Background: Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country 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.

Geographic coordinates: 50 50 N 4 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 30,528 km²
Land: 30,278 km²
Water: 250 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: 66.5 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: geographic coordinates define outer limit
Continental shelf: median line with neighbors

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: construction materials silica sand carbonates

Land use
Arable land: 27.42%
Permanent crops: 0.69%
Other: 71.89%
Note: includes Luxembourg (2005)

Irrigated land: 400 km² (2003)

Natural hazards: flooding is a threat along rivers and 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 1000 km of Brussels the seat of both the European Union and NATO

Population: 10,392,226 (July 2007 est.)
Growth rate: 0.12% (2007 est.)
Below poverty line: 4% (1989 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Belgian
Adjective: Belgian

Ethnic groups: Fleming 58% Walloon 31% mixed or other 11%

Languages: Dutch (official) 60% French (official) 40% German (official) less than 1% legally bilingual (Dutch and French)

Religions: Roman Catholic 75% other (includes Protestant) 25%

Age structure
0-14 years: 16.5% (male 873,130/female 836,785)
15-64 years: 66.1% (male 3,467,044/female 3,406,030)
65 years and over: 17.4% (male 746,969/female 1,062,268) (2007 est.)

Median age
Total: 41.1 years
Male: 39.9 years
Female: 42.4 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.12% (2007 est.)

Birth rate: 10.29 births/1000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate: 10.32 deaths/1000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.22 migrant(s)/1000 population (2007 est.)

Environment
Current issues: the environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities: urbanization dense transportation network industry extensive animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) have slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.043 male/female
15-64 years: 1.018 male/female
65 years and over: 0.703 male/female
Total population: 0.959 male/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.56 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 5.13 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.96 deaths/1000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.92 years
Male: 75.75 years
Female: 82.24 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.64 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 10,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99%
Male: 99%
Female: 99% (2003 est.)

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 monarchy

Capital
Name: Brussels
Geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions
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

Independence: 4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne)

National holiday: 21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King Leopold I

Constitution: 7 February 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993 to create a federal state

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

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 Guy VERHOFSTADT (since 13 July 1999)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers formally appointed by the monarch
Elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary and constitutional; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch and then approved by parliament
Note: government coalition - Open VLD, MR, PS, SP.A-Spirit

Legislative branch
Elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 10 June 2007 (next to be held June 2011)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - CDV/N-VA 19.4%, Open VLD 12.4%, MR 12.3%, VB 11.9%, PS 10.2%, SP.A-Spirit 10%, CDH 5.9%, Ecolo 5.8%, GROEN! 3.6%, List Dedecker 3.4%, FN 2.3%, other 2.8%; seats by party - CDV/N-VA 9, Open VLD 5, MR 6, VB 5, PS 4, SP.A-Spririt 4, CDH 2, Ecolo 2, GROEN! 1, List Dedecker 1, FN 1 (note - there are also 31 indirectly elected senators); Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CDV/N-VA 18.5%, MR 12.5%, VB 12%, Open VLD 11.8%, PS 10.9%, SP.A-Spirit 10.3%, CDH 6.1%, Ecolo 5.1%, List Dedecker 4%, GROEN! 4%, FN 2%, other 2.8%; seats by party - CDV/N-VA 30, MR 23, VB 17, Open VLD 18, PS 20, SP.A-Spirit 14, CDH 10, Ecolo 8, List Dedecker 5, GROEN! 4, FN 1
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

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) or Cour de Cassation (in French) (judges are appointed for life by the government; candidacies have to be submitted by the High Justice Council)

Political parties and leaders
Flemish parties: Christian Democrats and Flemish or CDV [Jo VANDEURZEN]; Flemish Liberals and Democrats or Open VLD [Bart SOMERS]; GROEN! [Vera DUA] (formerly AGALEV, Flemish Greens); List Dedecker [Jean-Marie DEDECKER]; New Flemish Alliance or N-VA [Bart DE WEVER]; Social Progressive Alternative or SP.A [Johan Vande LANOTTE]; Spirit [Geert LAMBERT] (new party now associated with SP.A); Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) or VB [Frank VANHECKE]
Francophone parties: Ecolo (Francophone Greens) [Jean-Michel JAVAUX, Isabelle DURANT, Claude BROUIR]; Humanist and Democratic Center of CDH [Joelle MILQUET]; National Front or FN [Daniel FERET]; Reform Movement or MR [Didier REYNDERS]; Socialist Party or PS [Elio DI RUPO]; other minor parties

International organization participation: ACCT AfDB AsDB Australia Group Benelux BIS CE CERN EAPC EBRD EIB EMU ESA EU FAO G- 9 G-10 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA MONUC NATO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OIF ONUB OPCW OSCE Paris Club PCA Schengen Convention SECI (observer) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNIFIL UNITAR UNRWA UNTSO UPU WADB (nonregional) WCL WCO WEU WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Dominique STRUYE DE SWIELANDE
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: Los Angeles, New York
In the us consulates: Atlanta
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Sam FOX
From the us embassy: Regentlaan 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 description: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side) yellow and red; the design was based on the flag of France

Economy 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 more than 90% 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 2004-06.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $342.5 billion (2006 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 3% (2006 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $33,000 (2006 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1%
Industry: 24.3%
Services: 74.7% (2006 est.)

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

Industries: engineering and metal products motor vehicle assembly transportation equipment scientific instruments processed food and beverages chemicals basic metals textiles glass petroleum

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2006 est.)

Labor force: 4.9 million (2006 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 1.3%
By occupation industry: 24.5%
By occupation services: 74.2% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate: 8.1% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line: 4% (1989 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.4%
Highest 10: 28.1% (2000)

Distribution of family income gini index: 33 (2000)

Budget
Revenues: $193.6 billion
Expenditures: $193.2 billion (2006 est.)

Public debt: 88.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.8% (2006 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $327.1 billion (2005)

Current account balance: $7.856 billion (2006 est.)

Exports: $283.8 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment chemicals diamonds metals and metal products foodstuffs
Partners: Germany 19.7% France 16.9% Netherlands 12% UK 7.9% US 6.2% Italy 5.2% (2006)

Imports: $279.9 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment chemicals diamonds pharmaceuticals foodstuffs transportation equipment oil products
Partners: Netherlands 18.3% Germany 17.3% France 11.2% UK 6.6% Ireland 5.7% US 5.4% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $13.44 billion (2006 est.)

Debt external: $1.053 trillion (30 June 2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $633.5 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $485.1 billion (2006 est.)

Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006) 0.8041 (2005) 0.8054 (2004) 0.886 (2003) 1.0626 (2002)

Electricity
Production: 80.84 billion kWh (2005)
Consumption: 82.99 billion kWh (2005)
Exports: 8.024 billion kWh (2005)
Imports: 14.33 billion kWh (2005)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2005 est.)
Consumption: 16.61 billion m³ (2005 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2005 est.)
Imports: 17.27 billion m³ (2005)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 4.719 million (2006)
Mobile cellular: 9.66 million (2006)

Telephone system
General assessment: 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: country code - 32; landing point for a number of submarine cables that provide links to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 7 (Intelsat - 3) (2007)

Internet
Country code: .be
Hosts: 3.195 million (2007)
Users: 4.8 million (2005)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 1.3% (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation: 16 years of age for voluntary military service; women comprise approx. 7% of the Belgian armed forces (2001)

Airports: 43 (2007)
With paved runways total: 27
With paved runways over 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 7
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 9 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 16
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 15 (2007)

Heliports: 1 (2007)

Pipelines: gas 1561 km; oil 158 km; refined products 535 km (2006)

Railways
Total: 3,536 km
Standard gauge: 3,536 km 1.435-m gauge (2,950 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways
Total: 150,567 km
Paved: 117,442 km (includes 1,747 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 33,125 km (2004)

Waterways: 2,043 km (1528 km in regular commercial use) (2006)

Merchant marine
Total: 68 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,786,089 GRT/6,074,664 DWT
By type: bulk carrier 20, cargo 5, chemical tanker 2, container 9, liquefied gas 16, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 10, roll on/roll off 5
Foreign owned: 9 (Denmark 3, France 1, Germany 1, Greece 4)
Registered in other countries: 123 (Bahamas 15, Bermuda 3, Cyprus 1, France 6, Gibraltar 3, Greece 16, Hong Kong 4, Liberia 1, Luxembourg 9, Malta 10, Marshall Islands 1, Mozambique 2, Netherlands 2, Netherlands Antilles 1, Panama 11, Portugal 9, Russia 6, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 8, St Kitts and Nevis 1, St Vincent and The Grenadines 9, Vanuatu 4) (2007)

Ports and terminals: Antwerp Gent Liege Zeebrugge

Disputes international: none

Illicit drugs: growing producer of synthetic drugs and cannabis; transit point for US-bound ecstasy; source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine heroin hashish and marijuana entering Western Europe; despite a strengthening of legislation the country remains vulnerable to money laundering related to narcotics automobiles alcohol and tobacco; significant domestic consumption of ecstasy