- For alternate uses, see Belgium
(disambiguation).
Belgium (België in Dutch,
Belgique in French, and Belgien in
German) is a country in Western Europe, bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France, and the North Sea. Belgium is at a cultural crossroad between the Germanic Europe (with Dutch speakers in the
North, the Flemings) and the Romance Europe (with French speakers in the
South, the Walloons), which is reflected in its complex institutions and political history.
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 cultures having made an imprint, and later on in history,
French, Dutch, Spanish, and Austrian influences.
The earliest named inhabitants of Belgium were the Belgae. They were (mostly) Celtic
tribes, living in northern Gaul and overcome by Julius Caesar in 54 BC, as described in his chronicle De Bello Gallico. After the Roman Empire collapsed (5th Century AD), Germanic tribes
invaded the Roman province of "Gallia". One of these people, the Franks, finally
installed a new kingdom under the rulers of the Merovingian
Dynasty. Clovis was the most famous of these kings: he converted to Christianity and ruled from northern France, but his empire included today's
Belgium. Christian scholars, mostly Irish monks, preached Christianity and started conversion work under the pagan invaders. The Merovingians were rather short-lived, as the Carolingian Dynasty took over: after Charles Martel countered the Moorish invasion from Spain
(721 AD - Poitiers), their famous king Charlemagne brought a huge part of Europe under his rulership and was crowned as the "Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire" by the pope
himself (800 AD).
European Feudalism became the base for military, political and economical stability. Christianity flourished under the protection of these rulers and by the founding of
religious communities and monasteries, churches and pilgrimages.
The region was later associated with the Netherlands, under Burgundian then Spanish rule, until the Protestant provinces took their independence (see Netherlands). Then followed Austrian rule, and a few years of
French rule under Napoleon. After
Napoleon's demise, in 1815, Belgium was
reunited with the northern provinces in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands until
the Belgian
Revolution in 1830, which established an independent Belgian state. The Belgian
revolution was initiated by the French-speaking minority who controlled the factories and other economical resources and who
didn't want to live under a Dutch-speaking administration.
The Belgian King, Leopold I, was chosen with the
assistance of the British. The country's neutrality was guaranteed against future foreign military agression. This neutrality was
violated in 1914 when Germany invaded Belgium as part of the Schlieffen Plan. The British decision to honour their treaty obligations, as
much as the entente cordiale with France, forced them into
the First World War. After a period of alliance with France after the First World War, Belgium tried to return to neutrality in
the 1930s, but was once again invaded by Germany in 1940. After World War II, the policy of neutrality was abandoned, and Belgium joined NATO and the European Economic
Community.
Belgium possessed one primary foreign colony during its history: the Congo, which was given to King Leopold
II in the Conference of Berlin in 1885. He made the land his private property and called it the 'Congo Free State'. In this Free State, the local population was brutalised in exchange for rubber, a growing market with the developement of rubber tyres. In 1908, the international
pressure against the cruelties of King Leopold became so great that Leopold II was forced to give his property to the Belgian
state as a colony. From then on, it became Belgian Congo, before gaining
independence from Belgium in 1960.
Belgium's foreign involvement increased after the First World War when two former German colonies, Rwanda and Burundi were mandated to Belgium by the League of Nations. Belgian policy in the administration and
socio-cultural development of these countries has been heavily criticised, many seeing Belgian decisions as contributing
significantly to the troubles in Rwanda in the 1990s.
Since the 20th century, the history of Belgium became more and more
dominated by the increasing autonomy of its two main communities, the Dutch and the French-speakers. As an indication of this,
since around 1970, there are no national Belgian political parties anymore, but only Flemish or French-speaking parties. The
regular attempts to establish national, Belgian parties end up below 1% of the electorate; the Brussels parties either never got
started (as with the 'Blauwe Leeuwen' and 'Rode Leeuwen' for the Flemings in Brussels), or got merged into one of the
French-speaking liberal parties (such as the FDF). As such, the political landscape shows a near-perfect dual political system,
reflecting the two underlying dominant communities.
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 into Communities, with the French(-speaking) Community, the Flemish Community and the German-speaking Community, and another subdivision into Regions: the Walloon Region, the Flemish
Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. The
Flemish Community and the Flemish Region have been joined together to form one government, see Flanders.
Behind these complex institutions, one notes the two dominant components of the Belgian state: the Flemings and their political institutions under the Flemish
government; and the French-speakers, grouped under the French(-speaking) Community and its more fragmented institutions. All political parties in
Belgium belong to one of these two communities, except for a German-speaking party and some marginal parties in Brussels.
However, these only attract votes from one of the two communities in Brussels. Thus, there are no national parties active over
all the Belgian territory. In short, the Belgian political landscape carefully mirrors the dual nature of Belgian society.
Thus:
- Federal government: Jurisdiction over matters of national interest (e.g. Foreign affairs, defence/Military, economy, social welfare,
security, transport, telecommunications, etc.)
- Community governments: Language, culture and education. (e.g. Schools, Libraries, Theatre, etc.)
- Regional governments: Land and property based issues within their area (regional economy, zoning, housing,
transportation, etc.)
For example, a school building in Brussels belonging to the public school system 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 is a complex,
somewhat unstable and expensive, but peaceful compromise that allows distinctly different cultures to live together.
Communities, regions & provinces
Main article: Regions and
provinces of Belgium
Belgium is divided into three communities, the Flemish community, the French-speaking community and the German-speaking community, and in three regions: Brussels (mainly Dutch- and French-speaking, with a
population of 960,000), Flanders (mainly Dutch-speaking, with a population of
6,000,000), and Wallonia (mainly French-speaking, with a population of 3,300,000).
The later two regions are each divided into 5 provinces.
Map of Belgium with regions and provinces
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):
- Wallonia (French speaking; Wallonie in French, Wallonië in
Dutch):
- The Brussels-Capital Region (Région de
Bruxelles-Capitale in French, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest in Dutch, Die Region Brüssel-Hauptstadt in
German).
Each provincial entity (including the Brussels-Capital Region) is further divided into smaller municipalities, called gemeenten in Dutch and communes in French (see List of Belgian municipalities and List of Belgian
municipalities by population).
The main cities and their population are Brussels (959,318), Antwerp (445,570),
Ghent (224,685), Charleroi (200,233), and
Liège (184,550).
Geography
Main article: Geography of Belgium
Belgium has an area of 30,510 km². Belgium has three main
physical regions: the coastal plain (located in
the northwest), the central plateau, and the Ardennes uplands (located in the southeast).
The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes
and polders. Polders are areas of land, close to or below sea level, that have been reclaimed from the sea from which they are protected by dikes, or, further inland, fields that have been drained by
canals.
The second 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 one can
also find rougher land, including caves and small gorges.
The third physical region (called the Ardennes) is somewhat more rugged than the first two. It is a thickly forested plateau, very rocky and not very good for farming, which extends into northern France. This is where much of Belgium's wildlife can be found.
The two main rivers in Belgium are the Scheldt and the Meuse. These two rivers bring prosperity to Tournai, Ghent, Antwerp, Bruges, Liège and
Namur. 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 only 694 metres.
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. One of the first
countries 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 was one of the first countries to adopt the euro, the
single European currency, in January 1999 and the Belgian franc was completely replaced by euro coins and banknotes in early 2002.
Belgium is sometimes called "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, such as NATO
(others). 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 Antwerp 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 two countries created a customs and currency union in 1922.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Belgium
The population density, 336/km², is one of the highest in
Europe, after the Netherlands and some smaller countries such as Monaco.
There are three official languages, Dutch, French and German; both the official Dutch and French spoken in Belgium have small vocabulary differences from the
versions spoken in the Netherlands and France, but are mutually intelligible. Many of the population speak Flemish or Walloon dialects which are often difficult to understand for speakers of standard Dutch or French.
More than half of the country is Dutch-speaking (56%-60%), French is the second largest (40%-44%) and German is spoken by less
than 1% of the population, although these figures must be taken with care since the last linguistic census dated before 1960.
Brussels, the capital, is mostly French speaking, but officially French/Dutch
bilingual as it evolved from a Dutch-speaking place when the Belgian state became independent in 1830 to its current dominantly
French character being the capital of the central administration of the federal country.
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 most intensive in Europe, after
the UK's.
Religion
Main article: Religion of Belgium
In Belgium Roman Catholicism is the majority religion,
accounting for between 75% and 80% of the population, although nowadays only about 10% to 20% of the population regularly goes to
church. Other religions widely practiced in Belgium are Islam, Protestantism, and Judaism.
Religion was one of the differences between the Roman Catholic south and the Protestant north of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, which
eventually broke up in 1830 when the south seceded to form Belgium. This accounts for the
preponderance of Catholics there nowadays.
Since 1830, Catholicism has had also an important role in Belgium's politics. One example is the so-called "school wars"
("guerres scolaires" in French) between liberals and Catholics which took place between 1879 and 1884 for the first one and between 1954 and 1958 for the second one.
Between World War I and World War II the centre of occult and mystical activity was shifted from France to Belgium. Belgium
became the main centre for many brotherhoods and secret societies of which many branches still exist today.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Belgium
The 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. In music Adolphe
Sax is famous for inventing the saxophone in 1840. He appeared on the former
Belgian 200 Belgian francs (BEF) banknotes.
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.
Belgium has a large variety of museums and temporary 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.
Belgium is well represented in the world of sport, football
(soccer) being very popular. The national football team is called the Red
Devils, and they are ranked as 16th by FIFA. . However, Belgium also has two female
tennis players in the top 20; Kim
Clijsters (#2) and Justine Henin-Hardenne (#1).
Belgium has also performed well in cycling. One of the greatest cyclists ever,
Eddy Merckx, who won 5 Tours de France, five Giro d'Italia, one Vuelta a Espana, two Tours of Belgium, and one Tour of Switzerland, was
Belgian. Belgium has world champions in motocross, judo and table tennis. Many gourmets think that Belgium has the
second best food in Europe, after French food. Brands of Belgian chocolate, like Neuhaus, Cote d'Or, Leonidas, Godiva are world renowned, the praline having been invented in Belgium. In Belgium there are over 450 different
kinds of beer, those of the Trappist monks being the most prestigious.
Technically, it is an ale and traditionally each abbey's beer is served in its own glass (the
forms, heights and widths are different). Belgians 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, though not
as 'French fries'.
Some Belgian cuisine is exported all over the world. Other less
known snacks are speculaas (a sweet,
crunchy cookie) and waffles. As main courses Belgians have mussels with french fries, endive prepared in a special way, Brussels sprouts,
Gentse waterzooi (a casserole made up of chicken and vegetables).
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 take 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 Bruges 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 Hergé (Tintin), Willy Vandersteen (Bob & Bobette or "Suske en Wiske" in the original Dutch), Morris (Lucky Luke), Peyo (The Smurfs), Franquin (Spirou, Marsupilami, Gaston), Marc Sleen (Nero).
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.
See also: Music of Belgium
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