The Kingdom of Belgium is a small, prosperous country in northwestern Europe. It has been an important trading power throughout much of its history. With more than 850 people per square mile (325 per square kilometer), it is one of the most densely populated countries in Europe. Brussels, the capital, is the headquarters for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and for the European Union. GeographyBelgium is part of the northern European lowlands. The North Sea lies to the northwest, The Netherlands to the north and northeast, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, and France to the southwest and west. The country occupies some 11,787 square miles (30,528 square kilometers). - Flat reclaimed farmland near the border of The Netherlands in the maritime Flanders region of …
Belgium can be roughly divided into three geographic regions. The plain of Flanders in the northwest and the Kempenland in the northeast together are known as Lower Belgium. This generally flat and low-lying region stretches about 40 miles (60 kilometers) in from the North Sea and the border with The Netherlands. The Schelde River flows along the southern edge of Lower Belgium. It is one of the country's main waterways. Middle Belgium, the central part of the country, is made up of fertile and slightly elevated plains. Many of Belgium's most productive farms are located on these plains. The Meuse and Sambre rivers separate Middle Belgium from Upper Belgium to the south. - The wooded hills of the Ardennes in Belgium.
The Ardennes highlands in the south and southeast make up Upper Belgium. The region is heavily forested and slightly hilly. Mount Botrange in the southeast is the country's highest point. The mountain reaches an elevation of 2,277 feet (694 meters). PeopleThe Belgians are divided into two distinct ethnic groups. More than half of the population are Flemings, a group that lives primarily in the northern part of the country. About a third of the population are Walloons, a group that lives in the south. The Flemings have strong cultural ties to Germany and to The Netherlands. Their language is Netherlandic, which is also known as Flemish or Dutch. The Walloons speak French and have strong cultural ties to France. People of both groups live in the Brussels area, which is bilingual. Belgium also has a tiny German-speaking minority, who live mostly near the border with Germany. Netherlandic, French, and German are all official languages of Belgium. While divided by language and culture, the Flemings and Walloons generally share the Roman Catholic faith. - The city of Liège lies on the Meuse River in eastern Belgium.
Belgium is a highly urbanized country. Fewer than 5 percent of the people live in rural areas. Brussels is the largest city. Other large metropolitan centers are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, and Liège. CultureBelgium is internationally famous for its glass, lace, and textiles. The country is also known worldwide for its fine food, chocolate, and beer. Belgium draws many tourists to its resorts, theaters, museums, churches, medieval palaces, and historic battlefields. Belgian painters have been among the greatest in Europe. Particularly outstanding were Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling in the 15th century, Hiëronymus Bosch and Pieter Brueghel the Elder in the 16th century, and Peter Paul Rubens in the 17th century. The surrealist painter René Magritte was probably the best-known Belgian artist of the 20th century. EconomyThe Belgian economy is based largely on international trade, industry, and banking and other services. The export of manufactured goods is the backbone of the economy. Manufacturing accounts for about 20 percent of the national income. The major industries include metal products, chemicals, paper, textiles, glass, machinery, food processing, and automobile assembly. The city of Antwerp is known as a center of diamond cutting and dealing. Belgian lace has been in demand worldwide for centuries. Belgium has few natural resources, except for coal deposits. Coal is no longer heavily mined in Belgium, however, because it is cheaper to buy coal from other countries. Belgium must import a great deal of the raw materials used in manufacturing. HistoryEarly historyBelgium takes its name from the Belgae, a Celtic group who had settled in the region during prehistoric times. Germanic Franks took control of the area in the 5th century AD and converted the people to Christianity. During the 8th and 9th centuries, Belgium was the heart of the Holy Roman Empire, headed by the Frankish leader Charlemagne. By the end of the 9th century, Belgium was divided into many independent territories that roughly correspond to the present-day provinces. Belgium began to emerge as a center of international trade during the 11th and 12th centuries. Independent Belgian towns—especially the Flemish towns of Brugge, Ghent, Ypres, and Antwerp—flourished as a result. Foreign ruleIn the 14th century Belgium came under the control of the nearby state of Burgundy in northern France. The Hapsburgs, a royal German family, ruled Belgium for most of the 16th through 18th centuries. Belgium was first part of the Hapsburgs' Spanish empire and later part of their Austrian empire. In 1795 the armies of Napoleon seized Belgium for France. Following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, the control of Belgium passed to the mostly Protestant nation of The Netherlands. Roman Catholic Belgium fiercely resisted Dutch rule. In 1830 Belgium rose in revolt. In 1831 it became the independent Kingdom of Belgium. Independence and modern growthBelgium enjoyed a long period of peace and rapid economic growth. In the late 19th century King Leopold II acquired a vast colonial empire in the Congo region of Africa. Belgian rule in the Congo was infamous for its brutality. Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Belgium was invaded by Germany and occupied for the next four years. Belgium suffered devastating losses. Belgium was again occupied by Germany in 1940–44, during World War II. Hundreds of thousands of Belgians were sent to Nazi Germany as forced laborers. Accused of failing to resist the Nazis, the Belgian king Leopold III was forced to leave the country for a few years after the war. Postwar BelgiumBelgium participated in many groups encouraging Western European cooperation after the war. It was a founding member of both the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military alliance and the European Economic Community (later renamed the European Union). In 1960 Belgium granted independence to the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). During the 1960s tensions flared between the Belgian Flemings and Walloons. The government divided the country into two separate language zones plus Brussels, which was officially bilingual. In the 1990s Belgium became a federal state, and the three regions became mostly self-governing. Population (2001 estimate), 10,268,000. |