Belgium

Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Europe bordering France, Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. It borders the North Sea, and thus shares close maritime borders with the United Kingdom.

## History

### Twentieth and Early Twenty-First Century

Germany invaded Belgium in 1914 as part of the Schlieffen Plan to attack France and much of the Western Front fighting of World War I occurred in western parts of the country. The opening months of the war were known as the Rape of Belgium due to German excesses. Belgium took over the German colonies of Ruanda-Urundi (what became Rwanda and Burundi) during the war, and they were mandated to Belgium in 1924 by the League of Nations. In the aftermath of the First World War, the Prussian districts of Eupen and Malmedy were annexed by Belgium in 1925, thereby causing the presence of a German-speaking minority.

The country was again invaded by Germany in 1940 and 40,690 Belgians, over half of them Jews, were killed during the subsequent occupation and The Holocaust. From September 1944 to February 1945 Belgium was liberated by the Allies. After World War II, a general strike forced King Leopold III, who many Belgians felt had collaborated with Germany during the war, to abdicate in 1951. The Belgian Congo gained independence in 1960 during the Congo Crisis; Ruanda-Urundi followed with its independence two years later. Belgium joined NATO as a founding member and formed the Benelux group of nations with the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Belgium became one of the six founding members of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951 and of the European Atomic Energy Community and European Economic Community, established in 1957. The latter has now become the European Union, for which Belgium hosts major administrations and institutions, including the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the extraordinary and committee sessions of the European Parliament.

## Government and Politics

Belgium is a constitutional, popular monarchy and a federal parliamentary democracy. The bicameral federal parliament is composed of a Senate and a Chamber of Representatives. The former is made up of 50 senators appointed by the parliaments of the communities and regions and 10 co-opted senators. The Chamber's 150 representatives are elected under a proportional voting system from 11 electoral districts. The King is the head of state, though with limited prerogatives. He appoints ministers, including a Prime Minister, that have the confidence of the Chamber of Representatives to form the federal government. The Council of Ministers is composed of no more than fifteen members.

### Regions, Provinces and Communities

Belgium is divided into three main regions: Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. Flanders is in the north of the country and contains a mostly Dutch-speaking Flemish population, while Wallonia is in the south with a mostly French-speaking Walloon population. Brussels is the capital region. Flanders and Wallonia are then subdivided into provinces. The Flemish provinces are:

* Antwerp
* East Flanders
* Flemish Brabant
* Limburg
* West Flanders

The Walloon provinces are:

* Hainaut
* Liège
* Luxembourg
* Namur
* Walloon Brabant

On top of the federal government and the three regions, a third division of federal power exists, known as communities. These communities are:

* Flemish Community
* French Community
* German Community

The overlapping boundaries of the Regions and Communities have created two notable peculiarities: the territory of the Brussels-Capital Region (which came into existence nearly a decade after the other regions) is included in both the Flemish and French Communities, and the territory of the German-speaking Community lies wholly within the Walloon Region.

### Foreign Relations

Belgium is a founding member of NATO and the EU, hosting the Headquarters of both organisations. Belgium, along with the Netherlands and Luxembourg, is a member of the Benelux grouping. A peculiar feature of Belgian federalism is the fact that the country's Communities and Regions maintain their own international relations, including the conclusion of treaties. Thus, there are a number of bilateral Dutch-Flemish international institutions, such as the Dutch Language Union or the institutions for the control of the river Scheldt, in which only Flanders takes part. Likewise, only the French Community of Belgium takes part in La Francophonie.