Belgium,[a]officially theKingdom of Belgium,[b]is a country inNorthwestern Europe.The country is bordered by theNetherlandsto the north,Germanyto the east,Luxembourgto the southeast,Franceto the south, and theNorth Seato the west. It covers an area of 30,689 km2(11,849 sq mi)[4]and has a population of more than 11.7 million,[7]making it the22nd most densely populatedcountry in the world and the6th most densely populatedcountry in Europe, with a density of 383/km2(990/sq mi). Belgium is part of an area known as theLow Countries,historically a somewhat larger region than theBeneluxgroup of states, as it also included parts of northern France. The capital andlargest metropolitan regionisBrussels;[c]other major cities areAntwerp,Ghent,Charleroi,Liège,Bruges,Namur,andLeuven.
Kingdom of Belgium | |
|---|---|
| Motto:Eendracht maakt macht(Dutch) L'union fait la force(French) Einigkeit macht stark(German) (English:"Unity makes strength") | |
| Anthem: La Brabançonne Dutch version: French version: | |
  Location of Belgium (dark green) – inEurope(light green & dark grey) | |
| Capital | City of Brussels 50°51′N4°21′E/ 50.850°N 4.350°E |
| Largest city | Brussels-Capital Region |
| Official languages | |
| Ethnic groups (2024)[1] | |
| Religion (2021[2]) |
|
| Demonym(s) | |
| Government | Federalparliamentaryconstitutional monarchy[3] |
| Philippe | |
| Alexander De Croo | |
| Legislature | Federal Parliament |
| Senate | |
| Chamber of Representatives | |
| Independence from theHoly Roman EmpireandNetherlands | |
• Declared | 4 October 1830 |
| 19 April 1839 | |
| 1970 | |
| Area | |
• Total | 30,689[4]km2(11,849 sq mi) (136th) |
• Water (%) | 0.64 (2022)[5][6] |
| Population | |
• 2024 census |  11,763,650[7] |
• Density | 383/km2(992.0/sq mi) (22nd) |
| GDP(PPP) | 2024 estimate |
• Total |  $803.166 billion[8](37th) |
• Per capita | $68,079[8](20th) |
| GDP(nominal) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | $655.192 billion[8](23rd) |
• Per capita | $55,536[8](16th) |
| Gini(2022) |  24.9[9]low inequality |
| HDI(2022) | 0.942[10] very high(12th) |
| Currency | Euro(€) (EUR) |
| Time zone | UTC+1(CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2(CEST) |
| Drives on | right |
| Calling code | +32 |
| ISO 3166 code | BE |
| Internet TLD | .beand.eu |
| |
Belgium is asovereign stateand afederalconstitutional monarchywith aparliamentary system.Its institutional organization is complex and is structured on both regional and linguistic grounds. It is divided into three highlyautonomousregions:[13]theFlemish Region(Flanders) in the north, theWalloon Region(Wallonia) in the south, and theBrussels-Capital Regionin the middle.[14]Brussels is the smallest and most densely populated region, as well as the richest region in terms ofGDP per capita.Belgium is also home to two main linguistic communities: theFlemish Community(Dutch-speaking), which constitutes about 60 percent of the population, and theFrench Community(French-speaking),[d]which constitutes about 40 percent of the population. A smallGerman-speaking Community,making up around one percent of the population, exists in theEast Cantons.The Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual in French and Dutch,[16]although French is the majority language andlingua franca.[17]Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in its complex system of governance, made up ofsix different governments.
In antiquity the region was inhabited by theBelgae,and became the Roman province ofGallia Belgicain 22 BC. In theMiddle Ages,the region came under the rule of theCarolingian Empire,Lotharingia,and laterBurgundy.Belgium's central location has meant that the area has been relatively prosperous, connected commercially and politically to its bigger neighbours. The country as it exists today was established following the 1830Belgian Revolution,when it seceded from theUnited Kingdom of the Netherlands,which had incorporated theSouthern Netherlands(which comprised most of modern-day Belgium) after theCongress of Viennain 1815. Belgium has been called "the Battlefield of Europe",[18]a reputation reinforced in the 20th century by bothworld wars.
Belgium was an early participant in theIndustrial Revolution,[19][20]and during the course of the 20th century, possesseda number of colonies,notably theBelgian CongoandRuanda-Urundi.[21][e]These colonies gained independence between 1960 and 1962.[23]The second half of the 20th century was marked by rising tensions between the Dutch-speakers and French-speakers, fueled by differences in political culture and the unequal economic development of Flanders and Wallonia. This continuing antagonism has led to severalfar-reaching state reforms,resulting in the transition from aunitaryto afederalarrangement between 1970 and 1993. Despite the reforms, tensions have persisted: there is particularly significant separatist sentimentamong the Flemish;language laws such as themunicipalities with language facilitieshave been the source of much controversy;[24]and thegovernment formation periodfollowing the2010 federal electionset a world record at 589 days.[25]Unemployment in Wallonia is more than double that of Flanders, which boomed after the Second World War.[26][27]
Belgium is adeveloped country,with an advancedhigh-income economy.The country is one of thesix founding membersof theEuropean Union,and its capital, Brussels, is thede factocapital of the European Union itself, hosting the official seats of theEuropean Commission,theCouncil of the European Union,and theEuropean Council,as well as one of two seats of theEuropean Parliament(the other beingStrasbourg). Belgium is also a founding member of theEurozone,NATO,OECD,andWTO,and a part of the trilateralBeneluxUnion and theSchengen Area.Brussels also hosts the headquarters of many major international organizations, such asNATO.[f]
History
Antiquity
According toJulius Caesar,theBelgaewere the inhabitants of the northernmost part ofGaul.They lived in a region stretching fromParisto theRhine,which is much bigger than modern Belgium. However, he also specifically used the Latin word "Belgium"to refer to a politically dominant part of that region, which is now in northernmost France.[28]In contrast, modern Belgium, together with neighbouring parts of the Netherlands and Germany, corresponds to the lands of the most northerly Belgae – theMorini,Menapii,Nervii,Germani Cisrhenani,andAduatuci.Caesar found these peoples particularly warlike and economically undeveloped, and described them as kinsmen of theGermanic tribeseast of the Rhine. The area aroundArlonin southern Belgium was a part of the country of the powerfulTreveri,to whom some of them paid tribute.
After Caesar's conquests,Gallia Belgicafirst came to be the Latin name of a largeRoman provincecovering most of Northern Gaul, including the Belgae and Treveri. However, areas closer to the lower Rhine frontier, including the eastern part of modern Belgium, subsequently became part of the frontier province ofGermania Inferior,which continued to interact with their neighbours outside the empire. At the time when central government collapsed in theWestern Roman Empire,the Roman provinces of Belgica and Germania were inhabited by a mix of a Romanized population andGermanic-speakingFrankswho came to dominate the military and political class.
Middle Ages
During the 5th century, the area came under the rule of the FrankishMerovingiankings, who initially established a kingdom ruling over the Romanized population in what is now northern France, and then conquered the other Frankish kingdoms. During the 8th century, the empire of the Franks came to be ruled by theCarolingian dynasty,whose centre of power included the area which is now eastern Belgium.[29]Over the centuries, it was divided up in many ways, but theTreaty of Verdunin 843 divided the Carolingian Empire into three kingdoms whose borders had a lasting impact on medieval political boundaries. Most of modern Belgium was in theMiddle Kingdom,later known asLotharingia,but the coastalcounty of Flanders,west of theScheldt,became the northernmost part ofWest Francia,the predecessor ofFrance.In 870 in theTreaty of Meerssen,modern Belgium lands all became part of the western kingdom for a period, but in 880 in theTreaty of Ribemont,Lotharingia came under the lasting control of the eastern kingdom, which became theHoly Roman Empire.The lordships and bishoprics along the "March" (frontier) between the two great kingdoms maintained important connections between each other. For example, the county of Flanders expanded over the Scheldt into the empire, and during several periods was ruled by the same lords as thecounty of Hainaut.
In the 13th and 14th centuries, the cloth industry and commerce boomed especially in the County of Flanders and it became one of the richest areas in Europe. This prosperity played a role in conflicts between Flanders and theking of France.Famously, Flemish militias scored a surprise victory at theBattle of the Golden Spursagainst a strong force of mounted knights in 1302, but France soon regained control of the rebellious province.
Burgundian and Habsburg Netherlands
In the 15th century, theDuke of Burgundyin France took control of Flanders, and from thereproceeded to unitemuch of what is now the Benelux, the so-calledBurgundian Netherlands.[30]"Burgundy" and "Flanders" were the first two common names used for the Burgundian Netherlands which was the predecessor of the Austrian Netherlands, the predecessor of modern Belgium.[31]The union, technically stretching between two kingdoms, gave the area economic and political stability which led to an even greater prosperity and artistic creation.
Born in Belgium, theHabsburgEmperorCharles Vwas heir of the Burgundians, but also of the royal families ofAustria,CastileandAragon.With thePragmatic Sanction of 1549he gave theSeventeen Provincesmore legitimacy as a stable entity, rather than just a temporarypersonal union.He also increased the influence of these Netherlands over thePrince-Bishopric of Liège,which continued to exist as a large semi-independent enclave.[32]
Spanish and Austrian Netherlands
TheEighty Years' War(1568–1648) was triggered by the Spanish government's policy towardsProtestantism,which was becoming popular in the Low Countries. The rebellious northernUnited Provinces(Belgica FoederatainLatin,the "Federated Netherlands" ) eventually separated from theSouthern Netherlands(Belgica Regia,the "Royal Netherlands" ). The southern part continued to be ruled successively by theSpanish(Spanish Netherlands) and theAustrianHouse of Habsburgs(Austrian Netherlands) and comprised most of modern Belgium. This was the theatre of several more protracted conflicts during much of the 17th and 18th centuries involving France, including theFranco-Dutch War(1672–1678), theNine Years' War(1688–1697), theWar of the Spanish Succession(1701–1714), and part of theWar of the Austrian Succession(1740–1748).
French Revolution and United Kingdom of the Netherlands
Following thecampaigns of 1794 in the French Revolutionary Wars,the Low Countries – including territories that were never nominally under Habsburg rule, such as the Prince-Bishopric of Liège – were annexed by theFrench First Republic,ending Austrian rule in the region. A reunification of the Low Countries as theUnited Kingdom of the Netherlandsoccurred at the dissolution of theFirst French Empirein 1814, after the abdication of Napoleon.
Independent Belgium
In 1830, theBelgian Revolutionled to the re-separation of the Southern Provinces from the Netherlands and to the establishment of a Catholic and bourgeois, officially French-speaking and neutral, independent Belgium under aprovisional governmentand anational congress.[33][34]Since the installation ofLeopold Ias king on21 July1831, now celebrated as Belgium'sNational Day,Belgium has been aconstitutional monarchyandparliamentary democracy,with alaicistconstitution based on theNapoleonic code.[35]Although the franchise was initially restricted,universal suffragefor men was introduced after thegeneral strike of 1893(withplural votinguntil 1919) and for women in 1949.
The main political parties of the 19th century were theCatholic Partyand theLiberal Party,with theBelgian Labour Partyemerging towards the end of the 19th century. French was originally the official language used by thenobilityand thebourgeoisie,especially after the rejection of the Dutch monarchy. French progressively lost its dominance as Dutch began to recover its status. This recognition became official in 1898, and in 1967, the parliament accepted a Dutch version of theConstitution.[36]
TheBerlin Conferenceof 1885 ceded control of theCongo Free StatetoKing Leopold IIas his private possession. From around 1900 there was growing international concern for theextreme and savage treatment of the Congolese population under Leopold II,for whom the Congo was primarily a source of revenue from ivory and rubber production.[37]Many Congolese were killed by Leopold's agents for failing to meet production quotas for ivory and rubber.[38]In 1908, this outcry led the Belgian state to assume responsibility for the government of the colony, henceforth called theBelgian Congo.[39]A Belgian commission in 1919 estimated that Congo's population was half what it was in 1879.[38]
Germany invaded Belgium in August 1914as part of theSchlieffen Planto attackFrance,and much of theWestern Frontfighting ofWorld War Ioccurred in western parts of the country. The opening months of the war were known as theRape of Belgiumdue to German excesses. Belgium assumed control of theGerman coloniesofRuanda-Urundi(modern-dayRwandaandBurundi) during the war, and in 1924 theLeague of Nationsmandated them to Belgium. In the aftermath of the First World War, Belgium annexed thePrussian districtsofEupen and Malmedyin 1925, thereby causing the presence of a German-speaking minority.
German forces again invaded the country in May 1940,and 40,690 Belgians, over half of them Jews, were killed during the subsequentoccupationandthe Holocaust.From September 1944 to February 1945the Allies liberatedBelgium. AfterWorld War II,a general strikeforced KingLeopold IIIto abdicate in 1951 in favour of his son,Prince Baudouin,sincemany Belgians thought he had collaborated with Germanyduring the war.[40]The Belgian Congo gained independence in 1960 during theCongo Crisis;[41]Ruanda-Urundi followed with its independence two years later. Belgium joinedNATOas a founding member and formed the Benelux group of nations with the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
Belgium became one of the six founding members of theEuropean Coal and Steel Communityin 1951 and of theEuropean Atomic Energy CommunityandEuropean Economic Community,established in 1957. The latter has now become the European Union, for which Belgium hosts major administrations and institutions, including theEuropean Commission,theCouncil of the European Unionand the extraordinary and committee sessions of theEuropean Parliament.
In the early 1990s, Belgium saw several large corruption scandals notably surroundingMarc Dutroux,Andre Cools,theDioxin Affair,Agusta Scandaland the murder ofKarel van Noppen.[42]
Geography
Belgium shares borders withFrance(620 km),Germany(162/167 km),Luxembourg(148 km), and theNetherlands(450 km). Its total surface, including water area, is 30,689 km2(11,849 sq mi).[4]Before 2018, its total area was believed to be 30,528 km2(11,787 sq mi). However, when the country's statistics were measured in 2018, a new calculation method was used. Unlike previous calculations, this one included the area from the coast to the low-water line, revealing the country to be 160 km2(62 sq mi) larger in surface area than previously thought.[43][44]Its land area alone is 30,494 square kilometers.[5]It lies between latitudes 49°30' and 51°30' N, and longitudes 2°33' and 6°24' E.[45]
Belgium has three main geographical regions; the coastal plain in the northwest and the central plateau both belong to the Anglo-Belgian Basin, and theArdennesuplands in the southeast to theHercynian orogenic belt.TheParis Basinreaches a small fourth area at Belgium's southernmost tip,Belgian Lorraine.[46]
The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes andpolders.Further inland lies a smooth, slowly rising landscape irrigated by numerous waterways, with fertile valleys and the northeastern sandy plain of theCampine(Kempen). The thickly forested hills and plateaus of the Ardennes are more rugged and rocky with caves and smallgorges.Extending westward into France, this area is eastwardly connected to theEifelin Germany by theHigh Fensplateau, on which theSignal de Botrangeforms the country's highest point at 694 m (2,277 ft).[47][48]
The climateismaritime temperatewith significant precipitation in all seasons (Köppen climate classification:Cfb), like most of northwest Europe.[49]The average temperature is lowest in January at 3 °C (37.4 °F) and highest in July at 18 °C (64.4 °F). The average precipitation per month varies between 54 mm (2.1 in) for February and April, to 78 mm (3.1 in) for July.[50]Averages for the years 2000 to 2006 show daily temperature minimums of 7 °C (44.6 °F) and maximums of 14 °C (57.2 °F) and monthly rainfall of 74 mm (2.9 in); these are about 1 °C and nearly 10 millimeters above last century's normal values, respectively.[51]
Phytogeographically,Belgium is shared between the Atlantic European and Central European provinces of theCircumboreal Regionwithin theBoreal Kingdom.[52]According to theWorld Wide Fund for Nature,the territory of Belgium belongs to theterrestrial ecoregionsofAtlantic mixed forestsandWestern European broadleaf forests.[53][54]Belgium had a 2018Forest Landscape Integrity Indexmean score of 1.36/10, ranking it 163rd globally out of 172 countries.[55]In Belgiumforest coveris around 23% of the total land area, equivalent to 689,300 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, up from 677,400 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 251,200 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 438,200 hectares (ha). For the year 2015, 47% of the forest area was reported to be underpublic ownership,53%private ownershipand 0% with ownership listed as other or unknown.[56][57]
Provinces
The territory of Belgium is divided into three Regions, two of which, theFlemish RegionandWalloon Region,are in turn subdivided intoprovinces;the third Region, theBrussels Capital Region,is neither a province nor a part of a province.
| Province | Dutch name | French name | German name | Capital | Area[4] | Population (1 January 2024)[7] |
Density | ISO 3166-2:BE [58] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flemish Region | ||||||||||
 Antwerp |
Antwerpen | Anvers | Antwerpen | Antwerp | 2,876 km2(1,110 sq mi) | 1,926,522 | 670/km2(1,700/sq mi) | VAN | ||
 East Flanders |
Oost-Vlaanderen | Flandre orientale | Ostflandern | Ghent | 3,007 km2(1,161 sq mi) | 1,572,002 | 520/km2(1,300/sq mi) | VOV | ||
 Flemish Brabant |
Vlaams-Brabant | Brabant flamand | Flämisch-Brabant | Leuven | 2,118 km2(818 sq mi) | 1,196,773 | 570/km2(1,500/sq mi) | VBR | ||
 Limburg |
Limburg | Limbourg | Limburg | Hasselt | 2,427 km2(937 sq mi) | 900,098 | 370/km2(960/sq mi) | VLI | ||
 West Flanders |
West-Vlaanderen | Flandre occidentale | Westflandern | Bruges | 3,197 km2(1,234 sq mi) | 1,226,375 | 380/km2(980/sq mi) | VWV | ||
| Walloon Region | ||||||||||
 Hainaut |
Henegouwen | Hainaut | Hennegau | Mons | 3,813 km2(1,472 sq mi) | 1,360,074 | 360/km2(930/sq mi) | WHT | ||
 Liège |
Luik | Liège | Lüttich | Liège | 3,857 km2(1,489 sq mi) | 1,119,038 | 290/km2(750/sq mi) | WLG | ||
 Luxembourg |
Luxemburg | Luxembourg | Luxemburg | Arlon | 4,459 km2(1,722 sq mi) | 295,146 | 66/km2(170/sq mi) | WLX | ||
 Namur |
Namen | Namur | Namur(Namür) | Namur | 3,675 km2(1,419 sq mi) | 503,895 | 140/km2(360/sq mi) | WNA | ||
 Walloon Brabant |
Waals-Brabant | Brabant wallon | Wallonisch-Brabant | Wavre | 1,097 km2(424 sq mi) | 414,130 | 380/km2(980/sq mi) | WBR | ||
| Brussels Capital Region | ||||||||||
 Brussels Capital Region |
Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest | Région de Bruxelles-Capitale | Region Brüssel-Hauptstadt | Brussels City | 162 km2(63 sq mi) | 1,249,597 | 7,700/km2(20,000/sq mi) | BBR | ||
| Total | België | Belgique | Belgien | Brussels City | 30,689 km2(11,849 sq mi) | 11,763,650 | 383/km2(990/sq mi) | |||
Politics and government
Belgium is aconstitutional,popular monarchyand afederalparliamentary democracy.Thebicameralfederal parliamentis composed of aSenateand aChamber of Representatives.The former is made up of 50 senators appointed by the parliaments of thecommunities and regionsand 10co-opted senators.Prior to 2014, most of the Senate's members were directly elected. TheChamber's 150 representatives are elected under aproportional votingsystem from 11electoral districts.Belgium hascompulsory votingand thus maintains one of the highest rates ofvoter turnoutin the world.[59]
TheKing(currentlyPhilippe) is thehead of state,though with limitedprerogatives.He appoints ministers, including a Prime Minister, that have the confidence of theChamber of Representativesto form thefederal government.The Council of Ministers is composed of no more than fifteen members. With the possible exception of the Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers is composed of an equal number of Dutch-speaking members and French-speaking members.[60] The judicial system is based oncivil lawand originates from theNapoleonic code.TheCourt of Cassationis the court of last resort, with thecourts of appealone level below.[61]
Political culture
Belgium's political institutions are complex;most political power rests on representation of the main cultural communities.[62] Since about 1970, the significant nationalBelgian political partieshave split into distinct components that mainly represent the political and linguistic interests of these communities.[63] The major parties in each community, though close to the political center, belong to three main groups:Christian Democrats,Liberals,andSocial Democrats.[64] Further notable parties came into being well after the middle of last century, mainly to representlinguistic,nationalist, or environmental interests, and recently smaller ones of some specific liberal nature.[63]
A string of Christian Democrat coalition governments from 1958was broken in 1999after the firstdioxin crisis,a majorfood contaminationscandal.[65][66][67]A "rainbow coalition" emerged from six parties: the Flemish and the French-speaking Liberals, Social Democrats and Greens.[68]Later, a "purple coalition"of Liberals and Social Democrats formed after the Greens lost most of their seats in the2003 election.[69]
The government led by Prime MinisterGuy Verhofstadtfrom 1999 to 2007 achieved a balanced budget, sometax reforms,a labor-market reform, schedulednuclear phase-outand instigated legislation allowing more stringentwar crimeand more lenientsoft drug usageprosecution. Restrictions oneuthanasiawere reduced andsame-sex marriagewas introduced. The government promoted activediplomacyin Africa[70]andopposed the invasion of Iraq.[71]It is the only country that does not have age restrictions on euthanasia.[72]
Verhofstadt's coalition fared badly in theJune 2007 elections.For more than a year, the country experienced apolitical crisis.[73]This crisis was such that many observers speculated on a possiblepartition of Belgium.[74][75][76]From21 December2007 until20 March2008 the temporaryVerhofstadt III Governmentwas in office. This was a coalition of theFlemishandFrancophone Christian Democrats,theFlemishandFrancophone Liberalstogether with theFrancophone Social Democrats.[77]
On that day anew government,led by Flemish Christian DemocratYves Leterme,the actual winner of the federal elections ofJune 2007,was sworn in by the king. On15 July2008 Leterme offered the resignation of the cabinet to the king, as no progress inconstitutional reformshad been made.[77] In December 2008, Leterme once more offered his resignation after acrisissurrounding the sale ofFortistoBNP Paribas.[78]At this juncture, his resignation was accepted andChristian Democratic and FlemishHerman Van Rompuywas sworn in as Prime Minister on30 December2008.[79]
After Herman Van Rompuy was designated the first permanentPresident of the European Councilon19 November2009, he offered the resignation of his government to King Albert II on25 November2009. A few hours later, thenew governmentunder Prime MinisterYves Letermewas sworn in. On22 April2010, Leterme again offered the resignation of his cabinet to the king[80]after one of the coalition partners, theOpenVLD,withdrew from the government, and on26 April2010 King Albert officially accepted the resignation.[81]
The Parliamentary elections in Belgium on13 June2010 saw the Flemish nationalistN-VAbecome the largest party in Flanders, and the Socialist Party PS the largest party in Wallonia.[82]Until December 2011, Belgium was governed by Leterme'scaretaker governmentawaiting the end of the deadlocked negotiations forformation of a new government.By 30 March 2011, this set a new world record for the elapsed time without an official government, previously held by war-tornIraq.[83]Finally, in December 2011 theDi Rupo Governmentled by Walloon socialist Prime MinisterElio Di Rupowas sworn in.[84]
The2014 federal election(coinciding with theregional elections) resulted in a further electoral gain for the Flemish nationalist N-VA, although the incumbent coalition (composed of Flemish and French-speaking Social Democrats, Liberals, and Christian Democrats) maintains a solid majority in Parliament and in all electoral constituencies. On 22 July 2014, King Philippe nominatedCharles Michel(MR) andKris Peeters(CD&V) tolead the formation of a new federal cabinetcomposed of the Flemish parties N-VA, CD&V, Open Vld and the French-speaking MR, which resulted in theMichel Government.It was the first time N-VA was part of the federal cabinet, while the French-speaking side was represented only by the MR, which achieved a minority of the public votes in Wallonia.[85]
In May2019 federal electionsin the Flemish-speaking northern region of Flanders far-rightVlaams Belangparty made major gains. In the French-speaking southern area of Wallonia the Socialists were strong. The moderate Flemish nationalist party the N-VA remained the largest party in parliament.[86] In July 2019 prime ministerCharles Michelwas selected to hold the post of President of theEuropean Council.[87]His successorSophie Wilmèswas Belgium's first female prime minister. She led the caretaker government since October 2019.[88]The Flemish Liberal party politicianAlexander De Croobecame new prime minister in October 2020. The parties had agreed on federal government 16 months after the elections.[89]
Communities and regions
Following a usage which can be traced back to the Burgundian and Habsburg courts,[90]in the 19th century it was necessary to speak French to belong to the governing upper class, and those who could only speak Dutch were effectively second-class citizens.[91]Late that century, and continuing into the 20th century,Flemish movementsevolved to counter this situation.[92]
While the people in Southern Belgium spoke French or dialects of French, andmost Brusselers adopted Frenchas their first language, the Flemings refused to do so and succeeded progressively in making Dutch an equal language in the education system.[92]Following World War II, Belgian politics became increasingly dominated by the autonomy of its two main linguistic communities.[93]Intercommunal tensions rose and the constitution was amended to minimize the potential for conflict.[93]
Based on the four language areas defined in 1962–63 (the Dutch, bilingual, French and German language areas), consecutiverevisionsofthe country's constitutionin 1970, 1980, 1988 and 1993 established a unique form of a federal state with segregated political power into three levels:[94][95]
- Thefederal government,based in Brussels.
- The three language communities:
- theFlemish Community(Dutch-speaking);
- theFrench Community(French-speaking);[g]
- theGerman-speaking Community.
- The three regions:
- theFlemish Region,subdivided into fiveprovinces;
- theWalloon Region,subdivided into five provinces;
- theBrussels-Capital Region.
Theconstitutional language areasdetermine the official languages in their municipalities, as well as the geographical limits of the empowered institutions for specific matters.[98]Although this would allow for seven parliaments and governments when the Communities and Regions were created in 1980, Flemish politicians decided to merge both.[99]Thus the Flemings just have one single institutional body of parliament and government is empowered for all except federal and specific municipal matters.[h]
The overlapping boundaries of the Regions and Communities have created two notable peculiarities: the territory of the Brussels-Capital Region (which came into existence nearly a decade after the other regions) is included in both the Flemish and French Communities, and the territory of the German-speaking Community lies wholly within the Walloon Region. Conflicts about jurisdiction between the bodies are resolved by theConstitutional Court of Belgium.The structure is intended as a compromise to allow different cultures to live together peacefully.[19]
Locus of policy jurisdiction
The Federal State's authority includes justice, defense, federal police, social security, nuclear energy, monetary policy and public debt, and other aspects of public finances. State-owned companies include theBelgian Post GroupandBelgian Railways.The Federal Government is responsible for the obligations of Belgium and its federalized institutions towards the European Union and NATO. It controls substantial parts of public health, home affairs and foreign affairs.[100]The budget—without the debt—controlled by the federal government amounts to about 50% of the national fiscal income. The federal government employs around 12% of the civil servants.[101]
Communities exercise their authority only within linguistically determined geographical boundaries, originally oriented towards the individuals of a Community's language: culture (including audiovisual media), education and the use of the relevant language. Extensions to personal matters less directly connected with language comprise health policy (curative and preventive medicine) and assistance to individuals (protection of youth, social welfare, aid to families,immigrantassistance services, and so on.).[102]
Regions have authority in fields that can be broadly associated with their territory. These include economy, employment, agriculture, water policy, housing, public works, energy, transport, the environment, town and country planning, nature conservation, credit and foreign trade. They supervise the provinces, municipalities and intercommunal utility companies.[103]
In several fields, the different levels each have their own say on specifics. With education, for instance, the autonomy of the Communities neither includes decisions about the compulsory aspect nor allows for setting minimum requirements for awarding qualifications, which remain federal matters.[100]Each level of government can be involved in scientific research and international relations associated with its powers. The treaty-making power of the Regions' and Communities' Governments is the broadest of all the Federating units of all the Federations all over the world.[104][105][106]
Foreign relations
Because of its location at the crossroads ofWestern Europe,Belgium has historically been the route of invading armies from its larger neighbors. With virtually defenseless borders, Belgium has traditionally sought to avoid domination by the more powerful nations which surround it through a policy of mediation. The Belgians have been strong advocates ofEuropean integration.The headquarters ofNATOand of several of the institutions of theEuropean Unionare located in Belgium.
Armed forces
The Belgian Armed Forces had 23,200 active personnel in 2023, including 8,500 in theLand Component,1,400 in theNaval Component,4,900 in theAir Component,1,450 in theMedical Component,and 6,950 in joint service, in addition to 5,900 reserve personnel.[107]In 2019, Belgium's defense budget totaled €4.303 billion ($4.921 billion) representing.93% of its GDP.[108]The operational commands of the four components are subordinate to the Staff Department for Operations and Training of theMinistry of Defense,which is headed by theAssistant Chief of Staff Operations and Training,and to theChief of Defense.[109]The Belgian military consists of volunteers (conscription was abolished in 1995), and citizens of other EU states, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, or Lichtenstein are also able to join. Belgium has troops deployed in several African countries as part of UN or EU missions, in Iraq for thewar against the Islamic State,and in eastern Europe for the NATO presence there.[107][110]
The effects of theSecond World Warmadecollective securitya priority forBelgian foreign policy.In March 1948 Belgium signed theTreaty of Brusselsand then joinedNATOin 1948. However, the integration of the armed forces into NATO did not begin until after theKorean War.[111]The Belgians, along with the Luxembourg government, sent a detachment of battalion strength to fight in Korea known as theBelgian United Nations Command.This mission was the first in a long line of UN missions which the Belgians supported. Currently, the Belgian Marine Component is working closely together with theDutch Navyunder the command of theAdmiral Benelux.
According to the 2024Global Peace Index,Belgium is the 16th most peaceful country in the world.[112]
Economy
Belgium's strongly globalized economy[113]and itstransport infrastructureare integrated with the rest of Europe. Its location at the heart of a highly industrialized region helped make it the world's 15th largest trading nation in 2007.[114][115]The economy is characterized by a highly productive work force, highGNPand high exports per capita.[116]Belgium's main imports are raw materials, machinery and equipment, chemicals, raw diamonds, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, transportation equipment, and oil products. Its main exports are machinery and equipment, chemicals, finished diamonds, metals and metal products, and foodstuffs.[117]
The Belgian economy is heavily service-oriented and shows a dual nature: a dynamic Flemish economy and a Walloon economy that lags behind.[19][118][i]One of the founding members of the European Union, Belgium strongly supports anopen economyand the extension of the powers of EU institutions to integrate member economies. Since 1922, through theBelgium-Luxembourg Economic Union,Belgium and Luxembourg have been a single trade market with customs and currency union.[119]
Belgium was the first continental European country to undergo theIndustrial Revolution,in the early 19th century.[120]Areas inLiège Provinceand aroundCharleroirapidly developed mining and steelmaking, which flourished until the mid-20th century in theSambre and Meuse valleyand made Belgium one of the three most industrialized nations in the world from 1830 to 1910.[121][122]However, by the 1840s the textile industry of Flanders was in severe crisis, and the region experiencedfaminefrom 1846 to 1850.[123][124]
After World War II,GhentandAntwerpexperienced a rapid expansion of the chemical and petroleum industries. The 1973 and1979 oil crisessent the economy into a recession; it was particularly prolonged in Wallonia, where the steel industry had become less competitive and experienced a serious decline.[125]In the 1980s and 1990s, the economic center of the country continued to shift northwards and is now concentrated in the populousFlemish Diamondarea.[126]
By the end of the 1980s, Belgianmacroeconomic policieshad resulted in a cumulative government debt of about 120% of GDP. As of 2006[update],the budget was balanced and public debt was equal to 90.30% of GDP.[127]In 2005 and 2006, real GDP growth rates of 1.5% and 3.0%, respectively, were slightly above the average for the Euro area. Unemployment rates of 8.4% in 2005 and 8.2% in 2006 were close to the area average. ByOctober 2010,this had grown to 8.5% compared to an average rate of 9.6% for the European Union as a whole (EU 27).[128][129]From 1832 until 2002, Belgium's currency was theBelgian franc.Belgium switched to the euro in 2002, with the first sets of euro coins being minted in 1999. The standardBelgian euro coinsdesignated for circulation show the portrait of the monarch (first King Albert II, since 2013 King Philippe).
Despite an 18% decrease observed from 1970 to 1999, Belgium still had in 1999 the highestrail networkdensity within the European Union with 113.8 km/1 000 km2.On the other hand, the same period, 1970–1999, has seen a huge growth (+56%) of themotorway network.In 1999, the density of km motorways per 1000 km2and 1000 inhabitants amounted to 55.1 and 16.5 respectively and were significantly superior to the EU's means of 13.7 and 15.9.[130]
From a biological resource perspective, Belgium has a low endowment: Belgium'sbiocapacityadds up to only 0.8 global hectares in 2016,[131]just about half of the 1.6 global hectares of biocapacity available per person worldwide.[132]In contrast, in 2016, Belgians used on average 6.3 global hectares of biocapacity - theirecological footprintof consumption. This means they required about eight times as much biocapacity as Belgium contains. As a result, Belgium was running a biocapacity deficit of 5.5 global hectares per person in 2016.[131]
Belgium experiences some of the most congested traffic in Europe. In 2010, commuters to the cities of Brussels and Antwerp spent respectively 65 and 64 hours a year in traffic jams.[133]Like in most small European countries, more than 80% of the airways traffic is handled by a single airport, theBrussels Airport.Theports of AntwerpandZeebrugge (Bruges)share more than 80% of Belgian maritime traffic, Antwerp being the second European harbor with a gross weight of goods handled of 115 988 000 t in 2000 after a growth of 10.9% over the preceding five years.[130][134]In 2016, the port of Antwerp handled 214 million tons after a year-on-year growth of 2.7%.[135]
There is a large economic gap betweenFlandersandWallonia.Wallonia was historically wealthy compared to Flanders, mostly due to itsheavy industries,but the decline of the steel industry post-World War II led to the region's rapid decline, whereas Flanders rose swiftly. Since then, Flanders has been prosperous, among the wealthiest regions in Europe, whereas Wallonia has been languishing. As of 2007, the unemployment rate of Wallonia is over double that of Flanders. The divide has played a key part in the tensions between the Flemish and Walloons in addition to the already-existing language divide.Pro-independence movementshave gained high popularity in Flanders as a consequence. The separatistNew Flemish Alliance(N-VA) party, for instance, is the largest party in Belgium.[136][137][138]
Science and technology
Contributions to the development of science and technology have appeared throughout the country's history. The 16th centuryEarly Modernflourishing of Western Europe includedcartographerGerardus Mercator,anatomistAndreas Vesalius,herbalistRembert Dodoens[139][140][141][142]andmathematicianSimon Stevinamong the most influential scientists.[143]
ChemistErnest Solvay[144]and engineerZenobe Gramme(École industrielle de Liège)[145]gave their names to theSolvay processand theGramme dynamo,respectively, in the 1860s.Bakelitewas developed in 1907–1909 byLeo Baekeland.Ernest Solvay also acted as a major philanthropist and gave his name to theSolvay Institute of Sociology,theSolvay Brussels School of Economics and Managementand the International Solvay Institutes for Physics and Chemistry which are now part of theUniversité libre de Bruxelles.In 1911, he started a series of conferences, theSolvay Conferenceson Physics and Chemistry, which have had a deep impact on the evolution of quantum physics and chemistry.[146]A major contribution to fundamental science was also due to a Belgian,MonsignorGeorges Lemaître(Catholic University of Louvain), who is credited with proposing theBig Bangtheory of the origin of the universe in 1927.[147]
ThreeNobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicinewere awarded to Belgians:Jules Bordet(Université libre de Bruxelles) in 1919,Corneille Heymans(University of Ghent) in 1938 andAlbert Claude(Université libre de Bruxelles) together withChristian de Duve(Université catholique de Louvain) in 1974.François Englert(Université libre de Bruxelles) was awarded theNobel Prize in Physicsin 2013.Ilya Prigogine(Université libre de Bruxelles) was awarded theNobel Prize in Chemistryin 1977.[148]Two Belgian mathematicians have been awarded theFields Medal:Pierre Delignein 1978 andJean Bourgainin 1994.[149][150]Belgium was ranked 24th in theGlobal Innovation Indexin 2024.[151]
Demographics
As of 1 January 2024, the total population of Belgium according to its population register was 11,763,650.[7]The population density of Belgium is 383/km2(990/sq mi) as of January 2024, making it the22nd most densely populatedcountry in the world, and the6th most densely populatedcountry inEurope.The most densely populated province isAntwerp,the least densely populated province isLuxembourg.As of January 2024, theFlemish Region(Flanders) had a population of 6,821,770 (58.0% of Belgium), its most populous cities beingAntwerp(545,000),Ghent(270,000), andBruges(120,000). TheWalloon Region(Wallonia) had a population of 3,692,283 (31.4% of Belgium), its most populous cities beingCharleroi(204,000),Liège(196,000), andNamur(114,000). TheBrussels-Capital Region(Brussels) had a population of 1,249,597 (10.6% of Belgium), existing of19 municipalities,its most populous cities being thecity of Brussels(197,000),Schaerbeek(130,000), andAnderlecht(127,000).[7]
In 2017 the averagetotal fertility rate(TFR) across Belgium was 1.64 children per woman, below the replacement rate of 2.1; it remains considerably below the high of 4.87 children born per woman in 1873.[152]Belgium subsequently has one of the oldest populations in the world, with an average age of 41.6 years.[153]
Migration
As of 2007[update],nearly 92% of the population had Belgian citizenship,[154]and other European Union member citizens account for around 6%. The prevalent foreign nationals were Italian (171,918), French (125,061), Dutch (116,970),Moroccan(80,579),Portuguese(43,509), Spanish (42,765),Turkish(39,419) and German (37,621).[155][156]In 2007, there were 1.38 million foreign-born residents in Belgium, corresponding to 12.9% of the total population. Of these, 685,000 (6.4%) were born outside the EU and 695,000 (6.5%) were born in another EU Member State.[157][158]
At the beginning of 2012, people of foreign background and their descendants were estimated to have formed around 25% of the total population i.e. 2.8 millionnew Belgians.[159]Of these new Belgians, 1,200,000 are of European ancestry and 1,350,000[160]are from non-Western countries (most of them fromMorocco,Turkey,and theDR Congo). Since the modification of theBelgian nationality lawin 1984 more than1.3 million migrants have acquired Belgian citizenship.The largest group of immigrants and their descendants in Belgium areItalian BelgiansandMoroccan Belgians.[161]89.2% of inhabitants ofTurkishorigin have been naturalized, as have 88.4% of people of Moroccan background, 75.4% of Italians, 56.2% of the French and 47.8% of Dutch people.[160]
Statbelreleased figures of the Belgian population in relation to the origin of people in Belgium. According to the data, as of 1 January 2021, 67.3% of the Belgian population was of ethnic Belgian origin and 32.7% were of foreign origin or nationality, with 20.3% of those of a foreign nationality or ethnic group originating from neighbouring countries. The study also found that 74.5% of theBrussels Capital Regionwere of non-Belgian origin, of which 13.8% originated from neighbouring countries.[162]
Largest cities or towns in Belgium
Numbers according to the Belgium's National Register,[163](1 January 2023) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Region | Pop. | Rank | Name | Region | Pop. | ||
 Antwerp  Ghent |
1 | Antwerp | Flanders | 536,079 | 11 | Molenbeek-Saint-Jean/Sint-Jans-Molenbeek | Brussels | 97,610 |  Charleroi  Liège |
| 2 | Ghent | Flanders | 267,709 | 12 | Mons | Wallonia | 96,055 | ||
| 3 | Charleroi | Wallonia | 203,245 | 13 | Aalst | Flanders | 89,915 | ||
| 4 | Liège | Wallonia | 194,877 | 14 | Mechelen | Flanders | 88,463 | ||
| 5 | City of Brussels | Brussels | 192,950 | 15 | Ixelles/Elsene | Brussels | 88,081 | ||
| 6 | Schaerbeek/Schaarbeek | Brussels | 130,422 | 16 | Uccle/Ukkel | Brussels | 85,706 | ||
| 7 | Anderlecht | Brussels | 124,353 | 17 | La Louvière | Wallonia | 81,293 | ||
| 8 | Bruges | Flanders | 119,445 | 18 | Sint-Niklaas | Flanders | 81,066 | ||
| 9 | Namur | Wallonia | 113,174 | 19 | Hasselt | Flanders | 80,299 | ||
| 10 | Leuven | Flanders | 102,851 | 20 | Kortrijk | Flanders | 78,841 | ||
Languages
Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French and German. A number of non-official minority languages are spoken as well.[164] As no census exists, there are no official statistical data regarding the distribution or usage of Belgium's three official languages or theirdialects.[165]However, various criteria, including the language(s) of parents, of education, or the second-language status of foreign born, may provide suggested figures. An estimated 60% of the Belgian population are native speakers of Dutch (often referred to asFlemish), and 40% of the population speaks French natively. French-speaking Belgians are often referred to as Walloons, although the French speakers in Brussels are not Walloons.[j]
The total number of native Dutch speakers is estimated to be about 6.23 million, concentrated in the northern Flanders region, while native French speakers number 3.32 million in Wallonia and an estimated 870,000 (or 85%) in the officially bilingual Brussels-Capital Region.[k][166]TheGerman-speaking Communityis made up of 73,000 people in the east of theWalloon Region;around 10,000 German and 60,000 Belgian nationals are speakers of German. Roughly 23,000 more German speakers live in municipalities near the official Community.[167][168][169][170]
BothBelgian DutchandBelgian Frenchhaveminor differencesin vocabulary and semantic nuances from the varieties spoken respectively in the Netherlands and France. Many Flemish people still speakdialects of Dutchin their local environment.Walloon,considered either as a dialect of French or a distinctRomance language,[171][172]is now only understood and spoken occasionally, mostly by elderly people. Walloon is divided into four dialects, which along with those ofPicard,[173]are rarely used in public life and have largely been replaced by French.
Religion
TheConstitution of Belgiumprovides for freedom of religion, and the government respects this right in practice.[174]Belgium officially recognizes three religions: Christianity (Catholic, Protestantism, Orthodox churches and Anglicanism), Islam and Judaism.[175]During the reigns ofAlbert IandBaudouin,theBelgian royal familyhad a reputation of deeply rooted Catholicism.[174]
Catholicism has traditionally been Belgium's majority religion; being especially strong in Flanders. However, by 2009 Sundaychurch attendancewas 5% for Belgium in total; 3% in Brussels,[176]and 5.4% in Flanders. Church attendance in 2009 in Belgium was roughly half of the Sunday church attendance in 1998 (11% for the total of Belgium in 1998).[177]Despite the drop in church attendance, Catholic identity nevertheless remains an important part of Belgium's culture.[174]
According to the Eurobarometer 2010,[178]37% of Belgian citizens believe in God, 31% in some sort of spirit or life-force. 27% do not believe in any sort of spirit, God, or life-force. 5% did not respond. According to the Eurobarometer 2015, 60.7% of the total population of Belgium adhered toChristianity,withCatholicismbeing the largest denomination with 52.9%. Protestants comprised 2.1% and Orthodox Christians were the 1.6% of the total. Non-religious people comprised 32.0% of the population and were divided between atheists (14.9%) and agnostics (17.1%). A further 5.2% of the population was Muslim and 2.1% were believers in other religions.[179]The same survey held in 2012 found that Christianity was the largest religion in Belgium, accounting for 65% ofBelgians.[180]
In the early 2000s, there were approximately 42,000 Jews in Belgium. TheJewish Community of Antwerp(numbering some 18,000) is one of the largest in Europe, and one of the last places in the world whereYiddishis the primary language of a large Jewish community (mirroring certain Orthodox and Hasidic communities in New York, New Jersey, and Israel). In addition, most Jewish children in Antwerp receive a Jewish education.[181]There are several Jewish newspapers and more than 45 active synagogues (30 of which are in Antwerp) in the country. A 2006 inquiry in Flanders, considered to be a more religious region than Wallonia, showed that 55% considered themselves religious and that 36% believed that God created the universe.[182]On the other hand, Wallonia has become one of Europe's most secular/least religious regions. Most of the French-speaking region's population does not consider religion an important part of their lives, and as much as 45% of the population identifies as irreligious. This is particularly the case in eastern Wallonia and areas along the French border.
A 2008 estimate found that approximately 6% of the Belgian population (628,751 people) isMuslim.Muslims constitute 23.6% of the population ofBrussels,4.9% ofWalloniaand 5.1% ofFlanders.The majority of Belgian Muslims live in the major cities, such asAntwerp,Brussels andCharleroi.The largest group of immigrants in Belgium are Moroccans, with 400,000 people. The Turks are the third largest group, and the second largest Muslim ethnic group, numbering 220,000.[183][184]
Health
The Belgians enjoy good health. According to 2012 estimates, the average life expectancy is 79.65 years.[117]Since 1960, life expectancy has, in line with the European average, grown by two months per year. Death in Belgium is mainly due to heart and vascular disorders,neoplasms,disorders of the respiratory system and unnatural causes of death (accidents, suicide). Non-natural causes of death and cancer are the most common causes of death for females up to age 24 and males up to age 44.[185]
Healthcare in Belgiumis financed through both social security contributions and taxation. Health insurance is compulsory. Health care is delivered by a mixed public and private system of independent medical practitioners and public, university and semi-private hospitals. Health care service are payable by the patient and reimbursed later by health insurance institutions, but for ineligible categories (of patients and services) so-called 3rd party payment systems exist.[185]The Belgian health care system is supervised and financed by the federal government, the Flemish and Walloon Regional governments; and the German Community also has (indirect) oversight and responsibilities.[185]
For the first time in Belgian history, the first child was euthanized following the 2-year mark of the removal of the euthanization age restrictions. The child had been euthanized due to an incurable disease that was inflicted upon the child. Although there may have been some support for the euthanization there is a possibility of controversy due to the issue revolving around the subject of assisted suicide.[186]
Excluding assisted suicide, Belgium has the highest suicide rate in Western Europe and one of thehighest suicide ratesin thedeveloped world(exceeded only by Lithuania, South Korea, and Latvia).[187]
Education
Education is compulsory from 6 to 18 years of age for Belgians.[188]AmongOECDcountries in 2002, Belgium had the third highest proportion of 18- to 21-year-olds enrolled inpostsecondary education,at 42%.[189]Though an estimated 99% of the adult population is literate, concern is rising overfunctional illiteracy.[173][190]TheProgramme for International Student Assessment(PISA), coordinated by the OECD, currently ranks Belgium's education as the 19th best in the world, being significantly higher than the OECD average.[191]Education is organized separately by each community. The Flemish Community scores noticeably above the French and German-speaking Communities.[192]
Mirroring the structure of the 19th-century Belgian political landscape, characterized by theLiberaland theCatholic parties,the educational system is segregated into secular and religious schools. The secular branch of schooling is controlled by the communities, the provinces, or the municipalities, while religious, mainlyCatholic brancheducation, is organized by religious authorities, which are also subsidized and supervised by the communities.[193]
Culture
Despite itspolitical and linguistic divisions,the region corresponding to today's Belgium has seen the flourishing of major artistic movements that have had tremendous influence on European art and culture. Nowadays, to a certain extent, cultural life is concentrated within each language Community, and a variety of barriers have made a shared cultural sphere less pronounced.[19][194][195]Since the 1970s, there are no bilingual universities or colleges in the country except theRoyal Military Academyand theAntwerp Maritime Academy.[196]
Fine arts
Contributions to painting and architecture have been especially rich. TheMosan art,theEarly Netherlandish,[197]theFlemish RenaissanceandBaroque painting[198]and major examples ofRomanesque,Gothic,RenaissanceandBaroque architecture[199]are milestones in the history of art. While the 15th century's art in the Low Countries is dominated by the religious paintings ofJan van EyckandRogier van der Weyden,the 16th century is characterized by a broader panel of styles such asPeter Breughel's landscape paintings andLambert Lombard's representation of the antique.[200]Though the Baroque style ofPeter Paul RubensandAnthony van Dyckflourished in the early 17th century in the Southern Netherlands,[201]it gradually declined thereafter.[202][203]
During the 19th and 20th centuries many originalromantic,expressionistandsurrealistBelgian painters emerged, includingJames Ensorand other artists belonging to theLes XXgroup,Constant Permeke,Paul DelvauxandRené Magritte.The avant-gardeCoBrA movementappeared in the 1950s, while the sculptorPanamarenkoremains a remarkable figure in contemporary art.[204][205]Multidisciplinary artistsJan Fabre,Wim Delvoyeand the painterLuc Tuymansare other internationally renowned figures on the contemporary art scene.
Belgian contributions to architecture also continued into the 19th and 20th centuries, including the work ofVictor HortaandHenry van de Velde,who were major initiators of theArt Nouveaustyle.[206][207]
Thevocal musicof theFranco-Flemish Schooldeveloped in the southern part of the Low Countries and was an important contribution to Renaissance culture.[208]In the 19th and 20th centuries, there was an emergence of major violinists, such asHenri Vieuxtemps,Eugène YsaÿeandArthur Grumiaux,whileAdolphe Saxinvented the saxophone in 1846. The composerCésar Franckwas born in Liège in 1822. Contemporarypopular musicin Belgium is also of repute. Jazz musiciansDjango ReinhardtandToots Thielemansand singerJacques Brelhave achieved global fame. Nowadays, singerStromaehas been a musical revelation in Europe and beyond, having great success. In rock/pop music,Telex,Front 242,K's Choice,Hooverphonic,Zap Mama,SoulwaxanddEUSare well known. In the heavy metal scene, bands likeMachiavel,Channel ZeroandEnthronedhave a worldwide fan-base.[209]
Belgium has produced several well-knownauthors,including the poetsEmile Verhaeren,Guido Gezelle,Robert Goffinand novelistsHendrik Conscience,Stijn Streuvels,Georges Simenon,Suzanne Lilar,Hugo ClausandAmélie Nothomb.The poet and playwrightMaurice Maeterlinckwon theNobel Prize in literaturein 1911.The Adventures of TintinbyHergéis the best known ofFranco-Belgian comics,but many other major authors, includingPeyo(The Smurfs),André Franquin(Gaston Lagaffe),Dupa(Cubitus),Morris(Lucky Luke),Greg(Achille Talon),Lambil(Les Tuniques Bleues),Edgar P. JacobsandWilly Vandersteenbrought the Belgian cartoon strip industry a worldwide fame.[210]Additionally, famous crime authorAgatha Christiecreated the characterHercule Poirot,a Belgian detective, who has served as aprotagonistin a number of her acclaimed mystery novels.
Belgian cinemahas brought a number of mainly Flemish novels to life on-screen.[l]Other Belgian directors includeAndré Delvaux,Stijn Coninx,LucandJean-Pierre Dardenne;well-known actors includeJean-Claude Van Damme,Jan DecleirandMarie Gillain;and successful films includeBullhead,Man Bites DogandThe Alzheimer Affair.[211] Belgium is also home to a number of successful fashion designersCategory:Belgian fashion designers.
Folklore
Folklore plays a major role in Belgium's cultural life; the country has a comparatively high number of processions,cavalcades,parades,ommegangs,ducasses,[m]kermesses,and other local festivals, nearly always with an originally religious ormythological background.The three-dayCarnival of Binche,nearMons,with its famousGilles(men dressed in high, plumed hats and bright costumes) is held just beforeLent(the 40 days betweenAsh WednesdayandEaster). Together with the 'Processional Giants and Dragons' ofAth,Brussels,Dendermonde,MechelenandMons,it is recognized byUNESCOas aMasterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.[212]
Other examples are the three-dayCarnival of Aalstin February or March; the still very religious processions ofthe Holy Bloodtaking place inBrugesin May, theVirga Jesse processionheld every seven years inHasselt,theannual procession of Hanswijkin Mechelen, the 15 August festivities inLiège,and the Walloon festival inNamur.Originated in 1832 and revived in the 1960s, theGentse Feesten(a music and theatre festival organized in Ghent aroundBelgian National Day,on 21 July) have become a modern tradition. Several of these festivals include sporting competitions, such ascycling,and many fall under the category of kermesses.
A major non-official holiday (which is however not an official public holiday) isSaint Nicholas Day(Dutch:Sinterklaas,French:la Saint-Nicolas), a festivity for children, and in Liège, for students.[213]It takes place each year on 6 December and is a sort of earlyChristmas.On the evening of 5 December, before going to bed, children put their shoes by the hearth with water or wine and a carrot for Saint Nicholas' horse ordonkey.According to tradition, Saint Nicholas comes at night and travels down the chimney. He then takes the food and water or wine, leaves presents, goes back up, feeds his horse or donkey, and continues on his course. He also knows whether children have been good or bad. This holiday is especially loved by children in Belgium and the Netherlands. Dutch immigrants imported the tradition into theUnited States,where Saint Nicholas is now known asSanta Claus.
Cuisine
Belgium is famous forbeer,chocolate,wafflesandFrench fries.The national dishes aresteak and fries,andmussels with fries.[214][215][216]Many highly ranked Belgian restaurants can be found in the most influential restaurant guides, such as theMichelin Guide.[217]One of the many beers with the high prestige is that of theTrappistmonks.Technically, it is analeand traditionally each abbey's beer is served in its own glass (the forms, heights and widths are different). There are only eleven breweries (six of them are Belgian) that are allowed to brewTrappist beer.
Although Belgian gastronomy is connected to French cuisine, somerecipeswere reputedly invented there, such as French fries (despite the name, although their exact place of origin is uncertain),Flemish Carbonade(a beef stew with beer, mustard andbay laurel),speculaas(orspeculoosin French, a sort of cinnamon and ginger-flavouredshortcrustbiscuit),Brussels waffles(and their variant,Liège waffles),waterzooi(a broth made with chicken or fish, cream and vegetables),endivewithbechamelsauce,Brussels sprouts,Belgian pralines(Belgium has some of the most renownedchocolatehouses),charcuterie(deli meats) andPaling in 't groen(rivereelsin a sauce of green herbs).
Brands of Belgian chocolate and pralines, likeCôte d'Or,Neuhaus,LeonidasandGodivaare famous, as well as independent producers such as Burie and Del Rey in Antwerp and Mary's in Brussels.[218]Belgium produces over1100 varieties of beer.[219][220]The Trappist beer of theAbbey of Westvleterenhas repeatedly been rated the world's best beer.[221][222][223]
The biggest brewer in the world by volume isAnheuser-Busch InBev,based inLeuven.[224]
Sports
Since the 1970s, sports clubs and federations are organized separately within eachlanguage community.[225]TheAdministration de l'Éducation Physique et du Sport(ADEPS) is responsible for recognising the various French-speaking sports federations and also runs three sports centres in the Brussels-Capital Region.[226]Its Dutch-speaking counterpart isSport Vlaanderen(formerly calledBLOSO).[227]
Association footballis the most popular sport in both parts of Belgium; also very popular are cycling, tennis, swimming, judo[228]and basketball.[229]TheBelgium national football teamhas been among the best on theFIFA World Rankingsever since November 2015, when it reached the top spot for the first time.[230]Since the 1990s, the team has been the world's number one for the most years in history, only behind the records ofBrazilandSpain.[231]The team's golden generations with the world class players in the squad, namelyEden Hazard,Kevin De Bruyne,Jean-Marie Pfaff,Jan Ceulemansachieved the bronze medals atWorld Cup 2018,and silver medals atEuro 1980.Belgium hosted theEuro 1972,and co-hosted theEuro 2000with the Netherlands.
Belgians holdthe most Tour de France victoriesof any country except France. They also have the most victories on theUCI Road World Championships.With five victories in theTour de Franceand numerous other cycling records, Belgian cyclistEddy Merckxis regarded as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.[232]Philippe GilbertandRemco Evenepoelwere the 2012 and 2022 world champions, respectively. Other well-known Belgian cyclists areTom BoonenandWout van Aert.
Kim ClijstersandJustine Heninboth werePlayer of the Yearin theWomen's Tennis Associationas they were ranked the number one female tennis player. TheSpa-Francorchampsmotor-racing circuit hosts theFormula One World ChampionshipBelgian Grand Prix.The Belgian driver,Jacky Ickx,won eight Grands Prix and six24 Hours of Le Mansand finished twice as runner-up in the Formula One World Championship. Belgium also has a strong reputation in,motocrosswith the ridersJoël Robert,Roger De Coster,Georges Jobé,Eric GeboersandStefan Everts,among others.[233]
Sporting events annually held in Belgium include theMemorial Van Dammeathletics competition, theBelgian Grand PrixFormula One, and a number ofclassic cycle racessuch as theTour of FlandersandLiège–Bastogne–Liège.The1920 Summer Olympicswere held in Antwerp. The1977 European Basketball Championshipwas held inLiègeandOstend.
See also
Footnotes
- ^Dutch:België[ˈbɛlɣijə];French:Belgique[bɛlʒik];German:Belgien[ˈbɛlɡi̯ən]
- ^Dutch:Koninkrijk België;French:Royaume de Belgique[ʁwa.jomdəbɛl.ʒik];German:Königreich Belgien[ˈkøːnɪçˌʁaɪ̯çˈbɛlɡi̯ən]
- ^TheBrussels-Capital Region,whose metropolitan areacomprises theCity of Brusselsitself plus 18 independent municipal entities, counts over 1,700,000 inhabitants, but these communities are counted separately by theBelgian Statistics Office.[12]
- ^The name "French Community" refers toFrancophoneBelgians,and not toFrench peopleresiding in Belgium. As such, the French Community of Belgium is sometimes rendered in English as "the French-speaking Community of Belgium" for clarity.[15]
- ^Between 1885 and 1908, theCongo Free State,which was privately owned by KingLeopold II of Belgium,was characterized by widespreadatrocitiesand disease; amid public outcry in Europe, Belgium annexed the territory as a colony.[22]
- ^Belgium is a member of, or affiliated to, many international organizations, includingACCT,AfDB,AsDB,Australia Group,Benelux,BIS,CCC,CE,CERN,EAPC,EBRD,EIB,EMU,ESA,EU,FAO,G-10,IAEA,IBRD,ICAO,ICC,ICRM,IDA,IDB,IEA,IFAD,IFC,IFRCS,IHO,ILO,IMF,IMO,IMSO,Intelsat,Interpol,IOC,IOM,ISO,ITU,MONUSCO(observers),NATO,NEA,NSG,OAS(observer),OECD,OPCW,OSCE,PCA,UN,UNCTAD,UNECE,UNESCO,UNHCR,UNIDO,UNMIK,UNMOGIP,UNRWA,UNTSO,UPU,WADB(non-regional),WEU,WHO,WIPO,WMO,WTrO,ZC.
- ^Since 2011, the French Community has used the name "Wallonia-Brussels Federation" (French:Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles), which is controversial because its name in theBelgian Constitutionhas not changed and because it is seen as a political statement.[96][97]
- ^The Constitution set out seven institutions each of which can have a parliament, government and administration. In fact, there are only six such bodies because the Flemish Region merged into the Flemish Community. This single Flemish body thus exercises powers about Community matters in the bilingual area of Brussels-Capital and in the Dutch language area, while about Regional matters only in Flanders.
- ^The richest (per capita income) of Belgium's three regions is theFlemish Region,followed by theWalloon Regionand lastly theBrussels-Capital Region.The ten municipalities with the highest reported income are:Laethem-Saint-Martin,Keerbergen,Lasne,Oud-Heverlee,Hove,De Pinte,Meise,Knokke-Heist,Bierbeek."Où habitent les Belges les plus riches?".trends.be. 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 27 August 2011.Retrieved15 July2011.
- ^Native speakers of Dutch living in Wallonia and of French in Flanders are relatively small minorities that furthermore largely balance one another, hence attributing all inhabitants of each unilingual area to the area's language can cause only insignificant inaccuracies (99% can speak the language). Dutch: Flanders' 6.079 million inhabitants and about 15% of Brussels' 1.019 million are 6.23 million or 59.3% of the 10.511 million inhabitants of Belgium (2006); German: 70,400 in the German-speaking Community (which haslanguage facilitiesfor its less than 5% French-speakers) and an estimated 20,000–25,000 speakers of German in the Walloon Region outside the geographical boundaries of their official Community, or 0.9%; French: in the latter area as well as mainly in the rest of Wallonia (3.321 million) and 85% of the Brussels inhabitants (0.866 million) thus 4.187 million or 39.8%; together indeed 100%.
- ^Flemish Academic Eric Corijn (initiator ofCharta 91), at a colloquium regarding Brussels, on 2001-12-05, states that in Brussels 91% of the population speaks French at home, either alone or with another language, and about 20% speaks Dutch at home, either alone (9%) or with French (11%)—After ponderation, the repartition can be estimated at between 85 and 90% French-speaking, and the remaining are Dutch-speaking, corresponding to the estimations based on languages chosen in Brussels by citizens for their official documents (ID, driving licenses, weddings, birth, sex, and so on); all these statistics on language are also available at Belgian Department of Justice (for weddings, birth, sex), Department of Transport (for Driving licenses), Department of Interior (for IDs), because there are no means to knowpreciselythe proportions since Belgium has abolished 'official' linguistic censuses, thus official documents on language choices can only be estimations. For a web source on this topic, see e.g.General online sources: Janssens, Rudi
- ^Notable Belgian films based on works by Flemish authors include:De Witte(authorErnest Claes) movie by Jan Vanderheyden and Edith Kiel in 1934, remake asDe Witte van Sichemdirected byRobbe De Hertin 1980;De man die zijn haar kort liet knippen(Johan Daisne)André Delvaux1965;Mira('De teleurgang van de Waterhoek' byStijn Streuvels)Fons Rademakers1971;Malpertuis(aka The Legend of Doom House)(Jean Ray[pen name of Flemish author who mainly wrote in French, or as John Flanders in Dutch])Harry Kümel1971;De loteling(Hendrik Conscience) Roland Verhavert 1974;Dood van een non(Maria Rosseels) Paul Collet and Pierre Drouot 1975;Pallieter(Felix Timmermans) Roland Verhavert 1976;De komst van Joachim Stiller(Hubert Lampo)Harry Kümel1976;De Leeuw van Vlaanderen(Hendrik Conscience)Hugo Claus(a famous author himself) 1985;Daens('Pieter Daens' byLouis Paul Boon)Stijn Coninx1992; see alsoFilmarchiefles DVD!s de la cinémathèque(in Dutch). Retrieved on7 June2007.
- ^The Dutch wordommegangis here used in the sense of an entirely or mainly non-religious procession, or the non-religious part thereof—see alsoits article on the Dutch-language Wikipedia;the Processional Giants of Brussels, Dendermonde and Mechelen mentioned in this paragraph are part of each city'sommegang.The French wordducasserefers also to a procession; the mentioned Processional Giants of Ath and Mons are part of each city'sducasse.
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Zur prestige Sprache wurde in den Spanischen Niederlanden ganz eindeutig das Französische. Die Vertreter Spaniens beherrschten normalerweise das Französische, nicht aber das Niederländische; ein beachtlicher Teil der am Hofe tätigen Adligen stammte aus Wallonien, das sich ja eher auf die spanische Seite geschlagen hatte als Flandern und Brabant. In dieser Situation war es selbstverständlich, dass die flämischen Adligen, die im Laufe der Zeit immer mehr ebenfalls zu Hofbeamten wurden, sich des Französischen bedienen mussten, wenn sie als gleichwertig anerkannt werden wollten. [Transl.: The prestigious language in the Spanish Netherlands was clearly French. Spain's representatives usually mastered French but not Dutch; a notable part of the nobles at the court came from Wallonia, which had taken party for the Spanish side to a higher extent than Flanders and Brabant. It was therefore evident within this context that the Flemish nobility, of which a progressively larger number became servants of the court, had to use French, if it wanted to get acknowledged as well.]
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In 2002, 58.92% of the fiscal income was going to the budget of the federal government, but more than one-third was used to pay the interests of the public debt. Without including this post, the share of the federal government budget would be only 48.40% of the fiscal income. There are 87.8% of the civil servants who are working for the Regions or the Communities and 12.2% for the Federal State.
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La Belgique constitue ainsi le seul exemple clair du transfert d'une partie de la compétence "affaires étrangères" à des entités fédérées. (Transl.: Belgium is thus the only clear example of a transfer of a part of the "Foreign Affairs" competences to federated units.)
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[Le fédéralisme belge] repose sur une combinaison unique d'équipollence, d'exclusivité et de prolongement international des compétences. ([Belgian federalism] is based on a unique combination of equipollence, of exclusivity, and of international extension of competences.)
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Dans l'organisation de ces autonomies, la Belgique a réalisé une "première" mondiale: afin d'éviter la remise en cause, par le biais de la dimension internationale, de compétences exclusives transférées aux entités fédérées, les communautés et régions se sont vu reconnaître une capacité et des pouvoirs internationaux. (In organizing its autonomies, Belgium realized a World's First: to avoid a relevant stalemate, international consequences caused transfers of exclusive competences to federal, community and regional entities that are recognized to have become internationally enabled and empowered.)
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Belgium is the world leader in terms of export per capita and can justifiably call itself the 'world's largest exporter'.
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het Cruijdeboeck, dat in 1554 verscheen. Dit meesterwerk was na de bijbel in die tijd het meest vertaalde boek. Het werd gedurende meer dan een eeuw steeds weer heruitgegeven en gedurende meer dan twee eeuwen was het het meest gebruikte handboek over kruiden in West-Europa. Het is een werk van wereldfaam en grote wetenschappelijke waarde. De nieuwe gedachten die Dodoens erin neerlegde, werden de bouwstenen voor de botanici en medici van latere generaties.(... the Cruijdeboeck, published in 1554. This masterpiece was, after the Bible, the most translated book in that time. It continued to be republished for more than a century and for more than two centuries it was the mostly used referential about herbs. It is a work with world fame and great scientific value. The new thoughts written down by Dodoens, became the building bricks for botanists and physicians of later generations.)
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Although he did not invent decimals (they had been used by the Arabs and the Chinese long before Stevin's time) he did introduce their use in mathematics in Europe.
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The importance of A. Vesalius' publication'de humani corporis fabrica libri septem'cannot be overestimated.
(*) Free abstract for pay-per-view article byDe Broe, Marc E.; De Weerdt, Dirk L.; Ysebaert, Dirk K.; Vercauteren, Sven R.; De Greef, Kathleen E.; De Broe, Luc C. (1999)."The Low Countries – 16th/17th century".American Journal of Nephrology.19(2): 282–9.doi:10.1159/000013462.PMID10213829. - ^Midbon, Mark (24 March 2000)."'A Day Without Yesterday': Georges Lemaitre & the Big Bang ".Commonweal,republished: Catholic Education Resource Center (CERC). pp. 18–19.Archivedfrom the original on 6 July 2007.Retrieved7 June2007.
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—Strictly, the capital is the municipality(City of) Brussels,though the Brussels-Capital Region might be intended because of its name and also its other municipalities housing institutions typical for a capital. - ^"The German-speaking Community".The German-speaking Community. Archived fromthe originalon 30 May 2007.Retrieved5 May2007.The (original)version in German languageArchived29 May 2007 at theWayback Machine(already) mentions 73,000 instead of 71,500 inhabitants.
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{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^"Low Countries, 1000–1400 AD".Timeline of Art History.Metropolitan Museum of Art.2007.Archivedfrom the original on 15 April 2007.Retrieved10 May2007.
- ^"Low Countries, 1400–1600 AD".Timeline of Art History.Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 29 April 2007.Retrieved10 May2007.
- ^Several examples of major architectural realizations in Belgium belong toUNESCO'sWorld Heritage List:"Belgium".Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List.UNESCO.Archivedfrom the original on 28 April 2007.Retrieved15 May2007.
- ^Hendrick, Jacques (1987).La peinture au pays de Liège(in French). Liège: Editions du Perron. p. 24.ISBN978-2-87114-026-9.
- ^Guratzsch, Herwig (1979).Die große Zeit der niederländische Malerei(in German). Freiburg im Beisgau: Verlag Herder. p. 7.
- ^"Low Countries, 1600–1800 AD".Timeline of Art History.Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 13 May 2007.Retrieved10 May2007.
- ^"Art History: Flemish School: (1600–1800)—Artists: (biography & artworks)".World Wide Arts Resources. 5 February 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 13 October 2009.Retrieved10 May2007.—A general presentation of the Flemish artistic movement with a list of its artists, linking to their biographies and artworks
- ^"Belgian Artists: (biographies & artworks)".World Wide Arts Resources. 5 February 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 15 May 2016.Retrieved10 May2007.—List of Belgian painters, linking to their biographies and artworks
- ^Baudson, Michel (1996)."Panamarenko".Flammarion (Paris), quoted at presentation of the XXIII Bienal Internacional de São Paulo. Archived fromthe originalon 7 February 2007.Retrieved10 May2007.
- ^Brussels, capital of Art Nouveau (page 1)Archived9 May 2007 at theWayback Machine,"(page 2)".Senses Art Nouveau Shop, Brussels. 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 4 March 2007.Retrieved11 May2007.(for example)
- ^"Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta (Brussels)".UNESCO'sWorld Heritage List.UNESCO.Archivedfrom the original on 13 May 2013.Retrieved16 May2007.
The appearance of Art Nouveau in the closing years of the 19th century marked a decisive stage in the evolution of architecture, making possible subsequent developments, and the Town Houses of Victor Horta in Brussels bear exceptional witness to its radical new approach.
- ^"Western music, the Franco-Flemish school".Encyclopædia Britannica.2007.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2006.Retrieved15 May2007.
Most significant musically was the pervasive influence of musicians from the Low Countries, whose domination of the music scene during the last half of the 15th century is reflected in the period designations the Netherlands school and the Franco-Flemish school.
- ^Two comprehensive discussions of rock and pop music in Belgium since the 1950s:
"The Timeline—A brief history of Belgian Pop Music".The Belgian Pop & Rock Archives.Flanders Music Centre, Brussels. March 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 12 July 2007.Retrieved7 June2007.
"Belgian Culture—Rock".Vanberg & DeWulf Importing. 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 7 June 2007.Retrieved11 May2007. - ^Grove, Laurence (2010).Comics in French: the European bande dessinée in context.Berghahn Books.ISBN978-1-84545-588-0.
- ^A review of the Belgian cinema till about 2000 can be found at"History of Cinema in Belgium".Film Birth.2007. Archived fromthe originalon 14 September 2011.Retrieved26 June2011.
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InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext:INB) based inLeuven,Belgium. The company's origins date back to 1366, and today it is the leading global brewer by volume.
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[the Author's] top five [cyclists] of all time: 1 Eddy Merckx, 2Bernard Hinault,3Lance Armstrong,4Miguel Indurain,5Jacques Anquetil
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[Also editions [1913], London,OCLC29072911;(1921) D. Unwin and Co., New YorkOCLC9625246also published (1921) asBelgium from the Roman invasion to the present day,The Story of the nations, 67, T. Fisher Unwin, London,OCLC2986704] - de Kavanagh Boulger; Demetrius C. (28 June 2001) [1902].The History of Belgium: Part 1. Cæsar to Waterloo.Elibron Classics (Paperback 493pp ed.). Adamant Media (Delaware corporation), Boston, Massachusetts, United States.ISBN978-1-4021-6714-0.Facsimile reprint of a 1902 edition by the author, London
Ib. (June 2001) [1909].Ib. Part 2. 1815–1865. Waterloo to the Death of Leopold I(Paperback 462pp ed.). Ib.ISBN978-1-4021-6713-3.Facsimile reprint of a 1909 edition by the author, London - Fitzmaurice, John(1996).The Politics of Belgium: A Unique Federalism.Nations of the modern world (Paperback 284pp ed.). Boulder, Colorado, US: Westview Press.ISBN978-0-8133-2386-2.OCLC30112536.
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(Several editions in English, incl. (1997) 7th ed.)
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- Belgium.The World Factbook.Central Intelligence Agency.
- BelgiumatUCB Libraries GovPubs
- Belgiuminformation from theUnited States Department of State
- Portals to the Worldfrom the United StatesLibrary of Congress
- Belgium profilefrom theBBC News
- FAO Country Profiles: Belgium
- Statistical Profile of Belgium at the Association of Religion Data ArchivesArchived28 October 2014 at theWayback Machine
Wikimedia Atlas of Belgium- Key Development Forecasts for BelgiumfromInternational Futures
- Official Site of the Belgian Tourist Office in the Americas and GlobeScope