Geography
Area: 32,547 square kilometers (12,566 sq. mi.), about the size of
Maryland.
Cities: Capital--Brussels (pop. 992,041). Other cities--Antwerp
(452,474); Ghent (228,016); Charleroi (200,460); Liège (184,303);
Bruges (116,811); and Namur (105,705).
People
Population (2004): 10,396,421; urban--69%.
Annual population growth rate: 0.4%.
Density: 861 per sq. mi. Linguistic regions - (Dutch-speaking)
Flanders 58%; (French-speaking) Wallonia 31.7%; (legally bilingual)
Brussels Capital Region 9.6%; German-speaking 0.7%.
Christian singles note-Religions: Predominantly
Roman Catholic, with Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Anglican, Greek and
Russian Orthodox, as well as secularism, "recognized"
religions receiving government subsidies.
Languages: Dutch, French, German.
Education: Literacy--98%.
Government
Type: Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch.
Independence: 1830.
Constitution: 1994 (revised).
Branches: Executive--King (head of state), Prime Minister (head
of government), Cabinet. Legislative--bicameral parliament
(Senate and House of Representatives). Flemish Parliament and
government for regional and community affairs; Walloon Regional
Parliament and government for Walloon regional affairs; Francophone
Community Parliament and government for Francophone community affairs;
Brussels Regional Parliament and government for Brussels regional
affairs; and German-language Community Parliament and government for
community affairs.
Major political parties: Christian Democratic, Liberal, Socialist,
Green, Vlaams Belang.
Suffrage: Over 18, compulsory.
Political subdivisions: Ten provinces, three regions, three
communities, 589 municipalities.
Economy
GDP (PPP) (2004 est.): $355.5 billion.
Annual real growth rate (2004): 2.7%.
Per capita income (PPP) (2004): $34,518.
Natural resources: Coal.
Agriculture: (1.4% of GDP) Products--livestock, including dairy
cattle, grain, sugarbeets, nursery products, flax, tobacco, potatoes,
and other fruits and vegetables.
Industry: (24% of GDP) Types--machinery, iron, coal, textiles,
chemicals, glass, pharmaceuticals, manufactured goods.
Trade (2003 est.): Exports--$189.2 billion: Iron and steel,
coal, transportation equipment, tractors, diamonds, petroleum
products. Imports--$173 billion: Fuels, chemical products,
grains, foodstuffs. Trading partners--EU 74%; United States 6%.
GEOGRAPHY AND PEOPLE
Belgium is located in Western Europe, bordered by the Netherlands,
Germany, Luxembourg, France, and the North Sea. Although generally
flat, the terrain becomes increasingly hilly and forested in the
southeast (Ardennes) region. Climate is cool, temperate, and rainy;
summer temperatures average 77°F, winters average 45°F. Annual
extremes (rarely attained) are 10°F and 100°F.
Geographically and culturally, Belgium is at a 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.
Christian singles note-Belgium is divided
ethnically into the Dutch-speaking Flemings and French-speaking
Walloons, the 70,000 residents of the eastern German cantons, and the
bilingual capital of Brussels. The population density is the second
highest in Europe, after the Netherlands.
Christian
dating in Be
