Belgium - Country Profile

Full name: Kingdom of Belgium
Population: 10.6 million (UN, 2009)
Capital: Brussels
Area: 30,528 sq km (11,787 sq miles)
Major languages: Dutch, French, German
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 77 years (men), 83 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 euro = 100 cents
Main exports: Machinery and electrical equipment, chemicals, vehicles, metals, diamonds
GNI per capita: US $44,330 (World Bank, 2008)
 

Internet domain: .be
International dialling code: +32

Belgium has a major European battleground over the centuries. occupied by Germany during both world wars and II, which has experienced an economic boom in the last 50 years to become a model Western European liberal democracy has become. However, it has also a growing gap between the North and especially the Dutch-French language, especially in the south, with some even speculating that the country could break. Brussels is the headquarters of the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). 

 

Therefore, it is the polyglot home of an army of diplomats and international officials. The country stretches from the dunes on the coast north through the plains of the flamenco and the wooded hills of the Ardennes in the south. Belgium reconciles regional and cultural role. Identities federal structure The structure consists of three communities - Flemish, French and German - and three regions: Flanders in the north where the official language is Dutch, Wallonia in the south where French is the official language in Brussels, the capital, where the status of French and Dutch share official language. Wallonia has a strong German-speaking minority of 70,000. The tensions between the two main language communities sometimes high, and the problem has brought a number of governments, so that the current political instability. 

 

Polls suggest that most Belgians want to keep the federal government, but often a good result separatist party in Flanders. Notice of Belgium as a colonial legacy in Africa: Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo - Zaire time. He drew international attention after the U.S. war against Iraq in 2003 because of a controversial law allowing Belgian courts to foreigners for war crimes and human rights abuses are trying, regardless of where they committed the crime. The law has led to numerous lawsuits against the high-profile international figures before major overhaul. Belgium is known for its strong culinary traditions known and is particularly known for its fine chocolates and a variety of beers.

King: Albert II
Outgoing prime minister: Yves Leterme