Statistical information Belgium 1999Belgium

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

Belgium in the World
Belgium in the World

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Belgium - Introduction 1999
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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.


Belgium - Geography 1999
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Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands

Geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 00 E

Map referenceEurope

Area
Total: 30,510 km²
Land: 30,230 km²
Water: 280 km²
Comparative: about the size of Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 1,385 km
Border countries: (4) 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
Extremes lowest point: North Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m

Natural resources: coal, natural gas
Land use

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

Irrigated land: 10 km² including Luxembourg (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes

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


Belgium - People 1999
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Population: 10,182,034 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 0.06% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Belgian(s)
Adjective: Belgian

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

Languages: Flemish 56%, French 32%, German 1%, legally bilingual 11%

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

Demographic profile
Age structure

Age structure
0-14 years: 17% (male 895,987; female 853,494)
15-64 years: 66% (male 3,389,572; female 3,318,266)
65 years and over: 17% (male 703,933; female 1,020,782) (1999 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.06% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 9.98 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 10.43 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.01 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: the environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities:urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, intense animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) have impeded progress in tackling environmental challenges
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 6.17 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.53 years
Male: 74.31 years
Female: 80.9 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.49 children born/woman (1999 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
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99% (1980 est.)
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


Belgium - Government 1999
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Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium
Conventional short form: Belgium
Local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie
Local short form: Belgique/Belgie

Government type: federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch

Capital: Brussels

Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (French:provinces, singular_province; Flemish:provincien, singular_provincie); Antwerpen, Brabant Wallon, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaams Brabant, West-Vlaanderen
Note: the Brussels Capitol Region is not included within the 10 provinces

Dependent areas

Independence: 4 October 1830 (from the Netherlands)

National holiday: National Day, 21 July (ascension of King LEOPOLD I 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); Heir Apparent Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch
Head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Luc DEHAENE (since 6 March 1992)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch and approved by Parliament
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch and then approved by Parliament

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in Flemish, 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 Flemish, 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 21 May 1995 (next to be held in June 1999)
Election results: Senate_percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_CVP 7, SP 6, VLD 6, VU 2, AGALEV 1, VB 3, PS 5, PRL 5, PSC 3, ECOLO 2; note_before the 1995 elections, there were 184 seats; Chamber of Deputies_percent of vote by party_CVP 17.2%, PS 11.9%, SP 12.6%, VLD 13.1%, PRL 10.3%, PSC 7.7%, VB 7.8%, VU 4.7%, ECOLO 4.0%, AGALEV 4.4%, FN 2.3%; seats by party_CVP 29, PS 21, SP 20, VLD 21, PRL 18, PSC 12, VB 11, VU 5, ECOLO 6, AGALEV 5, FN 2; note_before the 1995 elections, there were 212 seats
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; for other acronyms of the listed parties see Political parties and leaders

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie in Flemish, Cour de Cassation in French, judges are appointed for life by the Belgian monarch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Alexis REYN
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 Paul CEJAS
From the us embassy: 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels
From the us mailing address: PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE 9,710
From the us telephone: [32] (2) 508-2,111
From the us FAX: [32] (2) 511-2,725

Flag descriptionflag of Belgium: 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


Belgium - Economy 1999
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Economy overview: This highly developed 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 Wallonia. 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. Two-thirds of its trade is with other EU countries. Belgium's public debt fell from 127% of GDP in 1996 to 122% of GDP in 1998 and the government is trying to control its expenditures to bring the figure more into line with other industrialized countries. Belgium became a charter member of the European Monetary Union (EMU) in January 1999.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2.8% (1998 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $23,400 (1998 est.)

Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.9%
Industry: 27.2%
Services: 70.9% (1996)

Agriculture products: sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk

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

Industrial production growth rate: 9.7% (1995)

Labor force: 4.283 million (1997)
By occupation services: 69.7%
By occupation industry: 27.7%
By occupation agriculture: 2.6% (1992)
Labor force

Unemployment rate: 12% (1998 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $N/A
Expenditures: $N/A, including capital expenditures of $N/A

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: $145.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Commodities: iron and steel, transportation equipment, tractors, diamonds, petroleum products
Partners: EU 67.2% (Germany 19%), US 5.8% (1994)

Imports: $137.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Commodities: fuels, grains, chemicals, foodstuffs
Partners: EU 75% (Germany 22.1%), US 5% (1997)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $22.3 billion (1998 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Belgian francs (BF) per US$1_34.77 (January 1999), 36.229 (1998), 35.774 (1997), 30.962 (1996), 29.480 (1995), 33.456 (1994)
Note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed rate of 40.3399 Belgian francs per euro; the euro will replace the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002


Belgium - Energy 1999
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Electricity
Production: 71.066 billion kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 41.73%
Production by source hydro: 0.33%
Production by source nuclear: 57.93%
Production by source other: 0.01% (1996)
Consumption: 75.266 billion kWh (1996)
Exports: 5.4 billion kWh (1996)
Imports: 9.6 billion kWh (1996)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


Belgium - Communication 1999
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Telephones: 5.691 million (1992 est.), 1.7 million cellular telephone subscribers (1998)

Telephone system: 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: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations_2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


Belgium - Military 1999
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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $4.6 billion (1995)
Percent of gdp: 1.7% (1995)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


Belgium - Transportation 1999
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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 42 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 24
With paved runways over 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 6 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 18
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 16 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)

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

Railways
Total: 3,380 km (2,459 km electrified; 2,563 km double track)
Standard gauge: 3,380 km 1.435-m gauge (1996)

Roadways

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

Merchant marine
Total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 35,668 GRT/56,412 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 8, chemical tanker 8, oil tanker 6 (1998 est.)

Ports and terminals


Belgium - Transnational issues 1999
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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine, heroin, hashish, and marijuana entering Western Europe


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