Map of Belgium | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

top of page


Background: Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830 and was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. In the half century following, it has prospered as a small, modern, technologically advanced European state and member of the European Union. Its unique political circumstance is the long-standing differences between the wealthier Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the poorer French-speaking Walloons of the south, differences that are becoming increasingly acute.


top of page


Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total area total: 30,510 km²
Land: 30,230 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Maryland

Land boundaries: total 1,385 km, France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km

Coastline: 64 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: median line with neighbors
Exclusive fishing zone: median line with neighbors (extends about 68 km from coast)
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy

Terrain: flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast

Elevation

Natural resources: coal, natural gas

Land use
Arable land: 24%
Permanent crops: 1%
Meadows and pastures: 20%
Forest and woodland: 21%
Other: 34%

Irrigated land: 10 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels which is the seat of the EU


top of page


Population: 10,081,880 (July 1995 est.)
Growth rate: 0.17% (1995 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Belgian(s)
Adjective: Belgian

Ethnic groups: Fleming 55%, Walloon 33%, mixed or other 12%

Languages: Dutch 56%, French 32%, German 1%, legally bilingual 11% divided along ethnic lines

Religions: Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 18% (female 875,079; male 919,939)
15-64 years: 66% (female 3,303,219; male 3,363,250)
65 years and over: 16% (female 969,966; male 650,427) (July 1995 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.17% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 11.46 births/1000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 10.22 deaths/1000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.5 migrant(s)/1000 population (1995 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: Meuse River, a major source of drinking water, polluted from steel production wastes; other rivers polluted by animal wastes and fertilizers; industrial air pollution contributes to acid rain in neighboring countries
Current issues natural hazards: flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
Current issues international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.21 years
Male: 73.94 years
Female: 80.67 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.62 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
Total population: 99%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium
Conventional short form: Belgium
Local long form: Royaume de Belgique
Local short form: Belgique

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Brussels

Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (French:provinces, singular - province; Flemish:provincien, singular - provincie; Antwerpen, Brabant, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen, West-Vlaanderen

Dependent areas

Independence: 4 October 1830 (from the Netherlands)

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

Constitution: 7 February 1831, last revised 14 July 1993; parliament approved a constitutional package creating a federal state

Legal system: civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993)
Head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Luc DEHAENE (since 6 March 1992)
Cabinet: Cabinet; the king appoints the ministers who are approved by the legislature

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament
Senate: (Flemish - Senaat, French - Senat); elections last held 24 November 1991 (next to be held by the end of 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (184 total; of which 106 are directly elected; in the 1995 elections, seats will decrease to 71) CVP 20, SP 14, VLD 13, VU 5, AGALEV 5, VB 5, ROSSEN 1, PS 18, PRL 9, PSC 9, ECOLO 6, FDF 1
Chamber of Deputies: (Flemish - Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers, French - Chambre des Representants); elections last held 24 November 1991 (next to be held by 21 May 1995); results - CVP 16.7%, PS 13.6%, SP 12.0%, VLD 11.9%, PRL 8.2%, PSC 7.8%, VB 6.6%, VU 5.9%, ECOLO 5.1%, AGALEV 4.9%, FDF 2.6%, ROSSEM 3.2%, FN 1.5%; seats - (212 total; in 1995 elections, seats will decrease to 150) CVP 39, PS 35, SP 28, VLD 26, PRL 20, PSC 18, VB 12, VU 10, ECOLO 10, AGALEV 7, FDF 3, ROSSEM 3, FN 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Flemish - Hof van Cassatie, French - Cour de Cassation)

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, G- 9, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOGIP, UNPROFOR, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Andre ADAM (appointed 3 October 1994)
In the us chancery: 3,330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 333-6,900
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 333-3,079
In the us consulates general: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Alan J. BLINKEN
From the us embassy: 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels
From the us mailing address: APO AE 9,724; PSC 82, Box 002, Brussels
From the us telephone: [32] (2) 513 38 30
From the us FAX: [32] (2) 511 27 25

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the design was based on the flag of France

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


top of page


Economy overview: This small 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, although the government is encouraging reinvestment in the southern region of Walloon. 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. Three-fourths of its trade is with other EU countries. The economy grew at a strong 4% pace during the period 1988-90, slowed to 1% in 1991-92, dropped by 1.5% in 1993, and recovered with 2.3% growth in 1994. Belgium's public debt has risen to 140% of GDP, and the government is trying to control its expenditures to bring the figure more into line with other industrialized countries.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2.3% (1994 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $18,040 (1994 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 2.0% of GDP; emphasis on livestock production - beef, veal, pork, milk; major crops are sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; net importer of farm products

Industries: engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum, coal

Industrial production growth rate: -0.1% (1993 est.), accounts for 25% of GDP

Labor force: 4.126 million
By occupation services: 63.6%
By occupation industry: 28%
By occupation construction: 6.1%
By occupation agriculture: 2.3% (1988)

Unemployment rate: 14.1% (December 1994)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $97.8 billion
Expenditures: $109.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $117 billion (f.o.b., 1992) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union
Commodoties: iron and steel, transportation equipment, tractors, diamonds, petroleum products
Partners: EC 75.5%, US 3.7%, former Communist countries 1.4% (1991)

Imports: $120 billion (c.i.f., 1992) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union
Commodoties: fuels, grains, chemicals, foodstuffs
Partners: EC 73%, US 4.8%, oil-exporting less developed countries 4%, former Communist countries 1.8% (1991)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $31.3 billion (1992 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Belgian francs (BF) per US$1 - 31.549 (January 1995), 33.456 (1994), 34.597 (1993), 32.150 (1992), 34.148 (1991), 33.418 (1990)


top of page


Electricity
Capacity: 14,040,000 kW
Production: 66 billion kWh
Production consumption per capita: 6,334 kWh (1993)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones

Telephone system: 4,720,000 telephones; highly developed, technologically advanced, and completely automated domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities
Local: NA
Intercity: extensive cable network; limited microwave radio relay network; nationwide mobile phone system
International: 5 submarine cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations and 1 EUTELSAT earth station

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $3.9 billion, 1.8% of GDP (1994)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 43
With paved runways over 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 9
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 22
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 161 km; petroleum products 1,167 km; natural gas 3,300 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use)

Merchant marine
Total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 42,055 GRT/56,842 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 9, chemical tanker 6, liquefied gas 2, oil tanker 5

Ports and terminals


top of page


Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine entering the European market