.
30,230 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total 1,385 km, France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km,
Netherlands 450 km
Coastline:
64 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
equidistant line with neighbors
exclusive fishing zone:
equidistant line with neighbors (extends about 68 km from coast)
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
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
Natural resources:
coal, natural gas
Land use:
arable land:
24%
permanent crops:
1%
meadows and pastures:
20%
forest and woodland:
21%
other:
34%
Irrigated land:
10 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
Meuse River, a major source of drinking water, polluted from steel
production wastes; other rivers polluted by animal wastes and
fertilizers; industrial air pollution contributes to acid rain in
neighboring countries
natural hazards:
NA
international agreements:
party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulphur, Antarctic Treaty,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands; signed,
but not ratified - Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals
within 1,000 km of Brussels which is the seat of the EC
@Belgium, People
Population:
10,062,836 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.2% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
11.71 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
10.26 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
7.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
76.96 years
male:
73.67 years
female:
80.44 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.62 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Belgian(s)
adjective:
Belgian
Ethnic divisions:
Fleming 55%, Walloon 33%, mixed or other 12%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%
Languages:
Dutch 56%, French 32%, German 1%, legally bilingual 11% divided along
ethnic lines
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
total population:
99%
male:
NA%
female:
NA%
Labor force:
4.126 million
by occupation:
services 63.6%, industry 28%, construction 6.1%, agriculture 2.3%
(1988)
@Belgium, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Kingdom of Belgium
conventional short form:
Belgium
local long form:
Royaume de Belgique
local short form:
Belgique
Digraph:
BE
Type:
constitutional monarchy
Capital:
Brussels
Administrative divisions:
9 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Flemish:
provincien, singular - provincie); Antwerpen, Brabant, Hainaut, Liege,
Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen, West-Vlaanderen
Independence:
4 October 1830 (from the Netherlands)
National holiday:
National Day, 21 July (ascension of King Leopold 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
Suffrage:
18 years of age, universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state:
King ALBERT II (since NA August 1993)
head of government:
Prime Minister Jean-Luc DEHAENE (since 6 March 1992)
cabinet:
Cabinet; the king appoints the ministers who are chosen by the
legislature