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Geography
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Location |
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands |
Area |
total:
30,528 sq km
land: 30,278 sq km
water: 250 sq km |
Area - comparative |
about the size of Maryland |
Land boundaries |
total: 1,385 km
border countries: France 620
km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km,
Netherlands 450 km |
Coastline |
66.5 km |
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
highest point: Signal de Botrange
694 m |
Natural resources |
coal, natural gas, construction materials,
silica sand, carbonates |
Land use |
arable land: 23.28%
permanent crops: 0.4%
other: 76.32%
note: includes Luxembourg (2001) |
Geography - note |
crossroads of Western Europe; majority
of West European capitals within 1,000
km of Brussels, the seat of both the European
Union and NATO |
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10,364,388 (July 2005
est.)
|
Age structure |
0-14
years: 16.9% (male 892,995/female
855,177)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 3,435,282/female
3,373,917)
65 years and over: 17.4% (male
745,178/female 1,061,839) (2005 est.) |
Birth rate |
10.48 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Death rate |
10.22 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Net migration rate |
1.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005
est.) |
Sex ratio |
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female
(2005 est.) |
Total fertility rate |
1.64 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Nationality |
noun: Belgian(s)
adjective: Belgian |
Ethnic groups |
Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other
11% |
Religions |
Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other
25% |
Languages |
Dutch (official) 60%, French (official)
40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally
bilingual (Dutch and French) |
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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; Dutch: provinces, singular
- provincie) and 3 regions* (French: regions;
Dutch: gewesten); Antwerpen, Brabant Walloon,
Brussels* (Bruxelles), Flanders*, Hainaut,
Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen,
Vlaams-Brabant, Wallonia*, West-Vlaanderen
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
declares independence from the Netherlands);
21 July 1831 (King Leopold I ascends to
the throne) |
National holiday |
21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne
of King Leopold I |
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 |
Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
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Diplomatic representation in the US |
chief
of mission: Ambassador Franciskus
VAN DAELE
chancery: 3330 Garfield Street
NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 333-6900
FAX: [1] (202) 333-3079
consulate(s) general: Atlanta,
Los Angeles, and New York |
Diplomatic representation from the US |
chief
of mission: Ambassador Tom C. KOROLOGOS
embassy: Regentlaan 27 Boulevard
du Regent, B-1000 Brussels
mailing address: PSC 82, Box
002, APO AE 09710
telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111
FAX: [32] (2) 511-2725 |
Flag description |
three equal vertical bands of black (hoist
side), yellow, and red; the design was
based on the flag of France
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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 nearly
100% 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.
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GDP |
purchasing
power parity - $316.2 billion (2004 est.) |
|
GDP -
real growth rate |
2.6% (2004
est.) |
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GDP -
per capita |
purchasing
power parity - $30,600 (2004 est.) |
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GDP -
composition by sector |
agriculture: 1.3%
industry: 25.7%
services: 73% (2004 est.) |
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Investment
(gross fixed) |
19.1%
of GDP (2004 est.) |
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Inflation
rate (consumer prices) |
1.9% (2004
est.) |
|
Labor
force |
4.75 million
(2004 est.) |
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Labor
force - by occupation |
agriculture
1.3%, industry 24.5%, services 74.2% (2003
est.) |
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Budget |
revenues: $173.7 billion
expenditures: $174.8 billion,
including capital expenditures of $1.56
billion (2004 est.) |
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Public
debt |
96.2%
of GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture
- products |
sugar
beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain,
tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk |
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Industries |
engineering
and metal products, motor vehicle assembly,
transportation equipment, scientific instruments,
processed food and beverages, chemicals,
basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum |
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Industrial
production growth rate |
3.5% (2004
est.) |
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Current
account balance |
$11.4
billion (2004 est.) |
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Exports |
$255.7
billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports
- commodities |
machinery
and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals
and metal products, foodstuffs |
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Exports
- partners |
Germany
19.9%, France 17.2%, Netherlands 11.8%,
UK 8.6%, US 6.5%, Italy 5.2% (2004) |
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Imports |
$235 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports
- commodities |
machinery
and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, pharmaceuticals,
foodstuffs, transportation equipment,
oil products |
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Imports
- partners |
Germany
18.4%, Netherlands 17%, France 12.5%,
UK 6.8%, Ireland 6.3%, US 5.5% (2004) |
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Currency |
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the
European Monetary Union introduced the
euro as a common currency to be used by
financial institutions of member countries;
on 1 January 2002, the euro became the
sole currency for everyday transactions
within the member countries |
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Fiscal
year |
calendar
year
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total: 3,518
km
standard gauge: 3,518 km 1.435-m
gauge (2,631 km electrified) (2003)
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Highways: |
total: 149,028 km
paved: 116,540 km (including
1,729 km of expressways)
unpaved: 32,488 km (2002) |
Waterways: |
2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial
use) (2003) |
Pipelines: |
gas 1,485 km; oil 158 km; refined products
535 km (2004) |
Ports and harbors: |
Antwerp (one of the world's busiest ports),
Brugge, Gent, Hasselt, Liege, Mons, Namur,
Oostende, Zeebrugge |
Merchant marine: |
total: 53 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,146,301
GRT/1,588,184 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 15, cargo
2, chemical tanker 2, container 8, liquefied
gas 17, petroleum tanker 9
foreign-owned: 12 (Denmark 4,
France 4, Greece 4)
registered in other countries: 101 (2005) |
Airports: |
43 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 25
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 16 (2004 est.) |
Heliports: |
1 (2004 est.) |
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