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BELGIUM
Map of BELGIUM
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Location:
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Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands |
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Geographic coordinates:
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50 50 N, 4 00 E |
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Area:
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total: 30,528 sq km
land: 30,278 sq km
water: 250 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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about the size of Maryland |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,385 km
border countries: France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km |
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Coastline:
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66.5 km |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: geographic coordinates define outer limit
continental shelf: median line with neighbors |
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Climate:
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temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy |
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Terrain:
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flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: North Sea 0 m
highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m |
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Natural resources:
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construction materials, silica sand, carbonates |
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Land use:
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arable land: 27.42%
permanent crops: 0.69%
other: 71.89%
note: includes Luxembourg (2005) |
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Irrigated land:
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400 sq km (2003) |
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Total renewable water resources:
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20.8 cu km (2005) |
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 7.44 cu km/yr (13%/85%/1%)
per capita: 714 cu m/yr (1998) |
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Natural hazards:
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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:
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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) had slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, 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, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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Population:
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10,403,951 (July 2008 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 16.3% (male 864,287/female 828,435)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 3,476,802/female 3,416,383)
65 years and over: 17.5% (male 751,745/female 1,066,299) (2008 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Belgian(s)
adjective: Belgian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 75%, other (includes Protestant) 25% |
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Languages:
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Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.) |
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
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total: 16 years
male: 16 years
female: 16 years (2006) |
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Education expenditures - percent of GDP:
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6% (2004) |
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Country name:
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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:
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federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy |
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Capital:
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name: Brussels
geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
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Administrative divisions:
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10 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Dutch: provincies, singular - provincie) and 3 regions* (French: regions; Dutch: gewesten); Brussels* (Bruxelles) capital region; Flanders* region (five provinces): Antwerpen (Antwerp), Limburg, Oost-Vlaanderen (East Flanders), Vlaams-Brabant (Flemish Brabant), West-Vlaanderen (West Flanders); Wallonia* region (five provinces): Brabant Wallon (Walloon Brabant), Hainaut, Liege, Luxembourg, Namur
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:
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4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne) |
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National holiday:
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21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King LEOPOLD I
Source: http://cia.gov
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