# Belgium

Belgium

sovereign state, country| Year dem found am | 4 October 1830  |
| Official name | Königreich Belgien, Koninkrijk België, Royaume de Belgique  |
| Native label | Koninkrijk België, Royaume de Belgique, Königreich Belgien  |
| IPA transcription | ˈbɛlʤəm, ˈkɪŋdəm ɒv ˈbɛlʤəm  |
| Participant insyd | International Space Station  |
| Dem name after | Belgae, Gallia Belgica  |
| Official language | Dutch, French, German  |
| Anthem | The Brabançonne  |
| Culture | culture of Belgium  |
| Motto | Unity makes strength  |
| Motto text | Eendracht maakt macht, L’union fait la force, Einigkeit macht stark  |
| Continent | Europe  |
| Country | Belgium  |
| Capital | Brussels  |
| Located in time zone | UTC+01:00, UTC+02:00  |
| Located in or next to body of water | North Sea  |
| Located in/on physical feature | Western Europe, Low Countries, European Economic Area  |
| Coordinate location | 50°38′28″N 4°40′5″E  |
| Coordinates of geographic center | 50°38′28″N 4°40′5″E  |
| Coordinates of easternmost point | 50°20′9″N 6°24′27″E  |
| Coordinates of northernmost point | 51°30′18″N 4°46′26″E  |
| Coordinates of southernmost point | 49°29′49″N 5°28′21″E  |
| Coordinates of westernmost point | 51°5′22″N 2°32′43″E  |
| Highest point | Signal de Botrange  |
| Lowest point | De Moeren  |
| Government ein basic form | federation  |
| Office held by head of state | King of the Belgians  |
| State ein head | Philippe of Belgium  |
| Office head of government hold | Prime Minister of Belgium  |
| Government ein head | Bart De Wever  |
| Executive body | Federal Government of Belgium  |
| Legislative body | Belgian Federal Parliament  |
| Highest judicial authority | Constitutional Court of Belgium, Belgian Court of Cassation, Council of State  |
| Central bank | National Bank of Belgium  |
| Currency | euro  |
| Owner of | Memorial interallié de Cointe, Meise Botanic Garden  |
| Dey share bother plus | Germany, Luxembourg, France, Netherlands  |
| Driving side | right  |
| Electrical plug type | Europlug, Type E  |
| Dey replace | United Kingdom of the Netherlands  |
| Significant event | Belgian Revolution, Treaty of London  |
| Dema official website |   |
| Described at URL |   |
| Official jobs URL |    |
| Hashtag | Belgium  |
| Top-level Internet domain | .be  |
| Main regulatory text | Constitution of Belgium  |
| Flag | flag of Belgium  |
| Coat of arms | coat of arms of Belgium  |
| Official symbol | Papaver rhoeas  |
| Geography of topic | Geography of Belgium  |
| Get characteristic | free country  |
| History of topic | history of Belgium  |
| Patron saint | Joseph  |
| Represented by | Belgian State  |
| ‎most populous urban area | Brussels-Capital Region  |
| Railway traffic side | left  |
| Open data portal | data.gov.be  |
| Economy of topic | economy of Belgium  |
| Demographics of topic | demographics of Belgium  |
| OpenStreetMap zoom level | 7  |
| WordLift URL |   |
| Mobile country code | 206  |
| Country calling code | +32  |
| Trunk prefix | 0  |
| Emergency phone number | 112, 100, 101, 102  |
| GS1 country code | 540-549  |
| Licence plate code | B  |
| Maritime identification digits | 205  |
| Unicode character | 🇧🇪  |
| Category for honorary citizens of entity | Category:Honorary citizens of Belgium  |
| Category for maps or plans | Category:Maps of Belgium  |

**Belgium**, officially de **Kingdom of Belgium**, be a country insyd Northwestern Europe. E dey situate insyd a coastal lowland region dem know as de Low Countries, e be bordered by de Netherlands to de north, Germany to de east, Luxembourg to de southeast, France to de south, den de North Sea to de west. Belgium dey cover an area of 30,689 km2 (11,849 sq mi) wey e get a population of more dan 11.8 million; ein population density of 383/km2 (990/sq mi) dey rank 22nd insyd de world den sixth insyd Europe. De capital den largest metropolitan region be Brussels; oda major cities be Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges, Namur, den Leuven.

Belgium be a parliamentary constitutional monarchy plus a complex federal system dem structure on regional den linguistic grounds. Dem divide de country into three highly autonomous regions: de Flemish Region (Flanders) insyd de north, de Walloon Region (Wallonia) insyd de south, den de Brussels-Capital Region insyd de middle. Belgium sanso be home to two main linguistic communities: de Dutch-speaking Flemish Community, wich dey constitute about 60 percent of de population, den de French-speaking French Community, wich dey constitute about 40 percent of de population; a small German-speaking Community, wey dey comprise around one percent of de population, dey exist insyd de East Cantons. Belgium ein linguistic diversity den related political conflicts be reflected insyd ein complex system of governance, wey make up of six different governments. Belgium be a developed country plus an advanced high-income economy. E be one of de six founding members of de European Union, wey ein capital of Brussels dey serve as de *de facto* capital of de EU, wey dey host de official seats of de European Commission, de Council of the European Union, de European Council, den one of two seats of de European Parliament (de oda be Strasbourg).

Brussels sanso dey host de headquarters of chaw major international organizations, such as NATO. Belgium be a member of, anaa affiliate to, chaw international organizations, wey dey include ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-10, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUSCO (observers), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNECE, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB (non-regional), WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC.

## Demographics

| Largest cities anaa towns insyd Belgium

Numbers according to de Belgium's National Register, (1 January 2023) |
| --- |
| Rank | Name | Region | Pop. | Rank | Name | Region | Pop. |
| 1 | Antwerp | Flanders | 536,079 | 11 | Molenbeek-Saint-Jean/Sint-Jans-Molenbeek | Brussels | 97,610 |
| 2 | Ghent | Flanders | 267,709 | 12 | Mons | Wallonia | 96,055 |
| 3 | Charleroi | Wallonia | 203,245 | 13 | Aalst | Flanders | 89,915 |
| 4 | Liège | Wallonia | 194,877 | 14 | Mechelen | Flanders | 88,463 |
| 5 | City of Brussels | Brussels | 192,950 | 15 | Ixelles/Elsene | Brussels | 88,081 |
| 6 | Schaerbeek/Schaarbeek | Brussels | 130,422 | 16 | Uccle/Ukkel | Brussels | 85,706 |
| 7 | Anderlecht | Brussels | 124,353 | 17 | La Louvière | Wallonia | 81,293 |
| 8 | Bruges | Flanders | 119,445 | 18 | Sint-Niklaas | Flanders | 81,066 |
| 9 | Namur | Wallonia | 113,174 | 19 | Hasselt | Flanders | 80,299 |
| 10 | Leuven | Flanders | 102,851 | 20 | Kortrijk | Flanders | 78,841 |

## Geography

### Provinces

Dem divide de territory of Belgium into three Regions, two of wich, de Flemish Region den Walloon Region, be in turn subdivided into provinces; de third Region, de Brussels-Capital Region, be neither a province nor a part of a province.

| Province | Dutch name | French name | German name | Capital | Area | Population
(1 January 2024) | Density | ISO 3166-2:BE
 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Flemish Region |
| Antwerp | Antwerpen | *Anvers* | *Antwerpen* | Antwerp | 2,876 km2 (1,110 sq mi) | 1,926,522 | 670/km2 (1,700/sq mi) | VAN |
| East Flanders | Oost-Vlaanderen | *Flandre orientale* | *Ostflandern* | Ghent | 3,007 km2 (1,161 sq mi) | 1,572,002 | 520/km2 (1,300/sq mi) | VOV |
| Flemish Brabant | Vlaams-Brabant | *Brabant flamand* | *Flämisch-Brabant* | Leuven | 2,118 km2 (818 sq mi) | 1,196,773 | 570/km2 (1,500/sq mi) | VBR |
| Limburg | Limburg | *Limbourg* | *Limburg* | Hasselt | 2,427 km2 (937 sq mi) | 900,098 | 370/km2 (960/sq mi) | VLI |
| West Flanders | West-Vlaanderen | *Flandre occidentale* | *Westflandern* | Bruges | 3,197 km2 (1,234 sq mi) | 1,226,375 | 380/km2 (980/sq mi) | VWV |
| Walloon Region |
| Hainaut | *Henegouwen* | Hainaut | *Hennegau* | Mons | 3,813 km2 (1,472 sq mi) | 1,360,074 | 360/km2 (930/sq mi) | WHT |
| Liège | *Luik* | Liège | Lüttich | Liège | 3,857 km2 (1,489 sq mi) | 1,119,038 | 290/km2 (750/sq mi) | WLG |
| Luxembourg | *Luxemburg* | Luxembourg | *Luxemburg* | Arlon | 4,459 km2 (1,722 sq mi) | 295,146 | 66/km2 (170/sq mi) | WLX |
| Namur | *Namen* | Namur | *Namur* (*Namür*) | Namur | 3,675 km2 (1,419 sq mi) | 503,895 | 140/km2 (360/sq mi) | WNA |
| Walloon Brabant | *Waals-Brabant* | Brabant wallon | *Wallonisch-Brabant* | Wavre | 1,097 km2 (424 sq mi) | 414,130 | 380/km2 (980/sq mi) | WBR |
| Brussels-Capital Region |
| Brussels-Capital Region | *Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest* | *Région de Bruxelles-Capitale* | *Region Brüssel-Hauptstadt* | Brussels City | 162 km2 (63 sq mi) | 1,249,597 | 7,700/km2 (20,000/sq mi) | BBR |
| Total | *België* | *Belgique* | *Belgien* | Brussels City | 30,689 km2 (11,849 sq mi) | 11,763,650 | 383/km2 (990/sq mi) |  |

### Online sources

* "Belgium". *Encyclopædia Britannica*. Encyclopædia Britannica, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Archived from the original on 28 April 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2007.
* "Boordtabel" (in Dutch). Centre for Information, Documentation and Research on Brussels (BRIO). 2007. Archived from the original on 29 May 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2007. (mentioning other original sources)
* "The Constitution". Federal Parliament Belgium. 21 January 1997. Archived from the original on 7 June 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2007.
* "Country Portal – Europe—Belgium". Belgian Federal Government Service (ministry) of Economy—Directorate-general Statistics Belgium. Archived from the original on 1 July 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2007.
* Fischer, Kathrin (21 July 1999). "Die Stellung und Rolle der deutschsprachigen Minderheit in Ostbelgien innerhalb des belgischen Nationalstaats". *Kleiner Geländekurs in die Euregio Maas-Rhein* (in German). Geographical Institute of the University of Göttingen (Department Culture and Social Geography), Göttingen, Germany. Archived from the original on 20 July 2007. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
* "History of Belgium". *World History at KMLA*. Korean Minjok Leadership Academy (KMLA). 30 May 2007. Archived from the original on 6 July 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2007.
* Janssens, Rudi (1 June 2001). *Brusselse Thema's in Brussel—Taalverhoudingen, taalverschuivingen en taalindentiteit in een meertalige stad – summary* The Use of Languages in Brussels (PDF) (in Dutch). Vrije Universiteit Brussel Press, Brussels. pp. 227–250. ISBN 978-90-5487-293-1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 June 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2007.
* Leclerc, Jacques (2006). "Belgique • België • Belgien". *L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde* (in French). Host: Trésor de la langue française au Québec (TLFQ), Université Laval, Quebec. Archived from the original on 8 June 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2007.
* Mnookin, Robert; Verbeke, Alain (20 December 2006). "Bye bye Belgium?". International Herald Tribune, republished by Harvard Law School. Archived from the original on 21 March 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2007.—Reflections on nations and nation-state developments regarding Belgium

* Arblaster, Paul (23 December 2005). *A History of the Low Countries*. Palgrave Essential Histories (Hardcover 312pp ed.). Palgrave Macmillan, New York. ISBN 978-1-4039-4827-4.
* Blom, J. C. H.; Lamberts, Emiel, eds. (May 1999). *History of the Low Countries*. Translated by Kennedy, James C. (Hardcover 503pp ed.). Berghahn Books, Oxford/New York. ISBN 978-1-57181-084-7.
* Cammaerts, Émile L. (1921) [1913]. *A History of Belgium from the Roman Invasion to the Present Day* (357pp ed.). D. Appleton and Co, New York. ASIN B00085PM0A. OCLC 1525559.[Also editions [1913], London, OCLC 29072911; (1921) D. Unwin and Co., New York OCLC 9625246 also published (1921) as *Belgium from the Roman invasion to the present day*, The Story of the nations, 67, T. Fisher Unwin, London, OCLC 2986704]
* de Kavanagh Boulger; Demetrius C. (28 June 2001) [1902]. *The History of Belgium: Part 1. Cæsar to Waterloo*. Elibron Classics (Paperback 493pp ed.). Adamant Media (Delaware corporation), Boston, Massachusetts, United States. ISBN 978-1-4021-6714-0. Facsimile reprint of a 1902 edition by the author, London

Ib. (June 2001) [1909]. *Ib. Part 2. 1815–1865. Waterloo to the Death of Leopold I* (Paperback 462pp ed.). Ib. ISBN 978-1-4021-6713-3. Facsimile reprint of a 1909 edition by the author, London

* Fitzmaurice, John (1996). *The Politics of Belgium: A Unique Federalism*. Nations of the modern world (Paperback 284pp ed.). Boulder, Colorado, US: Westview Press. ISBN 978-0-8133-2386-2. OCLC 30112536.
* Kossmann-Putto, Johanna A.; Kossmann, Ernst H. (January 1993) [1987]. Deleu Jozef H. M. (ed.). *The Low Countries: History of the Northern and Southern Netherlands*. Translated by Fenoulhet Jane. *De Lage Landen: geschiedenis van de Noordelijke en Zuidelijke Nederlanden*. Vlaams-Nederlandse Stichting Ons Erfdeel, Rekkem (3rd Rev. edition Paperback 64pp ed.). Flemish-Netherlands Foundation Stichting Ons Erfdeel, Rekkem, Belgium. ISBN 978-90-70831-20-2.

(Several editions in English, incl. (1997) 7th ed.)

### Government

* Official site of the Belgian monarchy
* Official site of the Belgian federal government

### General

* Belgium. *The World Factbook*. Central Intelligence Agency.
* Belgium at *UCB Libraries GovPubs*
* Belgium information from the United States Department of State
* Portals to the World from the United States Library of Congress
* Belgium profile from the BBC News
* FAO Country Profiles: Belgium Archived 26 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
* Statistical Profile of Belgium at the Association of Religion Data Archives Archived 28 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine
* Key Development Forecasts for Belgium from International Futures
* Official Site of the Belgian Tourist Office in the Americas and GlobeScope