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Background:
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Belgium
became independent from the Netherlands in 1830 and was
occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. It has
prospered in the past half century as a modern,
technologically advanced European state and member of
NATO and the EU. Tensions between the Dutch-speaking
Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons
of the south have led in recent years to constitutional
amendments granting these regions formal recognition and
autonomy. |
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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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Map references:
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Europe
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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
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: 23.28%
permanent crops: 0.4%
other: 76.32%
note: includes Luxembourg (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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40 sq km
(includes Luxembourg) (1998 est.) |
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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) have 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-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
signed, but not ratified: Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants |
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Geography - note:
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crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European
capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both
the European Union and NATO |
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Population:
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10,364,388 (July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 16.9% (male 892,995/female 855,177)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 3,435,282/female
3,373,917)
65 years and over: 17.4% (male 745,178/female
1,061,839) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
40.55 years
male: 39.29 years
female: 41.81 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.15%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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10.48
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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10.22
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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1.23
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
4.68 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.27 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 78.62 years
male: 75.44 years
female: 81.94 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.64
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.2%
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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10,000
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than
100 (2003 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%, Protestant or other 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: 98%
male: NA%
female: NA% |
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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 monarch
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Capital:
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Brussels
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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); Antwerpen, Brabant
Wallon, Brussels* (Bruxelles), Flanders*, Hainaut,
Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen,
Vlaams-Brabant, Wallonia*, West-Vlaanderen
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 declares independence
from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King Leopold I
ascends to the throne) |
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National holiday:
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21 July
(1831) ascension to the Throne of King Leopold I |
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Constitution:
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7
February 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993
to create a federal state |
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Legal system:
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civil law
system influenced by English constitutional theory;
judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal and compulsory |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993); Heir
Apparent Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch
head of government: Prime Minister Guy
VERHOFSTADT (since 13 July 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers formally appointed
by the monarch
elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary;
following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party or the leader of the majority coalition
is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch and
then approved by parliament
note: government coalition - VLD, MR, PS, SP.A-Spirit
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral
Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in Dutch,
Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly
elected by popular vote, 31 are indirectly elected;
members serve four-year terms) and a Chamber of Deputies
or Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch, Chambre
des Representants in French (150 seats; members are
directly elected by popular vote on the basis of
proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last
held 18 May 2003 (next to be held no later than May
2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by
party - SP.A-Spirit 15.5%, VLD 15.4%, CD & V 12.7%, PS
12.8%, MR 12.1%, VB 9.4%, CDH 5.6%; seats by party -
SP.A-Spirit 7, VLD 7, CD & V 6, PS 6, MR 5, VB 5, CDH 2,
other 2 (note - there are also 31 indirectly elected
senators); Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by
party - VLD 15.4%, SP.A-Spirit 14.9%, CD & V 13.3%, PS
13.0%, VB 11.6%, MR 11.4%, CDH 5.5%, Ecolo 3.1%; seats
by party - VLD 25, SP.A-Spirit 23, CD & V 21, PS 25, VB
18, MR 24, CDH 8 Ecolo 4, other 2
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; this reality leaves six
governments each with its own legislative assembly |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) or Cour
de Cassation (in French) (judges are appointed for life
by the Government; candidacies have to be submitted by
the High Justice Council) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Flemish parties: Christian Democrats and Flemish or
CD & V [Jo VANDEURZEN]; Flemish Liberal Democrats or VLD
[Bart SOMERS]; GROEN! (formerly AGALEV, Flemish Greens)
[Vera DUA]; New Flemish Alliance or NVA [Bart DE WEVER];
Socialist Party.Alternative or SP.A [Caroline GENNEZ];
Spirit [Geert LAMBERT] (new party now associated with
SP.A); Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) or VB [Frank
VANHECKE]
Francophone parties: Ecolo (Francophone Greens)
[Jean-Michel JAVAUX, Evelyne HUYTEBROECK, Claude BROUIR];
Humanist and Democratic Center of CDH [Joelle MILQUET];
National Front or FN [Daniel FERET]; Reformist Movement
or MR [Didier REYNDERS]; Socialist Party or PS [Elio DI
RUPO]; other minor parties |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Christian, Socialist, and Liberal Trade Unions;
Federation of Belgian Industries; numerous other
associations representing bankers, manufacturers,
middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical
professions; various organizations represent the
cultural interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various
peace groups such as Pax Christi and groups representing
immigrants |
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International organization participation:
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ACCT,
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CE, CERN,
EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO,
ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD,
ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional),
WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Franciskus VAN DAELE
chancery: 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC
20008
telephone: [1] (202) 333-6900
FAX: [1] (202) 333-3079
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Los Angeles, and
New York |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Tom C. KOROLOGOS
embassy: Regentlaan 27 Boulevard du Regent,
B-1000 Brussels
mailing address: PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE 09710
telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111
FAX: [32] (2) 511-2725 |
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Flag description:
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three
equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and
red; the design was based on the flag of France |
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Economy - overview:
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This modern private enterprise economy has capitalized
on its central geographic location, highly developed
transport network, and diversified industrial and
commercial base. Industry is concentrated mainly in the
populous Flemish area in the north. With few natural
resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of
raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures,
making its economy unusually dependent on the state of
world markets. Roughly three-quarters of its trade is
with other EU countries. Public debt is nearly 100% of
GDP. On the positive side, the government has succeeded
in balancing its budget, and income distribution is
relatively equal. Belgium began circulating the euro
currency in January 2002. Economic growth in 2001-03
dropped sharply because of the global economic slowdown,
with moderate recovery in 2004-05. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$329.3 billion (2005 est.) |
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$361.4 billion (2005 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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1.5% (2005 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $31,800 (2005 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 1.3%
industry: 24.7%
services: 74% (2004 est.) |
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Labor force:
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4.77 million (2005 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 1.3%, industry 24.5%, services 74.2% (2003
est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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7.6% (2005 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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4% (1989 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 23% (1996) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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25 (1996) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.7% (2005 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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18.4% of GDP (2005 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $180.4 billion
expenditures: $180.5 billion, including capital
expenditures of $1.56 billion (2005 est.) |
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Public debt:
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93.6% of GDP (2005 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco;
beef, veal, pork, milk |
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Industries:
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engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly,
transportation equipment, scientific instruments,
processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals,
textiles, glass, petroleum |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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1.1% (2005 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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78.77 billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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79.66 billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - exports:
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8.3 billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - imports:
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14.7 billion kWh (2003) |
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Oil - production:
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13,060 bbl/day (2003) |
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Oil - consumption:
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624,200 bbl/day (2003 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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450,000 bbl/day (2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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1.042 million bbl/day (2001) |
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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15.5 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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15.4 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Current account balance:
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$6.983 billion (2005 est.) |
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Exports:
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$269.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) |
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Exports - partners:
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Germany 19.9%, France 17.2%, Netherlands 11.8%, UK 8.6%,
US 6.5%, Italy 5.2% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$264.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) |
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Imports - partners:
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Germany 18.4%, Netherlands 17%, France 12.5%, UK 6.8%,
Ireland 6.3%, US 5.5% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$13.99 billion (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$980.1 billion (30 June 2005 est.) |
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Economic aid - donor:
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ODA, $1.072 billion (2002) |
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Currency (code):
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euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary
Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be
used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1
January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for
everyday transactions within the member countries |
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Exchange rates:
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euros per US dollar - 0.79697 (2005), 0.8054 (2004),
0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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5,120,400
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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8,135,500
(2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: highly developed,
technologically advanced, and completely automated
domestic and international telephone and telegraph
facilities
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system;
extensive cable network; limited microwave radio relay
network
international: country code - 32; submarine
cables - 5; satellite earth stations - 7 (Intelsat - 3)
(2005) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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FM 79, AM
7, shortwave 1 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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25 (plus
10 repeaters) (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.be |
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Internet hosts:
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166,799
(2004) |
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Internet users:
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3.4
million (2002) |
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Airports:
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43 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
25
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 7 (2005 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
18
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 16 (2005 est.) |
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Heliports:
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1 (2005
est.) |
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Pipelines:
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gas 1,485
km; oil 158 km; refined products 535 km (2004) |
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Railways:
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total:
3,521 km
standard gauge: 3,521 km 1.435-m gauge (2,927 km
electrified) (2004) |
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Roadways:
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total:
149,757 km
paved: 117,110 km (including 1,747 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 32,647 km (2003) |
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Waterways:
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2,043 km
(1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2003) |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
53 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,146,301 GRT/1,588,184 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 15, cargo 2, chemical
tanker 2, container 8, liquefied gas 17, petroleum
tanker 9
foreign-owned: 12 (Denmark 4, France 4, Greece 4)
registered in other countries: 101 (2005) |
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Ports and terminals:
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Antwerp,
Brussels, Gent, Liege, Oostende, Zeebrugge |
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Military branches:
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Land,
Naval, and Air Components (2005) |
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Military service age and obligation:
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16 years
of age for voluntary military service; women comprise
some 7% of the Belgian armed forces (2001) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 16-49: 2,436,736 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 16-49: 1,998,003 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually:
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males:
64,263 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$3.999
billion (2003) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1.3%
(2003) |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
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Illicit drugs:
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growing
producer of synthetic drugs; transit point for US-bound
ecstasy; source of precursor chemicals for South
American cocaine processors; transshipment point for
cocaine, heroin, hashish, and marijuana entering Western
Europe; despite a strengthening of legislation, the
country remains vulnerable to money laundering related
to narcotics, automobiles, alcohol, and tobacco |
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