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:''The word "Belgian" redirects to this page. For an article about the horse breed, see ].'' |
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:''The word "Belgian" redirects to this page. For an article about the horse breed, see ].'' |
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The '''Kingdom of Belgium''' is such a bitch. Belgium made dicks look like pussies. I hate belgium and i hope france eats them out like tommy lee ate out pam anderson.==Related topics== |
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The '''Kingdom of Belgium''' (]: ''Koninkrijk België'', ]: ''Royaume de Belgique'', ]: ''Königreich Belgien'') is a country in ], bordered by the ], ], ], ], and the ]. |
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Belgium is at a cultural crossroad between ] Europe and ] Europe. It has ] speakers (the ]), mainly in the north, ] speakers, mainly in the south (the ]) but also in the center (in and around the capital ]), and a small number of ] speakers in the east. This cultural and linguistic diversity is reflected in its complex institutions and ]. |
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{| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |
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|+<big>'''Koninkrijk België'''<br>'''Royaume de Belgique'''<br>'''Königreich Belgien'''</big> |
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{| border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 style="background:#f9f9f9; text-align:center;" |
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| width="130px"| ] || align=center width=130px | ] |
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| width="130px"| (]) || align=center width=130px | (]) |
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| align=center colspan=2 | <small>'']: ]: Eendracht maakt macht; ]: L'union fait la force; ]: Einigkeit gibt Stärke<br>(]: Strength lies in unity'')</small> |
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| align=center colspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;" | ] |
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|''']''' || ], ], ] |
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|''']''' || ] |
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|'''Largest City''' || ] |
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|''']''' || ] |
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|''']''' || ] |
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|''']''' <br> - Total <br> - % water |
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|] <br>] <br>6.20% |
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|''']''' <br> - Total (]) <br> - ] |
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|] <br>10,309,725<br>338/km² |
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|''']''' |
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|] |
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|''']''' <br> - Total (]) <br> - GDP/capita |
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|| ] <br>$294 billion<br> $28,396 |
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|''']''' || ] (€)<sup>1</sup> |
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| ''']''' <br /> - in ] |
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| ] (]+1)<br>] (]+2) |
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| ''']''' || ] |
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| ''']''' || ] |
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| ''']''' || +32 |
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|colspan=2 | <small><sup>1</sup> Prior to ]: ].</small> |
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== History== |
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''Main article: ]'' |
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Geographically and culturally, Belgium is at the crossroads of Europe, and during the past 2,000 years has witnessed a constant ebb and flow of different ]s and ]s. Consequently, Belgium is one of Europe's true ]s with ], ], and ] cultures having made an imprint, and later on in history, ], ], ], and ]n influences. During most of its history, Belgium has been part of the ], also designated as the ]. |
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The earliest named inhabitants of Belgium were the ]. They were (mostly) Celtic tribes, living in northern ]. In ], they were overcome by ], as described in his chronicle '']''. In this same work Julius Caesar referred to the ] as "(...) the bravest of all Gauls" (''"horum omnium fortissimi sunt belgae"''). After the ] collapsed (]), ]s invaded the Roman province of "Gallia". One of these peoples, the ], finally installed a new kingdom under the rulers of the ]. ] was the most famous of these kings. He converted to ] and ruled from northern France, but his empire included today's Belgium. Christian scholars, mostly ] ]s, preached Christianity and started ] work under the pagan invaders. The Merovingians were rather short-lived, as the ] soon took over. After ] countered the ] invasion from Spain (] - Poitiers), the famous king ] brought a huge part of Europe under his rule and was ] as the "] of the ]" by the ] (]). |
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European ] became the base for ], ] and economic stability. Christianity flourished under the protection of these rulers and by the founding of religious communities and ], ]es and ]s. |
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The region was later associated with the ], under ] then ] rule. |
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In the 17th century followed ]n rule, and a few years of ] rule under ]. After ]'s demise, in ], Belgium was reunited with the ] in the ] until the ] in ], which established an independent Belgian state. The Belgian revolution was initiated by the French-speaking minority who controlled the factories and other economical resources and who didn't want to live under a Dutch-speaking administration. The fact that Belgium was mostly ] and Netherlands predominantly Protestant also played a role. In this newly independent country Flemings were linguistically discriminated against, because ] and the nobility wanted to impose its adopted language, French, on ]. The Flemings have overcome this linguistic oppression in the course of the late 19th and ] by raising cultural awareness, promoting a Flemish identity and a combination of remarkably non-violent opposition and impressive economic development. |
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] |
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The Belgian King, ], was chosen with the assistance of the British. This king was chosen after the first choice of the Belgians refused his appointment. The country's neutrality was guaranteed against future foreign military aggression. This neutrality was violated in 1914 when ] invaded Belgium as part of the ]. The British decision to honour their treaty obligations, as much as the '']'' with France, forced them into the First World War. After a period of alliance with France after the First World War, Belgium tried to return to neutrality in the ], but was once again invaded by ] in ]. After ], the policy of neutrality was abandoned, and Belgium joined ]. It was also one of the founding members of the ]. |
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Belgium possessed one primary foreign colony during its history: the ], which was given to ] in the ] in ]. He made the land his private property and called it the ']'. In this Free State, the local population was brutalised in exchange for ], a growing market with the development of rubber tyres. In 1908, the international pressure against the cruelties of King Leopold II (estimates about the number of deaths range from 3 million to 22 million people, 8 million to 10 million being the estimates most often cited) became so great that he was forced to sell his property to the Belgian state as a colony for 150m Belgian francs. From then on, it became ], before gaining independence from Belgium in ]. |
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Belgium's foreign involvement increased after the World War I when two former German colonies, ] and ], were mandated to Belgium by the ]. Belgian policy in the administration and sociocultural development of these countries has been heavily criticised, many seeing Belgian decisions as contributing significantly to the troubles in Rwanda in the ] when a genocide took place, with an estimated 1 million casualties. |
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Since the ], the history of Belgium became more and more dominated by the increasing autonomy of its two main communities, the Dutch- and the French-speakers. As an indication of this, since around 1970, there are no significant national Belgian political parties anymore, but only Flemish- or French-speaking parties (and one German-speaking party). The regular attempts to re-establish national, Belgian parties end up below 1 percent of the electorate; the Brussels parties either never got started (as with the 'Blauwe Leeuwen' and 'Rode Leeuwen' for the Flemings in Brussels), or got merged into one of the French-speaking liberal parties (such as the French-speaking ], which, however, has had a significant influence for years, and still keeps some independence). As such, the political landscape shows a near-perfect dual political system, reflecting the two underlying dominant communities. Several people observe that Belgium is well on its way to disintegration, falling apart into two independent states, ] and ]. Some even |
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believe this would have already happened if it wasn't for the problem that the city of Brussels poses. |
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== Politics== |
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''Main article: ]'' |
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Belgium's political institutions are complex, but the majority of political power is organised with the two main communities: the ], and their political parties; and the Walloons, and their parties. |
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Since the country's federalisation there have been many ] entities. Apart from the ] Government there is a subdivision according to language into Communities, with the ], the ] and the ], and another subdivision into Regions: the ], the ] and the ]. The Flemish Community and the Flemish Region have been joined together to form one government, see ]. |
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Behind these complex institutions, the two dominant components of the Belgian state are the ] and their political institutions under the ]; and the French-speakers, grouped under the ] and its more fragmented institutions. Nearly all political parties in Belgium belong to one of these two communities. The exceptions are a German-speaking party and some smaller parties in Brussels. However, these only attract votes from one of the two communities in Brussels. Thus, there are no national parties active over all the Belgian territory. In short, the Belgian political landscape carefully mirrors the dual nature of Belgian society. |
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Thus: |
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* '''Federal government''': Jurisdiction over ], ], ]/], police, economy, ], ] (including pensions, health care, social aid and employment controls), transport (including railways and air transport), energy, telecommunications, scientific research (partially), limited competencies in education and culture, as well as strict control over taxation by regional authorities; the federal government controls more than 90 percent of all taxation. |
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* '''Community governments''': Language, culture and education. (e.g. Schools, Libraries, Theatre, etc.) |
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* '''Regional governments''': Land and property based issues within their area (regional economy, zoning, housing, transportation, etc.), international trade. |
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For example, a school building in Brussels belonging to the public school system would be regulated by the regional government of Brussels. But the school as an institution would fall under the regulations of either the Flemish government, if the primary language of teaching is Dutch, or the French Community government, if the primary language is French. It is a complex, somewhat unstable and expensive, but peaceful compromise that allows distinctly different cultures to live together. |
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== Communities, regions and provinces== |
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''Main article: ]'' |
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Belgium is divided into three communities, the ], the ] and the ], and in three regions: ] (mainly Dutch- and French-speaking, with a population of 980,000), ] (mainly Dutch-speaking, with a population of 5,900,000), and ] (mainly French-speaking, with a population of 3,360,000). The latter two regions are each divided into 5 provinces. |
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] is composed of the 5 northern ]-speaking provinces of ], the 5 southern ]-speaking provinces of ] and the ].]] |
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Between brackets is the local name of each province, in either French or Dutch: |
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#] (Dutch speaking; ''Vlaanderen'' in Dutch, ''Flandre'' or ''Flandres'' in French): |
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#*] (Antwerpen) |
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#*] |
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#*] (Oost-Vlaanderen) |
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#*] (West-Vlaanderen) |
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#*] (Vlaams-Brabant) |
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#] (French speaking; ''Wallonie'' in French, ''Wallonië'' in Dutch): |
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#*] (Brabant Wallon) |
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#*] |
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#*] |
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#*] |
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#*] |
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#The ] (''Région de Bruxelles-Capitale'' in French, ''Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest'' in Dutch, ''Die Region Brüssel-Hauptstadt'' in German). |
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Each provincial entity (including the Brussels-Capital Region) is further divided into smaller ], called ''gemeenten'' in Dutch and ''communes'' in French (see ] and ]). |
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The main cities and their population are ] (959,318), ] (445,570), ] (224,685), ] (200,233), and ] (184,550). |
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== Geography== |
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''Main articles: ], ]'' |
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], ], ], ], ], ] and ] are the seven largest cities of Belgium, with populations above 100,000.]] |
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Belgium has an area of 30,510 ]. Belgium has three main physical regions: the ]al ] (located in the northwest), the central ], and the ] uplands (located in the southeast). |
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The coastal plain consists mainly of ] ]s and ]s. Polders are areas of land, close to or below ], that have been reclaimed from the sea from which they are protected by ]s, or, further inland, fields that have been drained by ]s. |
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The second physical region, the central plateau, lies further inland. This is a smooth, slowly rising area which has many ] ]s and is ] by many ]s. Here one can also find rougher land, including ]s and small ]s. |
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The third physical region (called the Ardennes) is somewhat more rugged than the first two. It is a thickly ]ed plateau, very rocky and not very good for ], which extends into northern France. This is where much of Belgium's ] can be found. |
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The two main ]s in Belgium are the ] (on which Antwerp lies) and the ]. Although generally flat, the terrain becomes increasingly hilly and forested in the southeast (]) region, where one can find Belgium's highest point, the ] at only 694 metres. |
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The ] is cool, temperate, and ]y; ] ]s average 25°C / 77°F, ]s average 7.2°C / 45°F. Annual extremes (rarely attained) are -12.2°C / 10°F and 32.2°C / 90°F. |
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== Economy== |
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''Main article: ]'' |
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Densely populated Belgium is located at the heart of one of the world's most highly industrialised regions. One of the first countries to undergo an ] on the continent of Europe in the early ], Belgium developed an excellent transportation infrastructure of ports, canals, ]s, and ]s to integrate its industry with that of its neighbours. One of the founding members of the ], Belgium strongly supports deepening the powers of the EU to integrate European economies. Belgium was one of the first countries to adopt the ], the single European currency, in January ] and the Belgian ] was completely replaced by ] and ] in early ]. |
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Belgium is sometimes called "The heart of Europe". This is not only because of its geographical location, but also due to many international institutions, such as ] and the ], having their headquarters in Brussels. This, in its turn, is because it has an excellent transportation system. It has a modern and toll-free road system, is connected to the European railway system, and ] is the second largest European ]. |
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The economy in Belgium greatly depends on its imports and exports. Its main imports are food products, machinery, rough ]s, ] and petroleum products, chemicals, clothing and accessories, and ]s. Its main trading partners are Germany, The Netherlands, France, the ], ], the ], and ]. Its main exports are ]s, food and food products, ] and ], diamonds, textiles, ], petroleum products, and nonferrous metals. Trade is made together with Luxembourg, because these two countries created a customs and ] union in ]. |
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== Demographics, language and literacy == |
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''Main article: ]'' |
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The ], 336/km², is one of the highest in Europe, after the Netherlands and some smaller countries such as ]. The areas with the highest population density are around the Brussels-Antwerp-Ghent-Leuven agglomerations, as well as other important urban centres as Liège, Charleroi, Kortrijk, Brugge, Hasselt and Namur. The ] have the lowest density. |
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Historically, Belgium has three ] communities: ], ] and ], which belonged to ] until 1918, and three official languages, one for each community, ], ] and ]. About 60 percent of the country is Dutch-speaking, French is the second most-spoken language (by about 40 percent) and German is spoken by less than 1 percent of the population. |
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But these figures must be taken with care because the most-recent linguistic ] was before ], and the mother tongue is not always the same as the language used in public, or in official life. This applies especially to the many minority goups who more or less kept their ethnic identity, the oldest being the ]s, established in Antwerp since the Middle Ages, and various more recent-migrant communites as ]s, ]s, ], ] or ]. Within each of those communities, language use varies widely, with parts of each community maintaining their language of origin over generations, other parts moving towards the language of the city of residence. Percentages differ widely between the various migrant groups. |
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Both the ] spoken in Belgium and the ] have small vocabulary differences from the varieties spoken in the ] and ], but are mutually intelligible with their respective neighbouring ]. Many speak ] or ] dialects which are often difficult to understand for people from other areas. Other regional languages officially recognised (in Wallonia only) are ], ], and ]. |
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], the capital, is mostly French-speaking, but officially French-Dutch bilingual. It evolved from a Dutch-speaking place when the Belgian state became independent in 1830 to its current dominantly French character being the capital of the central administration of the federal country. |
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More than 98 percent of the adult population is literate. Education is required from the age of 6 until the age of 18, but most Belgian students keep on studying until the age of 23. This makes Belgium's education system the second most intensive in Europe, after the United Kingdom's. Nevertheless, in recent years concern is rising over certain forms of illiteracy as 'functional illiteracy'. |
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==Religion== |
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''Main article: ]'' |
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In Belgium ] is the majority religion, accounting for between 75% and 80% of the population, although nowadays only about 10% to 20% of the population regularly goes to church. Other religions widely practised in Belgium are ], ], ] and ]. |
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Religion was one of the differences between the Roman Catholic south and the Protestant north of the ], which eventually broke up in ] when the south seceded to form Belgium. This accounts for the preponderance of Catholics there nowadays. |
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Since 1830, Catholicism has had also an important role in Belgium's politics. One example is the two so-called "]" ("''Schoolstrijd''" in Dutch, "''guerres scolaires''" in French) between liberals and Catholics which took place between ] and ] and between ] and ] respectively. |
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Between ] and ] the centre of ] and ] activity in ] was shifted from ] to Belgium. Belgium became the main centre for many ] brotherhoods and ] of which many branches still exist today. |
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== Culture== |
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''Main article: ]'' |
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A discussion of Belgian culture may lead to discussing both those aspects of cultural life shared by 'all' or most of the Belgians, regardless of their language, and also, the differences between the cultural communities, the ] and the ], viewed as more inclined towards Anglo-Saxon culture, and the ], viewed as more inclined towards French and other Latin cultures. |
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Cultural life tends to concentrate within each community. The shared element is clearly much less important as there are no common media, no universities that are both ] and French-speaking (except the royal military academy), and no single common large cultural or scientific organisation where both main communities are represented. Common organisations, in the wider social area, are only those institutions imposed by the Belgian legislature (such as trade unions). |
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In terms of cultural life, nearly all members of all communities tend to make most individual and collective cultural choices first within their own community, and then, when going beyond, Flemings opting for a multi-polar interest, but mainly Anglo-Saxon towards culture (which dominates sciences, professional life and most news media), whereas French-speakers concentrate more on cultural life in Paris and elsewhere in the French-speaking world ('la Francité'). |
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As for cultural generalities shared by all Belgians, the country is well known for its art, its ], its ], its ], and its ]. Belgium has a variety of famous artists. These include ], ], ], ], ], ], ]. Magritte, together with Paul Delvaux, were two major artists of the surrealistic style. Many great French authors went to Belgium for refuge. In music ] is famous for inventing the ] in ]. |
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In architecture ] is well known. He was one of the originators of the ] architecture, a style of architecture which had a major impact upon 20th century buildings. |
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Belgium is well represented in the world of '''sport''', ] being very popular. The ] is called the ], and they are ranked as 45th by ]. However, Belgium also has two female ] players in the top 25; ] (#22), who has won the WTA Tour Championships twice: in 2002 and 2003, and ] (#8), who has won 3 Major Titles (Roland Garros and US Open in 2003, Australian Open in 2004) and the Olympic Gold medal in the 2004 Olympics in ]. Both Clijsters and Henin-Hardenne have been World Number 1. |
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Belgium has also performed well in ]. One of the greatest cyclists ever, ], who won five ], five ], one ], two Tours of Belgium, and one Tour of Switzerland, was Belgian. Belgium has world and olympic champions in ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. |
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Many "gourmets" think that Belgium has the best food in Europe. Brands of Belgian chocolate, like ], Côte d'Or, ], ] are world renowned and widely distributed. More highly regarded by ]s is Mary's, who supplies the royal court. A type of ] consisting of a chocolate candy filled with a hazelnut paste was introduced in to the market by Neuhaus in 1912; since that time Belgians claim to have "invented the praline" though almond filled chocolates known by that name have existed in France since at least the 1840's. In Belgium there are over 450 different kinds of beer, those of the ] monks being among the most prestigious, though serious connoisseurs tout the very rare pure lambics, fermented spontaneously by wild yeasts, as being the finest and most complex. Technically, they are ] and traditionally each abbey's beer is served in its own glass (the forms, heights and widths are different). Belgians have a reputation for loving ] and ]. The fried ] strips are sold at many small shops (called ''friteries'' or ''frietkoten'') and stands and are known locally as ''frieten'' in Dutch and ''frites'' in French. Belgians claim they invented french fries. |
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==Related topics== |
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