| Also on Encarta |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Basic Facts |
| Official name |
Kingdom of Belgium |
|
| Capital |
Brussels |
|
| Area |
30,528 sq km |
|
11,787 sq mi |
|
|
|
| Administrative divisions (population) |
| Brussels Region |
1,024,492 |
|
|
| Flemish Region |
6,095,416 |
|
|
| Walloon Region |
3,421,985 |
|
|
|
| Largest cities (population) |
|
| Antwerp |
464,038 (2006 estimate) |
|
|
| Ghent |
233,925 (2006 estimate) |
|
|
| Charleroi |
201,456 (2006 estimate) |
|
|
| Liège |
187,432 (2006 estimate) |
|
|
| Brussels |
145,717 (2006 estimate) |
|
|
| Bruges |
117,130 (2006 estimate) |
|
|
| Namur |
107,411 (2006 estimate) |
|
|
| Mons |
90,984 (2006 estimate) |
|
|
| Mechelen |
78,680 (2006 estimate) |
|
|
| Kortrijk |
73,694 (2006 estimate) |
|
|
| Hasselt |
70,236 (2006 estimate) |
|
|
| Ostend |
68,898 (2006 estimate) |
|
|
|
 |
| Belgian Flag and Anthem |
 Expand |
|
|
| People |
| Population |
10,392,226 (2007 estimate) |
|
| Population growth rate |
0.12 per cent (2007 estimate) |
|
| Population density |
343 persons per sq km (2007 estimate) |
|
889 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate) |
|
|
|
| Urbanization |
| Per cent urban |
97 per cent (2005 estimate) |
|
|
| Per cent rural |
3 per cent (2005 estimate) |
|
|
|
| Life expectancy |
|
| Total |
78.9 years (2007 estimate) |
|
|
| Female |
82.2 years (2007 estimate) |
|
|
| Male |
75.8 years (2007 estimate) |
|
|
|
| Infant mortality rate |
| 5 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate) |
|
|
| Literacy rate |
| Total |
99 per cent (1995) |
|
|
| Female |
Not available |
|
|
| Male |
Not available |
|
|
|
| Ethnic divisions |
| Flemish |
55 per cent |
|
|
| Walloon |
33 per cent |
|
|
| Mixed or other |
12 per cent |
|
|
|
| Languages |
| Dutch (official), French (official), German (official), Flemish (Vlaams), Walloon |
|
|
| Religions |
| Roman Catholic, Protestant, other |
|
|
| Government |
| Type of government |
Constitutional monarchy |
|
| Independence |
October 4, 1830 (from Netherlands) |
|
| Constitution |
February 7, 1831, last revised July 14, 1993; parliament approved a constitutional package creating a federal state. |
|
| Voting rights |
Universal and compulsory at age 18 |
|
| Economy |
| Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$) |
| 370,824 million (2005) |
|
|
| GDP per capita (US$) |
35,388.60 (2005) |
|
| GDP by economic sector |
| GDP, agriculture |
1 per cent (2005) |
|
|
| GDP, industry |
24 per cent (2005) |
|
|
| GDP, services |
74.9 per cent (2005) |
|
|
|
| National budget (US$) |
| Total revenue |
156,821 million (2005) |
|
|
| Total expenditure |
156,294 million (2005) |
|
|
|
| Monetary unit |
| 1 euro (EUR), consisting of 100 cents |
|
| Euro (€) notes and coins replaced the Belgian franc (BF) as the national currency on January 1, 2002. |
|
|
| Exports |
| Iron and steel, transport equipment, tractors, diamonds, petroleum products, chemicals, food and agricultural products, textiles and clothing |
|
|
| Imports |
| Fuels, grains, chemicals, foodstuffs, diamonds |
|
|
| Major trading partners for exports |
| European Union (EU) countries, United States, Japan |
|
|
| Major trading partners for imports |
| EU countries, United States, India |
|
|
| Industries |
| Engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, processed foods and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum, coal |
|
|
| Agriculture |
| Livestock production: beef, veal, pork, milk; major crops are sugar beet, fresh vegetables, fruits, grains, tobacco |
|
|
| Natural resources |
| Coal, natural gas |
|
|
| Sources |
| Basic Facts and People sections |
| Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org). |
|
|
| Health and Education section |
| Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). |
|
|
| Government section |
| Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data are from Military Balance. |
|
|
| Economy section |
| Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications. |
|
|
| Energy, Communication, and Transportation section |
| Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). |
|
|
| Note |
| Figures may not total 100 per cent due to rounding. |
|
|
|
Hotmail
Messenger
My MSN
MSN Directory
