Belgium

Full name of country: Kingdom of Belgium

Region: Europe

Official language: Dutch (Flemish), French, and German

Population: 11,977,634 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Belgian(s) (noun), Belgian (adjective)

Land area: 30,278 sq km (11,690 sq miles)

Water area: 250 sq km (97 sq miles)

Capital: Brussels

National anthem: "La Brabanconne" (The Song of Brabant), by Louis-Alexandre Dechet[French] Victor Ceulemans [Dutch]/Francois Van Campenhout

National holiday: July 21, (1831) ascension to the throne of King Leopold I

Population growth: 0.53% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC +1

Flag: The flag of Belgium features three vertical bands of color: one black, one yellow, and one red. The black represents determination, the red represents bravery and strength, and the yellow represents generosity.

Motto: “L’Union fait la force / Eendracht maakt macht” (Unity Makes Strength)

Independence: October 4, 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); July 21, 1831 (King Leopold I ascended to the throne)

Government type: federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Legal system: civil law system based on the French Civil Code; note—Belgian law continues to be modified in conformance with the legislative norms mandated by the European Union; judicial review of legislative acts

A small country in northwestern Europe, Belgium has been a cultural and economic crossroads since ancient times. It was ruled successively by ancient Rome, Spain, Austria, France, and the Netherlands until 1830. Some of the fiercest battles of both World War I and World War II were fought on its soil.

Since World War II, Belgium has vigorously promoted international cooperation. It is a founding member of the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the European Union.

Belgium was one of the first European countries to recover economically after World War II. Today, Belgium is a technologically developed nation whose economy depends largely on trade and on the presence of international organizations and businesses.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: Belgium is one of the world's most densely populated countries. A total of 98.2 percent of the population lives in cities and towns (2023), and only a small percentage live in rural areas.

Major cities include the capital, Brussels (Bruxelles), the nation's chief commercial center, with a population of 2.122 million people, and Antwerp (Antwerpen), the major seaport, with 1.057 million people (2023 estimates). Other large cities are Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Brugge, and Namur.

Those who live in Flanders, in the northern part of the country, are called Flemings. Residents of the Wallonia region are called Walloons. While there are cultural differences between the groups, the great divider is language. The Flemings speak a dialect that used to be called Flemish but is now called Dutch. The Walloons speak French, one of the country's three official languages. German is also an official language but is spoken by less than 1 percent of the population.

Both Flemings and Walloons live in Brussels, which is officially bilingual. German is the official language for the small community of German speakers on Wallonia's border with Germany.

Roman Catholics constitute 57.1 percent of the population, while those who do not profess a religious faith constitute 20.2 percent of the population (2018 estimates). Freedom of worship is guaranteed in the constitution, and the government gives money to all "recognized religions."

Indigenous People: There is evidence of habitation since prehistoric times in what is now Belgium. The country's name comes from the Belgae, a group of Celtic tribes that arrived from Britain after 100 BCE. During the first century, Julius Caesar defeated the Belgae and incorporated their territory into Gaul. The Romans developed cities, industries, and a system of good roads.

When the Franks, a Germanic tribe, were pushed west by Attila the Hun, they settled in what is now Belgium. Those who settled in the south, where Roman influence was strong, were absorbed into the population.

The Franks who settled in the north developed a separate culture and language. These became the Flemings. They drove the Romans out of what is now Flanders in the fifth century. Charlemagne (768–814) is the best-known Frankish king. Under his rule, Belgium developed an empire that incorporated much of Western Europe.

In 1302, armored French knights invaded Flanders. Peasants and artisans repelled them in a victory that is commemorated each July 11 in Flanders.

As a result of political marriages, Belgium was ruled by the Spanish (1519–1713) and then the Austrians (1713–94). Napoleon conquered Belgium in 1795. After his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo (just south of Brussels) in 1815, the Congress of Vienna awarded Belgium to the Netherlands. Belgium gained its independence in 1830.

Education: Although optional, almost all Belgian children between the ages of three and five are typically enrolled in pre-primary education. Education is compulsory for children between the ages of six and eighteen. The government supports all schools, whether public or private, religious or secular.

Elementary education is provided in three two-year cycles. Comprehensive high schools provide instruction in basic subjects plus specialized technical, vocational, or college-preparatory courses. After age sixteen, students may opt to attend school only part-time until age eighteen.

The oldest university in the country is the Catholic University of Leuven, founded in 1425; the university was split into two institutions, one Dutch-speaking and the other French-speaking, in 1968. The Free University in Brussels was founded by Freemasons in 1834 and split into two universities in 1969, forming the French-speaking Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Dutch-speaking Vrije Universiteit Brussel. In the early nineteenth century, the state founded universities in Ghent and Liège. Several more universities were founded in the latter twentieth century, including the University of Antwerp for Dutch speakers and the University of Mons for French speakers.

Health Care: While health care is provided mostly by private concerns, it is funded by the government and provisioned through state and nonprofit hospitals. Belgian citizens pay for medical services at the point of care but are reimbursed for the majority of the costs through mutual insurance. Both employers and employees contribute to the insurance.

Life expectancy is 82.3 years overall; 79.7 years for men and 85years for women (2024 estimates). Belgium ranked 12th (based on 2022 data) on the 2022 United Nations Human Development Index (HDI).

Food: Many Belgian foods are known and loved worldwide. These include Belgian waffles, Belgian chocolate, and even french fries (or frites).

Belgians claim they invented the deep-fried potato strips centuries ago. During World War I, American soldiers in Belgium ate the fries in an area of the country where French is spoken and so dubbed the dish "French fries." As evidence of Belgian origin, supporters point to the fact that until recently, Belgium had numerous street stands and frietkoten (fry shacks) devoted solely to pommes frites (fried potatoes). The potatoes, fried twice in beef fat and eaten with mayonnaise, constitute what many consider the national dish.

Belgian waffles are baked in waffle irons with large grids that create deep pockets. The waffles come in many varieties. One of the most common forms is topped with strawberries and whipped cream.

Belgian chocolates are especially tasty because they are made with up to 100 percent cocoa, instead of with a percentage of cheaper vegetable oils.

Stews are popular in Belgium, including carbonnades, a beef stew made with beer, and waterzooi, a stew of fish or chicken. Distinctly Belgian vegetables include Brussels sprouts, leeks, endive, potatoes, and white asparagus.

Arts & Entertainment: Flemish artists have been world famous for centuries; they include Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Sir Anthony Van Dyck, Peter Paul Rubens, James Ensor, Paul Delvaux, and René Magritte.

Famous Flemish composers include Johannes Ockeghem, Orlando di Lasso, and César Franck. The saxophone was invented in the mid-nineteenth century by Belgian Adolphe Sax.

Belgium has two literatures: French and Flemish. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, many Flemings, such as Charles de Coster and Maurice Maeterlinck (who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1911), wrote in French. Jules Destrée established the Royal Academy of French Language and Literature in 1920. Georges Simenon, writing in French, was a famous author of detective stories in the twentieth century.

The two most popular sports in Belgium are soccer and competitive cycling. On weekends, cycling clubs with members of all ages cover the countryside. For vacations, many Belgians travel to the seacoast or to the Ardennes area.

Holidays: Belgium's official holidays include Labor Day (May 1), Independence Day (July 21), and Armistice Day (November 11).

Several regional holidays are also celebrated, one for each linguistic group. Flemish Community Day is held on July 11, commemorating the 1302 defeat of armored French knights by peasants. French Community Day is celebrated on September 27, and German Community Day on November 15.

Environment and Geography

Topography: Belgium is a small country, about the size of the US state of Maryland, in northwest Europe. It is bounded on the north by the Netherlands, on the east by Germany and Luxembourg, on the south by France, and on the west by the English Channel of the North Sea.

Belgium has four main topographical regions: the coastal and interior lowlands, the Kempenland (the Campine), the central low plateaus, and the Ardennes.

The treeless lowlands stretch across the north of the country. Polders (lowlands) near the sandy coast are protected from the sea by dykes, and are crossed by drainage canals. The Kempenland, just to the south of the lowlands, lost most of its birch forests with the discovery of coal in the early twentieth century. Quick-growing evergreens have been planted to replace the missing birches. The land has been drained and planted with cereal crops.

The central low plateaus lie south of the Kempenland. The southern part of this area contains the best farmland, watered by the Sambre and Meuse rivers. It is also the site of the country's largest cities.

The Ardennes is the least-populous part of the country, with sandstone ridges, limestone valleys, rugged mountains, and woodlands with winding rivers and numerous river-carved caves. The highest point in Belgium is the 694-meter (2,777-foot) Signal Botrange Mountain in the Ardennes.

Most West European capitals are within 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of Belgium. Its central location and large navigable rivers are important for trade. Belgium has no large natural lakes, but the damming of southern rivers has created some artificial lakes. The largest is Lac de la Plate-Taille, 374 hectares (924 acres), in Ardennes.

The 901-kilometer (560-mile) Meuse River rises in northeast France and flows through Belgium into the Netherlands, where it becomes the Maas. At the North Sea, it forms a delta with the Rhine. The Meuse is linked to Antwerp by the Albert Canal. Other important rivers include the Sambre and the Schelde.

Natural Resources: Belgium's coal deposits have been depleted, and the last coal mines were closed in the 1990s. Its few remaining natural resources include natural gas, silica, sand, and carbonates.

Industrialization, intensive farming and husbandry (raising livestock), urbanization, and dense transportation facilities have polluted Belgium's air and water. Environmental improvement plans have been delayed by the debate between the federal government and regional administrations over responsibility for the damage, but some regional policies showed promise by the 2020s.

Plants & Animals: The environmental movement has come too late for many species of plants and animals in Belgium, some of which have become extinct or endangered. Coordinated efforts have helped, though, and some species are increasing in numbers.

Common wildlife includes wild boars, deer, and wildcats in the Ardennes forests. Other animals include pheasants, foxes, weasels, martens, badgers, hedgehogs, and squirrels.

Plants that flourish in Belgium include strawberries, goldenrod, periwinkles, hyacinths, wild arum, foxglove, and lilies-of-the-valley. Pine, elm, beech, and oak trees have been planted throughout the country.

Climate: Belgium's climate is temperate. Temperatures in Brussels, in the center of the country, usually range from 0° Celsius (32° Fahrenheit) in the winter to 22° Celsius (72° Fahrenheit) in the summer. The average temperature on the coast ranges from 1° Celsius (34° Fahrenheit) in January to 14° Celsius (69° Fahrenheit) in July. The elevated Ardennes experiences temperature variations from –1° Celsius (28° Fahrenheit) in winter to 16° Celsius (61° Fahrenheit) in summer.

Belgium is wet and experiences a great deal of rain and mist. Rainfall on the coast averages between 58 to 71 centimeters (23 and 28 inches) a year. Brussels receives an average of 82 centimeters (32 inches) of rain a year. In the Ardennes, precipitation averages 1 meter (40 inches) annually. While all parts of the country receive snow, it melts quickly everywhere but the Ardennes. Like other countries, by the 2020s Belgium had also experienced effects of climate change such as increased occurrences of extreme heat.

Economy

Belgium has a free-market economy, importing raw materials and exporting manufactures. This means that its economy is dependent on world market conditions.

Economic development has been slowed by the lack of cooperation among the language communities, resulting in a relatively high unemployment rate, especially in certain parts of the country (5.51 percent in 2023) and low economic growth. In 2023, the estimated gross domestic product (GDP, purchasing power parity) was US$751.592 billion and the per capita GDP was an estimated US$63,600. Belgium's economy, especially its tourism industry, was also negatively impacted by the terrorist attacks in 2016 and the COVID-19 pandemic that caused travel restrictions around the world beginning in 2020.

Industry: Products manufactured in Belgium include engineering and metal products (particularly steel), cement, chemicals and chemical products, paper, textiles, glass, leather goods, and processed foods.

Annual export revenues were an estimated US$535.174 billion in 2023. At that point major exports included automobiles, refined petroleum and natural gas, diamonds, and packaged medicines.

Agriculture: Small farms, often rented by families, produce barley, flax, cattle, milk, hops, sugar beets, potatoes, rye, and wheat. A total of 44.1 percent of Belgium's land is used for agriculture, about one-third of this in pasture (2018 estimate).

Tourism: Belgium welcomed more than 9.4 million overnight tourists in 2019; however, those numbers were greatly reduced the following year during the pandemic. Travel and tourism made a total contribution of US$17.0 billion to the country's GDP, or 3.3 percent of the total economy, in 2020. The industry did begin to recover, however, and in 2023 the nation's statistical service reported that there were 47 percent more tourist overnight stays in 2022 than in 2021.

Brussels is known for its beer and good cuisine. It has excellent examples of architecture of the Baroque and Gothic periods. Medieval castles and modern bars and cafes mark Antwerp. The entire medieval center of Bruges is on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) list of World Heritage Sites. Bruges has the best-preserved medieval architecture in Europe.

The Ardennes is the site of World War II's Battle of the Bulge. Today it is serene and beautiful, with ancient citadels, riverside villages, and mineral springs.

Government

Belgium is a federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy. Suffrage is universal and mandatory at age eighteen. Non-voters are fined.

The monarch is the head of state. Following legislative elections, the monarch appoints the prime minister, who is the head of government. The prime minister is typically the leader of the majority party or coalition in parliament and advises the monarch in appointing the other ministers of the Council of Ministers (cabinet). The Council in fact exercises the executive authority. The ministers have no set terms; they serve at the pleasure of the monarch. The Council is responsible to the Chamber of Representatives.

The bicameral Parliament consists of the 150-member Chamber of Representatives and the 60-member Senate. Fifty of the senators are elected indirectly by the community and regional parliaments and ten are elected by the other fifty senators. Representatives are directly elected in multiseat constituencies by proportional representation vote. The members of Parliament serve five-year terms unless, at the prime minister's request, the monarch dissolves Parliament. At that time new elections are held.

The Supreme Court of Justice ("Hof van Cassatie" in Dutch or "Cour de Cassation" in French) and the Constitutional Court ("Grondwettelijk Hof" in Dutch or ""Cour Constitutionelle" in French) are the highest courts in the land.

Administratively, the country is divided into three regions (Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels), ten provinces, and three language communities (French, Dutch, and German). The regions and the language communities are largely autonomous, each with its own prime minister, Council of Ministers, and Parliament.

Interesting Facts

• German speakers were granted representatives in the Council of Ministers for the first time in 1971.
• Children of the monarch become honorary senators at age eighteen, and voting senators at twenty-one.
• Most political groups have separate parties for French- and Dutch-speakers.
• Because of the pure cocoa used, Belgian chocolates have a shorter shelf-life than chocolates made with vegetable oils.
• Antwerp's internationally famous diamond bourse, or marketplace, was founded in 1904.
• In 2018, a man became the first person to be legally fined for a case of public sexism under the Belgian law that criminalized such an act in 2014.

Bibliography

"Belgium." The World Bank, 2024, data.worldbank.org/country/belgium. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.

"Belgium." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 23 Dec. 2024, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/belgium/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.

Belgium: Overview of the Education System. OECD, gpseducation.oecd.org/CountryProfile. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.

"Economic Impact Reports." World Travel and Tourism Council, 2021, wttc.org/Research/Economic-Impact. Accessed 27 May 2022.

"47% More Tourist Overnight Stays in 2022." Statbel, 15 June 2023, statbel.fgov.be/en/news/47-more-tourist-overnight-stays-2022. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.

Human Development Report 2021/2022. United Nations Development Programme, 2022, hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf‗1.pdf. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.