 Definition  Field Listing  Rank
Order
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Background: |
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. Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Location: |
Western
Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands
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Geographic coordinates: |
50 50 N, 4
00 E |
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Map references: |
Europe
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Area: |
total:
30,528 sq km
land: 30,278 sq km
water: 250 sq
km |
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Area - comparative: |
about the
size of Maryland |
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Land boundaries: |
total: 1,385 km
border countries: France 620
km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km |
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Coastline: |
66.5 km
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Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic
zone: geographic coordinates define outer limit
continental shelf: median line with neighbors |
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Climate: |
temperate;
mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy |
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Terrain: |
flat coastal
plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of
Ardennes Forest in southeast |
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Elevation extremes: |
lowest
point: North Sea 0 m
highest point: Signal de
Botrange 694 m |
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Natural resources: |
coal,
natural gas, construction materials, silica sand, carbonates |
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Land use: |
arable
land: 23.28%
permanent crops: 0.4%
other:
76.32%
note: includes Luxembourg (2001) |
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Irrigated land: |
40 sq km
(includes Luxembourg) (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards: |
flooding is
a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land,
protected from the sea by concrete dikes |
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Environment - current issues: |
the
environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities:
urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, extensive
animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also
have repercussions for neighboring countries; uncertainties
regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) have
slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges |
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Environment - international agreements: |
party
to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile
Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not
ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants |
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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
Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Population: |
10,348,276
(July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure: |
0-14
years: 17.1% (male 901,486; female 863,092)
15-64
years: 65.6% (male 3,424,438; female 3,364,057)
65 years
and over: 17.3% (male 739,479; female 1,055,724) (2004 est.)
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Median age: |
total: 40.2 years
male: 38.9 years
female: 41.5 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate: |
0.16% (2004
est.) |
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Birth rate: |
10.59
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate: |
10.2
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate: |
1.23
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio: |
at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04
male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65
years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population:
0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate: |
total:
4.76 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.36 deaths/1,000
live births
female: 4.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2004
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 78.44 years
male: 75.26 years
female: 81.75 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate: |
1.64 children
born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
0.2% (2003
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
10,000 (2003
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
less than 100
(2003 est.) |
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Nationality: |
noun:
Belgian(s)
adjective: Belgian |
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Ethnic groups: |
Fleming 58%,
Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11% |
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Religions: |
Roman
Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25% |
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Languages: |
Dutch
(official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than
1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French) |
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Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: NA
female: NA Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Country name: |
conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium
conventional short form: Belgium
local long
form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie
local short
form: Belgique/Belgie |
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Government type: |
federal
parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch |
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Capital: |
Brussels
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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
note: as a
result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered devolution
into a federal state, there are now three levels of government
(federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex
division of responsibilities |
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Independence: |
4 October
1830 a provisional government declared independence from the
Netherlands; 21 July 1831 the ascension of King Leopold I to the
throne |
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National holiday: |
21 July
(1831) ascension to the Throne of King Leopold I |
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Constitution: |
7 February
1831, last revised 14 July 1993; parliament approved a
constitutional package creating a federal state |
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Legal system: |
civil law
system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial review
of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations |
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Suffrage: |
18 years of
age; universal and compulsory |
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Executive branch: |
chief of
state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993); Heir Apparent
Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch
head of government:
Prime Minister Guy VERHOFSTADT (since 13 July 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers formally appointed by the
monarch
elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary;
following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or
the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime
minister by the monarch and then approved by Parliament
note: government coalition - VLD, MR, PS, SP.A-Spirit
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Legislative branch: |
bicameral
Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in Dutch, Senat in French
(71 seats; 40 members are directly elected by popular vote, 31 are
indirectly elected; members serve four-year terms) and a Chamber of
Deputies or Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch, Chambre des
Representants in French (150 seats; members are directly elected by
popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: Senate and Chamber of
Deputies - last held 18 May 2003 (next to be held no later than May
2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party
- SP.A-Spirit 15.5%, VLD 15.4%, CD & V 12.7%, PS 12.8%, MR
12.1%, VB 9.4%, CDH 5.6%; seats by party - SP.A-Spirit 7, VLD 7, CD
& V 6, PS 6, MR 5, VB 5, CDH 2, other 2 (note - there are also
31 indirectly elected senators); Chamber of Deputies - percent of
vote by party - VLD 15.4%, SP.A-Spirit 14.9%, CD & V 13.3%, PS
13.0%, VB 11.6%, MR 11.4%, CDH 5.5%, Ecolo 3.1%; seats by party -
VLD 25, SP.A-Spirit 23, CD & V 21, PS 25, VB 18, MR 24, CDH 8
Ecolo 4, other 2
note: as a result of the 1993
constitutional revision that furthered devolution into a federal
state, there are now three levels of government (federal, regional,
and linguistic community) with a complex division of
responsibilities; this reality leaves six governments each with its
own legislative assembly; for other acronyms of the listed parties
see the Political parties and leaders entry |
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Judicial branch: |
Supreme
Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) or Cour de Cassation
(in French) (judges are appointed for life by the Government;
candidacies have to be submitted by the High Justice Council) |
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Political parties and leaders: |
Christian
Democrats and Flemish or CD & V [Yves LETERME]; Ecolo
(Francophone Greens) [Jean-Michel JAVAUX, Evelyne HUYTEBROECK,
Claude BROUIR]; Flemish Liberal Democrats or VLD [Karel DE GUCHT];
Flemish Socialist Party.Alternative or SP.A [Steve STEVAERT];
Francophone Humanist and Democratic Center of CDH [Joelle MILQUET];
Francophone Reformist Movement or MR [Antoine DUQUESNE]; Francophone
Socialist Party or PS [Elio DI RUPO]; GROEN! (formerly AGALEV,
Flemish Greens) [Vera DUA]; National Front or FN [Daniel FERET]; New
Flemish Alliance or NVA [Bart DE WEVER]; Spirit [Els VAN WEERT];
note - new party now associated with SP.A; Vlaams Blok or VB [Frank
VANHECKE]; other minor parties |
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Political pressure groups and leaders: |
Christian,
Socialist, and Liberal Trade Unions; Federation of Belgian
Industries; numerous other associations representing bankers,
manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical
professions; various organizations represent the cultural interests
of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as Pax Christi
and groups representing immigrants |
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International organization participation: |
ACCT, AfDB,
AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU,
ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW,
OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK,
UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Franciskus VAN DAELE
chancery:
3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 333-6900
FAX: [1] (202) 333-3079
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and
New York |
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Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Brenda B.
SCHOONOVER
embassy: Regentlaan 27 Boulevard du Regent,
B-1000 Brussels
mailing address: PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE
09710
telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111
FAX: [32]
(2) 511-2725 |
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Flag description: |
three equal
vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the design
was based on the flag of France Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Economy - 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 about 100% of
GDP, and the government has succeeded in balancing its budget.
Belgium, together with 11 of its EU partners, began circulating the
euro currency in January 2002. Economic growth in 2001-03 dropped
sharply because of the global economic slowdown. Prospects for 2004
again depend largely on recovery in the EU and the US. |
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GDP: |
purchasing
power parity - $299.1 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate: |
1.1% (2003
est.) |
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GDP - per capita: |
purchasing
power parity - $29,100 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 1.9%
industry: 26.3%
services: 71.8% (2003) |
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Investment (gross fixed): |
19.7% of GDP
(2003) |
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Population below poverty line: |
4% (1989
est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage
share: |
lowest
10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 23% (1996) |
|
Distribution of family income - Gini
index: |
28.7 (1996)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
1.6% (2003
est.) |
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Labor force: |
4.73 million
(2003) |
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Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture
1.3%, industry 24.5%, services 74.2% (2003 est.) |
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Unemployment rate: |
8.1% (2003
est.) |
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Budget: |
revenues: $151.6 billion
expenditures: $151.1
billion, including capital expenditures of $1.56 billion (2003)
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Public debt: |
102% of GDP
(2003 est.) |
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Agriculture - products: |
sugar beets,
fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk
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Industries: |
engineering
and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, processed food and
beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum
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Industrial production growth rate: |
-1.5% (2003
est.) |
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Electricity - production: |
74.28 billion
kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption: |
78.18 billion
kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports: |
6.712
billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports: |
15.82
billion kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production: |
0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption: |
595,100
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports: |
450,000
bbl/day (2001) |
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Oil - imports: |
1.042 million
bbl/day (2001) |
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Natural gas - production: |
0 cu m (2001
est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption: |
15.5 billion
cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports: |
0 cu m (2001
est.) |
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Natural gas - imports: |
15.4 billion
cu m (2001 est.) |
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Current account balance: |
$10.69
billion (2003) |
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Exports: |
$182.9
billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities: |
machinery
and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products,
foodstuffs |
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Exports - partners: |
Germany
19.5%, France 17.4%, Netherlands 11.7%, UK 9%, US 6.7%, Italy 5.4%
(2003 est.) |
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Imports: |
$173 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities: |
machinery
and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs,
transportation equipment, oil products |
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Imports - partners: |
Germany
17.7%, Netherlands 16.5%, France 13.2%, UK 7.5%, US 5.9%, Ireland
5.7% (2003 est.) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: |
$14.45
billion (2003) |
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Debt - external: |
$28.3 billion
(1999 est.) |
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Economic aid - donor: |
ODA, $1.072
billion (2002) |
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Currency: |
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union
introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial
institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became
the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member
countries |
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Currency code: |
EUR |
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Exchange rates: |
euros per US
dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000),
0.9386 (1999) |
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Fiscal year: |
calendar
year Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Railways: |
total:
3,518 km
standard gauge: 3,518 km 1.435-m gauge (2,631 km
electrified) (2003) |
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Highways: |
total:
148,216 km
paved: 116,687 km (including 1,727 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 31,529 km (2000) |
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Waterways: |
2,043 km
(1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2003) |
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Pipelines: |
gas 1,485
km; oil 158 km; refined products 535 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors: |
Antwerp (one
of the world's busiest ports), Brugge, Gent, Hasselt, Liege, Mons,
Namur, Oostende, Zeebrugge |
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Merchant marine: |
total: 50 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,146,301
GRT/1,588,184 DWT
by type: bulk 1, cargo 8, chemical
tanker 11, container 6, liquefied gas 18, petroleum tanker 6
foreign-owned: Denmark 6, Finland 1, France 2,
Netherlands 3
registered in other countries: 69 (2003
est.) |
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Airports: |
42 (2003
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 25
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to
3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523
m: 1
under 914 m: 7 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914
m: 15 (2003 est.) |
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Heliports: |
1 (2003
est.) Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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