Belgium

Belgium

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Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands

Area

Land Boundaries

Total 1,385 km, France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km

Coastline

64 km

Maritime Claims

International Disputes

None

Climate

Temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy

Terrain

Flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
lowest point: North Sea 0 m
highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

10 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

Note: Crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels which is the seat of the EU

PEOPLE

Population

10,170,241 (July 1996 est.)
10,081,880 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

18% (male 930,919; female 886,632) (July 1996 est.)
18% (male 919,939; female 875,079) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

66% (male 3,380,105; female 3,326,853) (July 1996 est.)
66% (male 3,363,250; female 3,303,219) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

16% (male 663,760; female 981,972) (July 1996 est.)
16% (male 650,427; female 969,966) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

0.33% (1996 est.)
0.17% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

12 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
11.46 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

10.3 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
10.22 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

1.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio:


at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.96 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

1.69 children born/woman (1996 est.)
1.62 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

Dutch 56%, French 32%, German 1%, legally bilingual 11% divided along ethnic lines

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1980 est.)

Labor Force

4.126 million

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

BE

Type

Constitutional monarchy

Capital

Brussels

Administrative Divisions

9 provinces (French: provinces, singular -

Independence

4 October 1830 (from the Netherlands)

National Holiday

National Day, 21 July (ascension of King Leopold to the throne in 1831)

Constitution

7 February 1831, last revised 14 July 1993; parliament approved a constitutional package creating a federal state

Legal System

Civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage

18 years of age, universal and compulsory

Executive Branch

Legislative Branch

Bicameral Parliament

Senate

(Flemish - Senaat, French - Senat); elections last held 21 May 1995 (next to be held by the end of 1999); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (71 total, 40 directly elected; 31 will be indirectly elected at a later date) CVP 7, SP 6, VLD 6, VU 2, AGALEV 1, VB 3, PS 5, PRL 5, PSC 3, ECOLO 2; note - before the 1995 elections, there were 184 seats

Chamber of Deputies

(Flemish - Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers, French - Chambre des Representants); elections last held 21 May 1995 (next to be held by the end of 1999); results - CVP 17.2%, PS 11.9%, SP 12.6%, VLD 13.1%, PRL 10.3%, PSC 7.7%, VB 7.8%, VU 4.7%, ECOLO 4.0%, AGALEV 4.4%, FN 2.3%; seats - (150 total) CVP 29, PS 21, SP 20, VLD 21, PRL 18, PSC 12, VB 11, VU 5, ECOLO 6, AGALEV 5, FN 2; note - before the 1995 elections, there were 212 seats

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Flemish - Hof van Cassatie, French - Cour de Cassation)

Political Parties and Leaders

Flemish Christian Democrats (CVP - Christian People's Party), Johan VAN HECKE, president; Francophone Christian Democrats (PSC - Social Christian Party), Gerard DEPREZ, president; Flemish Socialist Party (SP), Louis TOBBACK, president; Francophone Socialist Party (PS), Philippe BUSQUIN, president; Flemish Liberal Democrats (VLD), Herman DE CROO, president; Francophone Liberal Reformation Party (PRL), Louis MICHEL, president; Francophone Democratic Front (FDF), Olivier MAINGAIN, president; Volksunie (VU), Bert ANCIAUX, president; Vlaams Blok (VB), Karel DILLEN, chairman; National Front (FN), Daniel FERET, president; AGALEV (Flemish Greens), no president; ECOLO (Francophone Greens), no president; PnP; other minor parties

Other Political or Pressure Groups

Christian and Socialist Trade Unions; Federation of Belgian Industries; numerous other associations representing bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical professions; various organizations represent the cultural interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as the Flemish Action Committee Against Nuclear Weapons and Pax Christi

Member of

ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOGIP, UNPROFOR, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

National Anthem

Flag

Three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the design was based on the flag of France

ECONOMY

Overview

This small private enterprise economy has capitalized on its central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north, although the government is encouraging reinvestment in the southern region of Walloon. With few natural resources Belgium must import substantial quantities of raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. Three-fourths of its trade is with other EU countries. The economy grew at a strong 4% pace during the period 1988-90, slowed to 1% in 1991-92, dropped by 1.5% in 1993, and recovered with 2.3% growth in 1994. Belgium's public debt has risen to 140% of GDP, and the government is trying to control its expenditures to bring the figure more into line with other industrialized countries.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $197 billion (1995 est.), $181.5 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

2.3% (1995 est.)
2.3% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$19,500 (1995 est.)
$18,040 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

1.6% (1995 est.)
2.5% (1994)

Unemployment Rate

14% (1995 est.)
14.1% (December 1994)

Budget

Exports

$108 billion (f.o.b., 1994) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU)
$117 billion (f.o.b., 1992) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$140 billion (c.i.f., 1994) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union
$120 billion (c.i.f., 1992) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$31.3 billion (1992 est.)

Industrial Production

Growth rate -0.1% (1993 est.); accounts for 25% of GDP

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Accounts for 2.0% of GDP; emphasis on livestock production - beef, veal, pork, milk; major crops are sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; net importer of farm products

Illicit Drugs

Source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine entering the European market

Economic Aid

Currency

1 Belgian franc (BF) = 100 centimes

Exchange Rates

Belgian francs (BF) per US$1 - 30.036 (January 1996), 29.480 (1995), 33.456 (1994), 34.597 (1993), 32.150 (1992), 34.148 (1991), 33.418 (1990)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Inland Waterways

2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use)

Pipelines

Crude oil 161 km; petroleum products 1,167 km; natural gas 3,300 km

Ports

Antwerp, Brugge, Gent, Hasselt, Liege, Mons, Namur, Oostende, Zeebrugge

Merchant Marine

Airports

Heliports:

1 (1995 est.)

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

5.691 million telephones (1992 est.); highly developed, technologically advanced, and completely automated domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 2,571,588; males fit for military service 2,135,375; males reach military age (19) annually 61,986 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $4.6 billion, 1.7% of GDP (1995), $3.9 billion, 1.8% of GDP (1994)

History
World Atlas