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Belgium Country Guide
Explore Belgium in Europe
The topography includes flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast. The average density of population is approximately 341 per km². The notable climate conditions in Belgium can be described as temperate with mild winters, cool summers and rainy, humid, cloudy. Possible natural disasters include flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes.
To reach someone in Belgium dial +32 prior to a number. There are 4,255,000 installed telephones. And there are 12,419,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900/1800/3G MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".be". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 230V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Belgium
Three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the vertical design was based on the flag of France; the colors are those of the arms of the duchy of Brabant (yellow lion with red claws and tongue on a black field).
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. Its capital, Brussels, is home to numerous international organizations including the EU and NATO.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Europe Neighbours: Germany, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France Capital: Brussels |
| Size | 30,510 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 11,779 square miles (mi² or sqmi) about the size of Maryland |
| Population | 10,403,000 |
| Currency | Name Euro, Currency Code:EUR |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .be |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +32 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 12,419,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 4,255,000 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 30,528 (sq km) | 141 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 10,444,268 | 83 |
| Population growth rate | 0.05 (%) | 187 |
| Birth rate | 10.00 (births/1,000 population) | 194 |
| Death rate | 10.70 (deaths/1,000 population) | 42 |
| Net migration rate | 1.22 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 53 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 8.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 158 |
| Infant mortality rate | 4.23 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 194 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.78 (years) | 38 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.65 (children born/woman) | 176 |
| Health expenditures | 10.70 (% of GDP) | 23 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.20 (%) | 94 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 14,000 | 86 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 100 | 123 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 22.10 (%) | 83 |
| Education expenditures | 6.60 (% of GDP) | 28 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 18.70 (%) | 65 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 427,200,000,000 | 33 |
| GDP - real growth rate | -0.20 (%) | 185 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 38,500 | 31 |
| Labor force | 5,055,000 | 74 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.60 (%) | 85 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 28.00 | 122 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 22.10 (% of GDP) | 70 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 46.90 (% of GDP) | 21 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -3.30 (% of GDP) | 120 |
| Public debt | 99.60 (% of GDP) | 15 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.40 (%) | 45 |
| Central bank discount rate | 1.75 (%) | 121 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 3.93 (%) | 170 |
| Stock of narrow money | 168,400,000,000 | 23 |
| Stock of broad money | 543,200,000,000 | 21 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 542,400,000,000 | 25 |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 269,300,000,000 | 29 |
| Industrial production growth rate | 5.60 (%) | 55 |
| Current account balance | -4,800,000,000 | 165 |
| Exports | 314,600,000,000 | 17 |
| Imports | 325,200,000,000 | 17 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 29,430,000,000 | 49 |
| Debt - external | 1,424,000,000,000 | 13 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 1,184,000,000,000 | 5 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 999,800,000,000 | 7 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 89,250,000,000 (kWh) | 37 |
| Electricity - consumption | 78,530,000,000 (kWh) | 36 |
| Electricity - exports | 11,840,000,000 (kWh) | 17 |
| Electricity - imports | 12,410,000,000 (kWh) | 15 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 17,500,000 (kW) | 41 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 46.40 (% of total installed capacity) | 164 |
| Electricity - from nuclear fuels | 33.70 (% of total installed capacity) | 2 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 0.60 (% of total installed capacity) | 143 |
| Electricity - from other renewable sources | 11.70 (% of total installed capacity) | 21 |
| Crude oil - imports | 624,500 (bbl/day) | 17 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 693,500 (bbl/day) | 26 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 644,400 (bbl/day) | 29 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 353,000 (bbl/day) | 23 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 370,800 (bbl/day) | 18 |
| Natural gas - consumption | 13,460,000,000 (cu m) | 42 |
| Natural gas - exports | 2,511,000,000 (cu m) | 38 |
| Natural gas - imports | 15,940,000,000 (cu m) | 19 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 127,200,000 (Mt) | 35 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 4,631,000 | 33 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 12,541,000 | 62 |
| Internet hosts | 5,192,000 | 21 |
| Internet users | 8,113,000 | 36 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 43 | 100 |
| Railways | 3,233 (km) | 55 |
| Roadways | 154,012 (km) | 31 |
| Waterways | 2,043 (km) | 42 |
| Merchant marine | 87 | 56 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 1.30 (% of GDP) | 109 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Belfries of Belgium and France Twenty-three belfries in the north of France and the belfry of Gembloux in Belgium were inscribed as a group, an extension to the 32 Belgian belfries inscribed in 1999 as Belfries of Flanders and Wallonia. Built between the 11th and 17th centuries, t ... | 1999 |
| Flemish Béguinages The Béguines were women who dedicated their lives to God without retiring from the world. In the 13th century they founded the béguinages , enclosed communities designed to meet their spiritual and material needs. The Flemish béguinages are architect ... | 1998 |
| Historic Centre of Brugge Brugge is an outstanding example of a medieval historic settlement, which has maintained its historic fabric as this has evolved over the centuries, and where original Gothic constructions form part of the town's identity. As one of the commercial an ... | 2000 |
| La Grand-Place, Brussels La Grand-Place in Brussels is a remarkably homogeneous body of public and private buildings, dating mainly from the late 17th century. The architecture provides a vivid illustration of the level of social and cultural life of the period in this impor ... | 1998 |
| Major Mining Sites of Wallonia The four sites of the property form a strip 170 km long by 3–15 km wide, crossing Belgium from east to west, consisting of the best-preserved 19th- and 20th-century coal-mining sites of the country. It features examples of the utopian architecture fr ... | 2012 |
| Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta (Brussels) The four major town houses - Hôtel Tassel, Hôtel Solvay, Hôtel van Eetvelde, and Maison & Atelier Horta - located in Brussels and designed by the architect Victor Horta, one of the earliest initiators of Art Nouveau, are some of the most remarkable p ... | 2000 |
| Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes (Mons) The Neolithic flint mines at Spiennes, covering more than 100 ha, are the largest and earliest concentration of ancient mines in Europe. They are also remarkable for the diversity of technological solutions used for extraction and for the fact that t ... | 2000 |
| Notre-Dame Cathedral in Tournai The Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Tournai was built in the first half of the 12th century. It is especially distinguished by a Romanesque nave of extraordinary dimensions, a wealth of sculpture on its capitals and a transept topped by five towers, all p ... | 2000 |
| Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex The Plantin-Moretus Museum is a printing plant and publishing house dating from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Situated in Antwerp, one of the three leading cities of early European printing along with Paris and Venice, it is associated with th ... | 2005 |
| Stoclet House When banker and art collector Adolphe Stoclet commissioned this house from one of the leading architects of the Vienna Secession movement, Josef Hoffmann, in 1905, he imposed neither aesthetic nor financial restrictions on the project. The house and ... | 2009 |
| The Four Lifts on the Canal du Centre and their Environs, La Louvière and Le Roeulx (Hainaut) The four hydraulic boat-lifts on this short stretch of the historic Canal du Centre are industrial monuments of the highest quality. Together with the canal itself and its associated structures, they constitute a remarkably well-preserved and complet ... | 1998 |