Belgium

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Belgium

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Royaume de Belgique (French), Koninkrijk België (Flemish)/Kingdom of Belgium Area 30,510 sq km/11,779 sq mi Capital Brussels Language Flemish (a Dutch dialect, known as Vlaams; official) (spoken by 56%, mainly in Flanders, in the north), French (especially the dialect Walloon; official) (spoken by 32%, mainly in Wallonia, in the south), German (0.6%; mainly near the eastern border) Religion Roman Catholic 75%, various Protestant denominations Time difference GMT +1 Major holidays 1 January, 30 November, 25–26 December; variable: Ascension Thursday, Easter Monday, Whit Monday, May, August, and November holidays


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Antwerp, Ghent, Liège, Charleroi, Bruges, Mons, Namur, Louvain Major ports Antwerp, Ostend, Zeebrugge Physical features fertile coastal plain in northwest, central rolling hills rise eastwards, hills and forest in southeast; Ardennes Forest; rivers Schelde and Meuse Airports five principal international airports; total passengers carried: 21 million (2002) Railways total length: 3,518 km/2,186 mi; total passenger journeys: 160.3 million (2002) Roads total road network: 149,757 km/93,055 mi, of which 78.2% paved; passenger cars: 527 per 1,000 people (2003 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state King Albert II from 1993 Head of government Guy Verhofstadt from 1999 Political system liberal democracy Political executive parliamentary Administrative divisions ten provinces within two regions, and the capital, Brussels Political parties Flemish Christian Social Party (CVP), left of centre; French Social Christian Party (PSC), left of centre; Flemish Socialist Party (SP), left of centre; French Socialist Party (PS), left of centre; Flemish Liberal Party (PVV), moderate centrist; French Liberal Reform Party (PRL), moderate centrist; Flemish People's Party (VU), federalist; Flemish Vlaams Blok, right wing; Flemish Green Party (Agalev); French Green Party (Ecolo), ecological Death penalty abolished in 1996 Armed forces 37,000; plus 18,650 reserves (2006 est) Conscription military service is voluntary Defence spend (% GDP) 1.2 (2004 est) Education spend (% GDP) 1.3 (2005 est) Health spend (% GDP) 6.3 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency euro (Belgian franc until 2002) GDP (US$) 364.7 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 2.7 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 373.8 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 32,640 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 2.1% (2006 est) Unemployment 8.2% (2006 est) Labour force 2% agriculture, 24.9% industry, 73.1% services (2005) Major trading partners France, Germany, the Netherlands, UK, USA, EU Resources coal, coke, natural gas, iron Industries wrought and finished steel, cast iron, sugar refining, glassware, chemicals and related products, beer, textiles, rubber and plastic products Exports food, livestock and livestock products, gem diamonds, chemicals, iron and steel manufactures, machinery and transport equipment, food, drink, and tobacco. Principal market: France 17.6% (2005) Imports chemicals, food and live animals, beverages and tobacco, machinery and transport equipment, precious metals and stones, mineral fuels and lubricants. Principal source: the Netherlands 21.1% (2005) Arable land 27.4% (2006 est) Agricultural products wheat, barley, potatoes, beet (sugar and fodder), fruit, tobacco; livestock (pigs and cattle) and dairy products


POPULATION

Population 10,437,000 (2006 est) Population growth rate 0.1% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 342 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 97 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 17%, 15–59 61%, 60+ 22% (2005 est) Ethnic groups mainly Flemings in north, Walloons in south Life expectancy 77 (men); 83 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 5 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 13 Literacy rate 99% (men); 99% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 42.4 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 7.3 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.3 (2005 est) AIDS deaths <100 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 100 (urban); 100 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 46 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 90.8 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 793 (1997) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 555 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 34.7 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 46.1 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

57 BC Romans conquered the Belgae (the indigenous Celtic people), and formed the province of Belgica. 3rd–4th centuries AD Region overrun by Franks and Saxons. 8th–9th centuries Part of Frankish Empire; peace and order fostered growth of Ghent, Bruges, and Brussels. 843 Division of Holy Roman Empire; became part of Lotharingia, but frequent repartitioning followed. 10th–11th centuries Several feudal states emerged: Flanders, Hainaut, Namur, Brabant, Limburg, and Luxembourg, all nominally subject to French king or Holy Roman Emperor, but in practice independent. 12th century Economy began to flourish. 15th century One by one, states came under rule of dukes of Burgundy. 1477 Passed into Habsburg dominions through marriage of Mary of Burgundy to Maximilian, archduke of Austria. 1555 Division of Habsburg dominions; Low Countries allotted to Spain. 1648 Independence of Dutch Republic recognized; south retained by Spain. 1713 Treaty of Utrecht transferred Spanish Netherlands to Austrian rule. 1792–97 Austrian Netherlands invaded by revolutionary France and finally annexed. 1815 Congress of Vienna reunited north and south Netherlands as one kingdom under the House of Orange. 1830 Largely French-speaking people in south rebelled against union with Holland and declared Belgian independence. 1831 Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha became first king of Belgium. 1839 Treaty of London recognized independence of Belgium and guaranteed its neutrality. 1914–18 Belgium invaded and occupied by Germany. Belgian forces under King Albert I fought in conjunction with the Allies. 1919 Belgium acquired Eupen-Malmédy region from Germany. 1940 Second invasion by Germany; King Leopold III ordered Belgian army to capitulate. 1944–45 Belgium liberated. 1948 Belgium formed Benelux customs union with Luxembourg and Netherlands. 1949 Belgium a founding member (and headquarters from 1967) of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). 1958 Belgium a founding member and headquarters of the European Community (EC). 1971 Constitution amended to safeguard cultural rights of Flemish- (Flanders in north) and French-speaking communities (Walloons in southeast). 1974 Separate regional councils and ministerial committees established for Flemings and Walloons. 1980 Violence over language divisions; regional assemblies for Flanders and Wallonia and three-member executive for Brussels created. 1999 Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD) led by Guy Verhofstadt formed new coalition government with socialists and Greens. 2002 Belgium adopted single European currency (euro). 2003 Controversial legislation allowing Belgian courts to try foreigners for war and human rights crimes repealed. 2004 High Court ruled far-right Flemish Bloc (VB) a racist party. 2007 Coalition government resigned following election losses in June.


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