Geography of Belgium
 | |
| Continent | Europe |
|---|---|
| Region | Western Europe |
| Coordinates | 50°50′N4°00′E/ 50.833°N 4.000°E |
| Area | Ranked 136th |
| • Total | 30,689 km2(11,849 sq mi) |
| • Land | 93.5% |
| • Water | 6.5% |
| Coastline | 66.5 km (41.3 mi) |
| Borders | Total land borders: 1,297 km |
| Highest point | Signal de Botrange 695 m (2,280 ft) |
| Lowest point | De Moeren −3 m (−10 ft) |
| Longest river | Escaut 200 km |
Belgiumis afederal statelocated inWestern Europe,bordering theNorth Sea.Belgium shares borders withFrance(620 km),Germany(133 km),Luxembourg(130 km) and theNetherlands(478 km). Belgium is divided into three regions:Flanders,WalloniaandBrussels.
General information
[edit] |
Total renewable water resources:18.3 cu km (2011)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total:6.22 cu km/yr (12%/88%/1%)
per capita:589.8 cu m/yr (2007)
Natural hazards: flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
Geography – note: crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels which is the seat of both the EU and NATO
Longest Distances:280 km SE-NW/ 222 km NE-SW
Area
[edit]
Belgium has an area of 30,689 square kilometres,[1]with 16,901 km2(6,526 sq mi) forWallonia,13,625 km2(5,261 sq mi) for theFlemish Regionand 162.4 km2(62.7 sq mi) for theBrussels Capital Region.Byprovinces,the area is distributed as such:
- Luxembourg:4,459 km2(1,722 sq mi)
- Liège:3,857 km2(1,489 sq mi)
- Hainaut:3,813 km2(1,472 sq mi)
- Namur:3,675 km2(1,419 sq mi)
- West Flanders:3,197 km2(1,234 sq mi)
- East Flanders:3,007 km2(1,161 sq mi)
- Antwerp:2,876 km2(1,110 sq mi)
- Limburg:2,427 km2(937 sq mi)
- Flemish Brabant:2,118 km2(818 sq mi)
- Walloon Brabant:1,097 km2(424 sq mi)
For the purpose of total area, theBrussels-Capital Regionshould also be included, though no longer a province since the Brabant was split. Belgium has also 3,462 square kilometres of sea territories in theNorth Sea.On 29 May 2000, 2,000 square meters were granted by theNetherlandsto Belgium (a piece of land inZelzatealong theGhent–Terneuzen Canal).
Compared to other countries, Belgium is 44% larger thanWalesin theUnited Kingdomand about the size ofMarylandin theUnited States.Belgium is actually used as anunusual unit of measurementin comparing country sizes.[2]
In November 2016, Belgium and the Netherlands agreed to cede small, uninhabited parcels of land to reflect a change in course of the riverMeuse(or Maas, in Dutch). The land swap is to take effect as of 2018.[3]
Physical geography
[edit]
Belgium has three main geographical regions: the coastalplainin the north-west, the central plateau, and theArdennesuplands in the south-east. The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes andpolders.Polders are areas of land, close to or below sea level that have been reclaimed from the sea, from which they are protected bydikesor, further inland, by fields that have been drained with canals. The second geographical region, the central plateau, lies further inland. This is a smooth, slowly rising area that has many fertile valleys and is irrigated by many waterways. Here one can also find rougher land, including caves and smallgorges.The third geographical region, called the Ardennes, is more rugged than the first two. It is a thickly forested plateau, very rocky and not very good for farming, which extends into northern France and in Germany where it is namedEifel.This is where much of Belgium's wildlife can be found. Belgium's highest point, theSignal de Botrangeis located in this region at only 694 metres (2,277 ft). Belgium has relatively few natural lakes and none of any great size.
Notable natural regions include the Ardennes,CampineandHigh Fens.
Rivers and lakes
[edit]All of Belgium is drained into theNorth Sea,except the municipality ofMomignies(Macquenoise), which is drained by the riverOiseinto theEnglish Channel.Three major rivers flow into the sea: theScheldt(200 km in Belgium, 350 km in total), theMeuse(183 km in Belgium, 925 km in total) and theYser(50 km in Belgium, 78 km in total). Other rivers are theRupel,Senne,Sambre,Lesse,Ourthe,LysandDijle.The main lakes include theLake Genval,Lake Bütgenbach,Lake Eau d'Heure,Lake Gileppe,Lake EupenandLake Robertville.
Artificial waterways
[edit]Belgium has also many artificial waterways or canals, among others theBrussels–Scheldt Maritime Canal,theBrussels–Charleroi Canal,theCanal du Centreand theAlbert CanalinAntwerp.
Climate
[edit]The Belgian climate, like most of northwest Europe,[4]ismaritime temperate,with significant precipitation in all seasons (Köppen climate classification:Cfb;the average temperature is 3°C(37.4°F) in January, and 18 °C (64.4 °F) in July; the average precipitation is 65 mm (2.6 in) in January, and 78 mm (3.1 in) in July).[5]Belgium usually has cool winters but temperatures as low as −16 °C (3 °F) have been registered and summers are comfortably warm but temperatures can occasionally rise as high as 30 °C (86 °F).
| Climate data for Uccle (Brussels-Capital Region) 1991–2020 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.3 (59.5) |
20.0 (68.0) |
24.2 (75.6) |
28.7 (83.7) |
34.1 (93.4) |
38.8 (101.8) |
39.7 (103.5) |
36.5 (97.7) |
34.9 (94.8) |
27.8 (82.0) |
20.6 (69.1) |
16.7 (62.1) |
39.7 (103.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.1 (43.0) |
7.1 (44.8) |
10.9 (51.6) |
15.0 (59.0) |
18.4 (65.1) |
21.2 (70.2) |
23.2 (73.8) |
23.0 (73.4) |
19.5 (67.1) |
14.9 (58.8) |
9.9 (49.8) |
6.6 (43.9) |
14.7 (58.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.7 (38.7) |
4.2 (39.6) |
7.1 (44.8) |
10.4 (50.7) |
13.9 (57.0) |
16.7 (62.1) |
18.7 (65.7) |
18.4 (65.1) |
15.2 (59.4) |
11.3 (52.3) |
7.2 (45.0) |
4.3 (39.7) |
10.9 (51.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.4 (34.5) |
1.5 (34.7) |
3.5 (38.3) |
6.0 (42.8) |
9.2 (48.6) |
12.0 (53.6) |
14.1 (57.4) |
13.9 (57.0) |
11.3 (52.3) |
8.1 (46.6) |
4.6 (40.3) |
2.1 (35.8) |
7.3 (45.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −21.1 (−6.0) |
−18.3 (−0.9) |
−13.6 (7.5) |
−5.7 (21.7) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
0.3 (32.5) |
4.4 (39.9) |
3.9 (39.0) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−6.8 (19.8) |
−12.8 (9.0) |
−17.7 (0.1) |
−21.1 (−6.0) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 75.5 (2.97) |
65.1 (2.56) |
59.3 (2.33) |
46.7 (1.84) |
59.7 (2.35) |
70.8 (2.79) |
76.9 (3.03) |
86.5 (3.41) |
65.3 (2.57) |
67.8 (2.67) |
76.2 (3.00) |
87.4 (3.44) |
837.2 (32.96) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 18.9 | 16.9 | 15.7 | 13.1 | 14.7 | 14.1 | 14.3 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 16.1 | 18.3 | 19.4 | 189.9 |
| Average snowy days | 3.8 | 4.9 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 3.7 | 17 |
| Averagerelative humidity(%) | 84.1 | 80.6 | 74.8 | 69.2 | 70.2 | 71.3 | 71.5 | 72.4 | 76.8 | 81.5 | 85.1 | 86.6 | 77.0 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 59.1 | 72.9 | 125.8 | 171.3 | 198.3 | 199.3 | 203.2 | 192.4 | 154.4 | 112.6 | 65.8 | 48.6 | 1,603.7 |
| Averageultraviolet index | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Source 1:Royal Meteorological Institute[6][7] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Weather Atlas;[8]2019 July record high fromVRT Nieuws[9] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Antwerp (1981–2010 normals), sunshine 1984–2013 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.2 (43.2) |
7.0 (44.6) |
10.8 (51.4) |
14.4 (57.9) |
18.4 (65.1) |
20.9 (69.6) |
23.2 (73.8) |
23.1 (73.6) |
19.7 (67.5) |
15.3 (59.5) |
10.1 (50.2) |
6.6 (43.9) |
14.7 (58.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.4 (38.1) |
3.7 (38.7) |
6.8 (44.2) |
9.6 (49.3) |
13.6 (56.5) |
16.2 (61.2) |
18.5 (65.3) |
18.2 (64.8) |
15.1 (59.2) |
11.3 (52.3) |
7.0 (44.6) |
4.0 (39.2) |
10.6 (51.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.7 (33.3) |
0.5 (32.9) |
2.8 (37.0) |
4.8 (40.6) |
8.8 (47.8) |
11.7 (53.1) |
13.8 (56.8) |
13.2 (55.8) |
10.6 (51.1) |
7.4 (45.3) |
4.1 (39.4) |
1.5 (34.7) |
6.7 (44.1) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 69.3 (2.73) |
57.4 (2.26) |
63.8 (2.51) |
47.1 (1.85) |
61.5 (2.42) |
77.0 (3.03) |
80.6 (3.17) |
77.3 (3.04) |
77.2 (3.04) |
78.7 (3.10) |
79.0 (3.11) |
79.5 (3.13) |
848.4 (33.40) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 12.3 | 10.6 | 12.0 | 9.2 | 10.6 | 10.4 | 10.2 | 9.9 | 10.3 | 11.4 | 12.9 | 12.8 | 132.7 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 57 | 77 | 122 | 177 | 208 | 202 | 214 | 202 | 144 | 116 | 62 | 47 | 1,625 |
| Source:Royal Meteorological Institute[10] | |||||||||||||
Mountain and hills
[edit]Belgium's highest point is theSignal de Botrangeat 694 metres above the sea level. Other hills in Belgium include theKemmelberg(159 m high) and theKoppenberg(77 m high) both known as part of the route of the cycle racesGent–Wevelgemand theTour of Flandersrespectively.
Extreme points
[edit]
This is a list of the extreme points of Belgium, the points that are farther north, south, east, west, high or low than any other location.
- Northernmost point —Dreef,municipality ofHoogstraten,Antwerp Province
- Southernmost point —Torgny,municipality ofRouvroy,Luxembourg
- Westernmost point —De Panne,West Flanders(also the northernmost point in France)
- Easternmost point —Krewinkel,municipality ofBüllingen,Liège Province
- Highest point —Signal de Botrange(694 m)
- Lowest point —De Moeren(−3 m)
TheBelgian National Geographic Institutecalculated that the central point of Belgium lies at coordinates50°38′28″N4°40′05″E/ 50.64111°N 4.66806°E,inNil-Saint-Vincent-Saint-Martinin the municipality ofWalhain.[11]
Human geography
[edit]Demographics
[edit]Political geography
[edit]Natural resources
[edit]Natural resources in Belgium include construction materials,silicasand andcarbonates.Belgium used to have coal mines. As of 2012, the land use was as follows:
- Arable land:26.49%
- Permanent crops:0.79%
- Other: 72.72%
As of 2007, the estimated area of irrigated land was of 233.5 km2.
Environment
[edit]Because of its high population density and location in the centre of Western Europe, Belgium faces seriousenvironmental problems.A 2003 report[12]suggested that the water in Belgium's rivers was of the lowest quality in Europe, and bottom of the 122 countries studied. The environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities: urbanisation, dense transportation network, industry, extensive animal breeding, and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighbouring countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) have slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges.
Cities
[edit]The main cities in Belgium in terms of population areBrussels,Antwerp,Ghent,CharleroiandLiège.Other notable cities includeBruges,Namur,Leuven,MonsandMechelen.
References
[edit]- ^"About Belgium:Filing card Belgium".belgium.be.Archived fromthe originalon 12 January 2011.
- ^"A Web Site the Size of Belgium: Home Page".Archived fromthe originalon 2010-02-21.Retrieved2010-04-04.
- ^"Belgium and Netherlands agree to swap land to simplify border".The Guardian.Reuters. 2016-11-29.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved2017-08-04.
- ^Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007)."Updated world map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification".Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.11(5): 1633–1644.Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P.doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007.ISSN1027-5606.(direct:Final Revised Paper)
- ^Eurometeo: The meteo at Brussels
- ^"Normales climatiques à Uccle"(in French). Royal Meteorological Institute. Archived fromthe originalon 3 February 2021.Retrieved5 March2021.
- ^"Le climat de la Belgique"(in French). Royal Meteorological Institute. Archived fromthe originalon 14 April 2021.Retrieved5 March2021.
- ^"Brussels, Belgium - Detailed climate information and monthly weather forecast".Weather Atlas.Yu Media Group.Retrieved2019-07-02.
- ^Kristien Bonneure, Johan Droessaert, Gianni Paelinck, Denny Baert (25 July 2019)."Herlees onze Hitteblog: warmste dag ooit eindigt met chaos door propvolle treinen die terugkeren van de kust".VRT Nieuws.
{{cite news}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Statistiques climatiques des communes belges: Antwerpen (ins 11002)"(PDF)(in French). Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 25 January 2017.Retrieved25 January2017.
- ^"Centre géographique – Le Site"(in French). Municipality of Walhain. Archived fromthe originalon January 18, 2010.Retrieved2007-03-09.
- ^Pearce, Fred (2003-03-05)."Sewage-laden Belgian water worst in world".New Scientist.Retrieved2006-05-09.
- CIA Factbook
- Belgian Federal Govt Online(accessed Dec. 24, 2006)
- Official statistics of Belgium website(accessed Dec. 24, 2006)
External links
[edit]- Map of Belgiumfrom lib.utexas.edu
