Country’s population (million): 10.4 Currency: 1 Euro = 100 cents Territory (sq kms): 30 510 Administrative division
Region: Provincie / Province / Provinz Seat
Vlaams / Flamande / Flandern (Flanders) Brussel / Bruxelles / Brüssel
Antwerpen / Anvers Antwerpen / Anvers
Limburg / Limbourg Hasselt
Oost-Vlaanderen / Flandre orientale / Ostflandern (East Flanders) Gent /Gand
Vlaams-Brabant / Brabant flamand / Flämisch-Brabant (Flamish ~) Leuven / Louvain / Löwen West-Vlaanderen / Flandre occidentale / Westflandern (West Flanders) Brugge / Bruges / Brügge
Waals / Wallonne / Wallonien (Wallonia) Namen / Namur
Waals-Brabant / Brabant wallon / Wallonisch-Brabant (Wallonish ~) Waver / Wavre
Henegouwen / Hainaut / Hennegau Bergen / Mons
Luik / Liège / Lüttich Luik / Liège / Lüttich
Luxemburg / Luxembourg Aarlen / Arlon
Namen / Namur Namen / Namur
Brussel / Bruxelles / Brüssel (Capital City Region) Brussel / Bruxelles / Brüssel Geography
Belgium is situated in Western Europe, by the North Sea and the Ardennes Hills. The northern half of the country, Flanders lies on the German Plain with an oceanic climate. The southern half is situated in the region of the Ardennes Hills, and it is rich in coal and iron ore. Thus this region is a traditional heavy industrial area of Europe.
Economy
The steel industry was based on local coal and iron ore as early as the industrial revolution in Europe some 3 hundred years ago. However, the iron ore mines are exhausted today and Belgian economy imports iron as a raw material. Steel production per capita is the highest in Belgium in the global sense. The manufacture of military equipments and weapons is traditionally characteristic of Belgian engineering. The centre of engineering is in Gent and Liege. In energy production the coal based power plants were closed down and nuclear power plants and Dutch gas-heated power plants produce energy for Belgium. Another quality product of Belgian industry is glass, especially in Charleoi. In the food industry, chocolate production is noted with world famous quality sweets.
Antwerpen, the busiest Belgian city is a large port and it is referred to as the diamond capital of the world, because of its jewellery industry. Besides jewellery, Antwerpen is the centre of the pre-processing of all imported raw materials like precious metal ores and crude oil. Brussels is the centre of the European Union administration, and is especially known for its lace. The well developed agriculture in Flanders grows flax which provides the raw material for textile industry (hence the fine Brussels lace).
Belgium together with the Netherlands and Luxembourg form the Benelux formation which was the first European economic integration after World War I, started in 1948. In this sense the Benelux was the fore runner of the Common Market and later the European Union.
The transportation network (road and railway) is very dense in Belgium supporting economic activity.
Tourism is attracted mainly by the many historical monuments especially in Brugge, Brussels and Gent.
Agriculture Industry Services
The economic structure reflected in employment is very modern and strong in Belgium
Administration
Belgium is a constitutional monarchy of two large regions (Flanders with a Dutch-speaking Flemish population, Wallonia with a French-speaking Walloon population) and the capital region of Brussels the seat of adminsitration of the European Union. There are no overseas dependencies of Belgium;
the largest of them used to be Congo in Africa. The headquarters of the NATO is also seated in Brussels.
Society
Belgium is a site of regionalism as far as the Wallons (33 %) and the Flemish (58 %) are concerned.
They stand for French and Dutch-German oriented cultures respectively. The rate of urban inhabitants is very high (97 % of the total population lives in cities and only 3 % in the countryside).
Landmarks
Manneken Piss = a bronze statue of a little boy urinating. It is the symbol of Brussels, and was made by Jérome Du Quesnoy in 1619.
Atomium = a 102 metres high steel construction with 9 speheres 18 metres diameter each, connected to one another to symbolize the model of an atom. It was erected in 1958 for the World’s Fair held in Brussels, Its designer was André Waterkeyn.
Mini Europe = an amusement park with the small models of over 300 famous European buildings.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Belgium:
Flemish Beguinages in 15 towns = collections of small buildings used by Beguines, which were several lay sisterhoods of the Roman Catholic Church.
Grote Markt (The Grand Place) = the central square of Brussels.
The 4 Lifts on the old Canal du Centre and their environs in = are a series of hydraulic boat lifts and industrial monuments near the town of La Louvière in Wallonia.
Belfries (bell towers) of Belgium and France = a transboundary property; an unequalled
ensemble of 56 bell towers of Belgium and France which is designated as World Heritage Site, in recognition of an architectural manifestation of emerging civic independence in historic Flanders.
The Historic Centre of Brugge (Bruges) = along with a few other canal-based northern cities, such as Amsterdam or Stockholm, it is sometimes referred to as ’The Venice of the North’. At one time it was the ’chief commercial city’ of the world.
The town houses built by Victor Horta, Belgian architect = Hotel Tassel, Hotel Solvay, Hotel van Eetvelde, Maison & Atelier Horta.
Spiennes of Mons = the largest and earliest concentration of ancient Neolithic flint (a hard sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of mineral quartz) mines in Europe.
Notre Dame (Our Lady) Cathedral of Flanders = is one of the most important architectural monuments in Tournai.
The Plantin-Moretus Museum = is also a workshop in Antwerp, honouring the famous printers Christoffel Plantijn and Jan Moretus.
The Stoclet Palace = is a private mansion in Brussels, and it is one of the most refined and luxurious private houses of the 20th century.
Bulgaria (Bălgarija)
National flag Official name Coat of arms