Plan your trip to Belgium with our Belgium travel guide information
Belgium |
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Belgium - Travel guideBelgium - OverviewBelgium 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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Belgium General Information |
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| Country full name : | conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium conventional short form: Belgium local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie local short form: Belgique/Belgie |
| Capital : | Brussels |
| Religions : | Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25% |
| Languages : | Dutch (official), French, German |
| Location : | Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands |
| Geographic coordinates : | 50 50 N, 4 00 E |
| Area : | total: 30,528 sq km land: 30,278 sq km water: 250 sq km |
| Climate : | temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy |
| Population : | 10,348,276 (July 2004 est.) |
| Nationality : | noun: Belgian(s) adjective: Belgian |
| Ethnic groups : | Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11% |
| Government type : | federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch |
| 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 linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities |
| Legal system : | civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations 18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
| Suffrage : | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
| Internet code : | .be |
| Calling code : | +32 |
| Time zone : | GMT/UTC +1 |
| Electricity : | 230V 50Hz |
| National holiday : | 21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King Leopold I |
| Interesting link : | Belgium travel guide - Lonely Planet Belgium travel guide - Wikitravel Tourism Office of Belgium |
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Belgium Travel Guide Information