Belgium

Belgium (België in Dutch, Belgique in French, and Belgien in German) is a small country located in Western Europe, bordered by the Netherlands, the Federal Republic of Germany, Luxembourg, France, and the North Sea.

Table of contents

1 Religion

2 History

3 Politics

4 Regions & Provinces

6 Economy

8 Culture

Religion

Main article: Religion of Belgium

In Belgium the main religion is Roman Catholicism, which consists of between 75 and 80% of the Belgian population. Other religions practiced in Belgium are Islam, Protestantism, and Judaism.

Belgium consists of so many Roman Catholics since it was formed on that basis; catholicism was one of the differences that lead the Belgians to want to separate from the protestant Netherlands in 1830. So it is not surprising that, nowadays, the dominant religion in Belgium is still Catholicism.

But this is not the only reason. Also another event, which many Christians dislike and regret, influenced the religion in Belgium. This event was the Spanish Inquisition. This horrible event happened before Belgium was Belgium, back when Belgium was Spain. Spanish King Ferdinand V requested the start of the Inquisition to the Pope, who agreed. It started off slowly, but after a while, especially under the rule of Phillip II, it grew to the execution of thousands of supposed heretics (people who weren't Christians). This led to the massacre of thousands of Jews, Protestants, and Muslims. And, since Belgium was part of Spain at the time, it also had an effect on the local religion there. At that time, trouble was brewing in Holland, talk of revolution and separation. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V introduced the Inquisition in the Netherlands, but it failed to get rid of Protestantism.

History

Main article: History of Belgium

Geographically and culturally, Belgium is at the crossroads of Europe, and during the past 2,000 years has witnessed a constant ebb and flow of different races and cultures.

Consequently, Belgium is one of Europe's true melting pots with Celtic, Roman, Germanic, French, Dutch, Spanish, and Austrian cultures having made an imprint.

People were living in modern-day Belgium 100,000 years ago. They were called "Belgae" (hence the name Belgium), and lived from hunting and gathering. They were conquered, in around the year 0, by the Roman Empire, under the rule of Julius Caesar. When the Roman Empire collapsed, the Franks took over, and created the short-lived Merovingian Empire.
When it, in its turn, declined, around the year 511AD, the Frankish lands broke up and did not get together again until the Holy Roman Empire conquered them again, this time under the rule of Charlemagne. In 1419 Philip the Good took over, and the Burgundian Empire began to flourish. But, when Philip II ascended the Spanish throne, he tried to abolish all Protestantism. So he sent troops to Holland and Belgium. Holland didn't like this, and continued to struggle until it gained independence in 1648. The Southern states, (modern-day Belgium) remained loyal to Spain.

Then, in 1789, a revolution happened in France. In 1790 Belgium first gained independence in 1790, but Austria quickly regained control. Napoleon rose on the throne in France. He conquered Belgium and most of Europe. After he fell, the major powers in Europe agreed that Belgium would become a part of the Netherlands, under the rule of a protestant king, namely William of Orange. The Belgian Catholics didn't agree with that, and in 1830 revolted.
The major powers in Europe agreed, and in the 21st of July, 1831, the first king of Belgium, Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, more commonly known nowadays as Leopold I, was crowned. He built the first railway in continental Europe in 1935, between Brussels and Mechelen. The Netherlands still fought persistently for 8 years, but in 1839 a treaty was signed between the 2 countries. The next king was Leopold II. He, in 1885, made Congo under his personal sovereignty. This was the first, and last, colony Belgium would ever have. The King after that was Albert I, who was most known for his resistance against the German forces long enough, so that the British and French could prepare for the battle of the Marne. After Albert I came Leopold III, who, as a teenager, fought in the Belgian army during WWI. He, during WWII, quickly surrendered to the Germans in order to reduce blood loss, but this was met with general Belgian protests, and he was charged with treason. After the war, in order to avoid the country being torn apart, he abdicated the throne to his son, Baudouin. During Baudouin's reign, Congo declared independence, and he founded the King Baudouin Foundation, whith the purpose of improving the living conditions of the Belgian people. When he died due to heart failure, his brother, namely Albert II, took over. He is still king today.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Belgium

Since the country's federalisation there are many governmental entities; apart from the Federal Government there is a subdivision according to language in communities, with the French speaking Community, The Flemish Community and the German-speaking Community, and another subdivision (see also the next section) with the Walloon Region, the Flemish Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. However, the Flemish Community and The Flemish Region have been joined together to form one government, see Flanders.

Federal government: Jurisdiction over matters of national interest. (e.g. the Military)
Community governments: Language, culture and education. (e.g. Schools, Libraries, Theatre, etc.)
Regional governments: Land and property based issues within their area (zoning, housing, transportation, etc.)

For example, a school building in Brussels would be regulated by the regional government of Brussels. The school as an institution however would fall under the regulations of either the Flemish government, if the primary language of teaching is Dutch, or the French Community government, if the primary language is French. It's a complex but peaceful compromise that allows distinctly different cultures to live together.

Regions & Provinces

Main article: Regions and provinces of Belgium

Belgium is divided into 3 federal regions; 2 regions are each divided into 5 provinces, together 10. Between brackets is the local name of each province, in either French or Dutch:

Flanders (Dutch speaking; Vlaanderen in Dutch, Flandre or Flandres in French):
- Antwerp (Antwerpen)
- Limburg
- East Flanders (Oost-Vlaanderen)
- West Flanders (West-Vlaanderen)
- Flemish Brabant (Vlaams-Brabant)
Wallonia (French speaking; Wallonie in French, Wallonië in Dutch):
- Walloon Brabant (Brabant Wallon)
- Namur
- Liège
- Hainaut
- Luxembourg
The Brussels capital region (Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest in Dutch, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale in French, Die Region Brüssel-Hauptstadt in German).

Each province is further divided into smaller municipalities, called gemeenten in Dutch and communes in French (see List of Belgian municipalities).

Geography

Main article: Geography of Belgium

Map

First I will discuss the natural physical features, and then I will mention the manmade physical features. First of all, Belgium has an area of 30,510 sq km, which, multiplied by 315, will give around the area of China. Belgium has 3 main physical regions: the coastal plain (located in the northwest), the central plateau (the name speaks for itself) and the Ardennes highland (located in the southeast).

The coastal plain comprises mainly of sand dunes and polders. Polders are areas of land, that are close to or under sea level, and that have been reclaimed and protected by dikes. And, further inland, fields (that have been drained by canals) can be found.

The 2nd physical region, the central plateau, lies further inland. This is a smooth, slowly rising area which has many fertile valleys and is irrigated by many waterways. Here we can also find rougher land, including caves and gorges. The 3rd physical region (called the Ardennes) is a bit rougher than the other 2. It is a thickly forested plateau, very rocky and not very good for farming. This area continues to spread throughout northern France. This is where a lot of Belgium's wildlife can be found.

The 2 main rivers in Belgium are the Schelde and the Maas. These 2 rivers bring prosperity to Tournai, Gent, Antwerpen, Brugge, Liège. The highest point in Belgium is the Botrange, with a height of only 694 meters, and is located in the 3rd physical region, namely the Ardennes.

Now it is the turn of the manmade features. Belgium is divided into 3 manmade regions, usually classified by their language: Brussels (speak both Flemish and French, 960,000 people), Flanders (speak Flemish, 6,000,000 people), and Wallonia (speak French, 3,300,000 people). Then Belgium is further divided into 10 provinces: Limburg, Vlaams Brabant, Waals Brabant, Oost Vlaanderen, Luxemburg, Antwerpen, Namur, Luik, Henegouwen, and West Vlaanderen. The main cities and their population are Brussels (959,318), Antwerp (445,570), Ghent (224,685), Charleroi (200,233), and Liège (184,550).

Although generally flat, the terrain becomes increasingly hilly and forested in the southeast (Ardennes) region, where one can find Belgium's highest point, the Signal de Botrange at 694m.

The climate is cool, temperate, and rainy; summer temperatures average 25°C / 77°F, winters average 7.2°C / 45°F. Annual extremes (rarely attained) are -12.2°C / 10°F and 32.2°C / 90°F.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Belgium

Densely populated Belgium is located at the heart of one of the world's most highly industrialised regions. The first country to undergo an industrial revolution on the continent of Europe in the early 1800s, Belgium developed an excellent transportation infrastructure of ports, canals, railways, and highways to integrate its industry with that of its neighbours. One of the founding members of the European Union, Belgium strongly supports deepening the powers of the EU to integrate European economies. Belgium became a first-tier member of the Euro, the single European currency, in January 1999 and the Belgian franc was completely replaced by euro coins and banknotes in early 2002. This chapter is about Belgian economy. Firstly, these are some hard facts about the economy: The current currency is the Euro (±1.30$). The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita is $24.285, which classifies Belgium as 7th in the world classification of GDP per capita. The GDP grows at approximately 3.8%. The export revenues are around 76% of the GDP. Belgium exports around ¾ of its products to other European countries. Belgium is ranked as number 1 in the world classification of exports per capita.

Belgium is known as "The heart of Europe". This is not only because of its geographical location, but also due to many international institutions having their headquarters in Brussels. This, in its turn, is because it has an excellent transportation system. It has a modern and toll-free road system, is connected to the European railway system, and Antwerpen is the second largest European port.

The economy in Belgium greatly depends on its imports and exports. Its main imports are: food products, machinery, rough diamonds, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, clothing and accessories, and textiles, and its main trade partners are Germany, The Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States, and Spain. Its main exports are automobiles, food and food products, iron and steel, diamonds, textiles, plastics, petroleum products, and nonferrous metals. Trade is made together with Luxembourg, since these 2 countries created a customs and currency union in 1922.

The currency in Belgium was the Belgian franc (±40BEF per 1$), until the year 2002, when it officially disappeared from circulation and when the Euro took its spot. Belgium, together with 11 other countries, changed their currencies to the Euro.

The growth of the economy in Belgium sharply decreased in 2001, due to world economic slowdown. Belgium is largely dependant on the world economic state.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Belgium

The population density is the second-highest in Europe, after the Netherlands.

There are three official languages, Dutch, French and German. More than half of the country is Dutch speaking (55%), French is the second largest (44%), German is spoken by a minority (1%). Brussels, the capital, is mostly French speaking, but officially French/Dutch bilingual.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Belgium

This country is well known for its art, its great architecture, its beer, its food, and its chocolate.

Belgium has a variety of famous artists. These include Peter Paul Rubens, René Magritte, Jan van Eyck, Breughel, Memling, Ensor, Delvaux. René Magritte is probably the most famous Belgian artist. He, together with Paul Delvaux, are two major artists of the surrealistic style. Many great French authors went to Belgium for refuge. Another type of art is music. Belgium isn't behind in music either. For example, Adolphe Sax invented the saxophone in around 1840. He appears on the Belgian notes of 100 BEF.

In Architecture the name Victor Horta is well known. He was one of the originators of the Art Nouveau architecture, a style of architecture which had a major impact upon 20th century buildings.

Entertainment. Belgium has a large variety of museums, expositions. Some of the most impressive museums in Belgium are The Royal Museum for Fine Arts, in Antwerpen, which has an admirable collection of works by Peter Paul Rubens, and The Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels, which has a cinema, a concert hall, and artworks of many periods.

The national sport in Belgium is soccer. The national team is called the Red Devils, and they are ranked as 16th by FIFA. Belgians are fanatics of soccer, but that's not the only thing they're good at. Belgium has 2 female tennis players in the top 20; Kim Clijsters (#1) and Justine Henine-Hardenne (#2). Belgium also has been good in cycling. One of the greatest cyclists ever, Eddy Merckx, who won 5 Tours de France; five Tours of Italy, one Tour of Spain, two Tours of Belgium, and one Tour of Switzerland, was Belgian. We also have world champions in motocross and judo. As you can see, Belgium is also well represented in the sport's world.

Now, gastronomy. Gastronomy means national kitchen, or food. A lot of gourmets think that Belgium has the 2nd best food in Europe, after French food. Everybody knows Belgian chocolate, for example. The praline was actually invented in Belgium, although chocolate wasn't. We have brands like Neuhaus, Cote d'Or, Leonidas. And then beer. In Belgium you can find over 450 different kinds of beer. The beer with the most prestige is that of the Trappist monks. Technically, it is an ale and traditionally each abbey's beer is served in its own glass (the forms, heights and widths are different). The inhabitants of this country have a reputation for loving French fries. The fried potato strips are sold at many small shops and stands (often at train stations) and are known locally as frieten in Dutch and frites in French (not identified as French, though).

Some is exported all over the world. Other less known snacks are speculaas (a sweet, crunchy cookie) and waffles. And, of course, French fries (invented by us). As main courses we have mussels with French fries, endive prepared in a special way, Brussels sprouts, Gentse waterzooi (a casserole made up of chicken and vegetables).

Now for education. Belgium has an excellent educational system. Over 98% of the adult population is literate. School is obligatory from the age of 6 until the age of 18, but most Belgian students keep on studying until the age of 23. This makes Belgium's education system the second highest in Europe, after England. As a child, there are 3 kindergartens before you go to 1st grade. Then there are 6 grades, which you must complete before moving on to the next 6 grades. After you finish those, you can do what you want. Most Belgian students choose to then keep on studying.

The Belgians are a folk with many different customs. Holidays: There is one very big holiday in December the 6th. This is Sinterklaas dag, which, in English, would mean the day of Saint Nicholas. This is sort of an early Christmas, where the kids put there shoe by the hearth with some water and a carrot for the horse, and supposedly St. Nicholas comes at night and travels down the chimney. He then takes the carrot and the water, puts down presents, goes back up, feeds his horse, and continues his course. He also knows whether you have been good or bad. This is a major children's holiday in Belgium.

Belgians also celebrate a variety of international, but mostly Christian holidays; such as Christmas, Epiphany (Three King's Day), Easter, New Year, Valentine's Day.

Festivals play a major role in Belgium's cultural life. Nearly every city and town has its own festival, some that date back several centuries. And these aren't just tricks for tourism, but real, authentic celebrations that took months to prepare. Two of the biggest festivals are the three-day carnival at Binche, near Mons, held just before Lent (the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter), and the Procession of the Holy Blood, held in Brugge in May. During the carnival in Binche, "Gilles" lead the procession, which are men dressed in high, plumed hats and bright costumes.

Another part of Belgian traditions is the comic strip. Belgium has numerous cartoonists, such as Willy Vandersteen (Suske en Wiske), Hergé (Tintin), Morris (Lucky Luke), Peyo (De Smurfen), Marc Sleen (Nero).

As you can see, Belgians are very colorful people.

See also:

Music of Belgium

Miscellaneous

Belgium is a curse word in the famed series Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy

Reference

Much of the material in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.

External links

Official site of the Belgian Federal Government
Official site of the Flemish Government - in Dutch
Official site of the Flemish Region and Community - in English
Official site of the Walloon Region - in French
Official site of the Brussels-Capital Region - in English
Official site of the French Community - in French
Official site of the German Community - in English
A Concise Description of Flanders - in English
An overview of Belgium
Places in Belgium
Worldwide Press Freedom Index Rank 12 out of 139 countries (2 way tie)

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