialist, Green, Vlaams Belang.
Suffrage: Over 18, compulsory.
Political subdivisions: Ten provinces, three regions, three
communities, 589 municipalities.
Economy
GDP (PPP) (2005 est.): $373.4 billion.
Annual real growth rate (2005): 1.3%.
Per capita income (PPP) (2005): $35,749.
Natural resources: Coal.
Agriculture: (1.4% of GDP) Products--livestock, including
dairy cattle, grain, sugarbeets, nursery products, flax,
tobacco, potatoes, and other fruits and vegetables.
Industry: (24% of GDP) Types--machinery, iron, coal,
textiles, chemicals, glass, pharmaceuticals, manufactured goods.
Trade: Exports--$244.4 billion (2004 est.): Iron and
steel, coal, transportation equipment, tractors, diamonds,
petroleum products. Imports--$208.8 billion (2005 est.):
Fuels, chemical products, grains, foodstuffs. Trading
partners--EU 74%; United States 6%.
GEOGRAPHY AND PEOPLE
Belgium is located in Western Europe, bordered by the
Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France, and the North Sea.
Although generally flat, the terrain becomes increasingly hilly
and forested in the southeast (Ardennes) region. Climate is
cool, temperate, and rainy; summer temperatures average 77°F,
winters average 45°F. Annual extremes (rarely attained) are 10°F
and 100°F.
Geographically and culturally, Belgium is at a
crossroads of Europe, and during the past 2,000 years has
witnessed a constant ebb and flow of different races and
cultures. Consequently, Belgium is one of Europe's true melting
pots with Celtic, Roman, Germanic, French, Dutch, Spanish, and
Austrian cultures having made an imprint.
Belgium is divided ethnically into the
Dutch-speaking Flemings and French-speaking Walloons, the 70,000
residents of the eastern German cantons, and the bilingual
capital of Brussels. The population density is the second
highest in Europe, after the Netherlands. |
