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)
Government Type: federal parliamentary
democracy under a constitutional monarch |
Population:
10,379,067 (July 2006 est.)
Languages: Dutch (official) 60%,
French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%,
legally bilingual (Dutch and French)
Religion: Roman Catholic 75%,
Protestant or other 25%
Life Expectancy: 78.77 |
Currency:
euro (EUR)
GDP(per capita): $31,400 (2005
est.)
Overview: 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.
Exports: machinery and equipment,
chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs
Import: machinery and equipment,
chemicals, diamonds, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, transportation
equipment, oil products |
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Location:
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France
and the Netherlands
Area: total: 30,528 sq km
land: 30,278 sq km
water: 250 sq km |
Background:
Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830;
it 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.
Independence Day: 4 October
1830 (a provisional government declares independence
from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King Leopold I
ascends to the throne)
Capital City: Brussels
Administrative divisions: 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 four linguistic communities) with a complex division
of responsibilities |
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