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{{Infobox Country or territory
|native_name = ''Koninkrijk België''<br/>''Royaume de Belgique''<br/>''Königreich Belgien''
|conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Belgium
|common_name = Belgium
|image_flag = Flag of Belgium.svg
|image_coat = Belgium coat of arms large.png
|symbol_type = Coat of arms
|national_motto = ''"Eendracht maakt macht"''{{spaces|2}}<small>(])</small><br/>''"L'union fait la force"''{{spaces|2}}<small>(])</small><br/>''"Einigkeit macht stark"''{{spaces|2}}<small>(])<br/>"Strength through Unity"</small>
|image_map = EU location BEL.png
|map_caption = {{map_caption |region=] |subregion=the ] |legend=European location legend en.png}}
|national_anthem = ]
|official_languages = ], ], ]
|capital = ]
|latd=50 |latm=54 |latNS=N |longd=4 |longm=32 |longEW=E
|largest_settlement_type = metropolitan area
|largest_settlement = ]
|government_type = ] and ] ]
|leader_title1 = ]
|leader_title2 = ]
|leader_name1 = ]
|leader_name2 = ]
|area = 30,528
|areami² = 11,787 <!--Do not remove per ]-->
|area_rank = 139th
|area_magnitude = 1 E10
|percent_water = 6.4
|population_estimate = <span style="white-space:nowrap;">10,511,382<ref name=statbel1>
{{cite web
|title=Structuur van de bevolking — België / Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest / Vlaams Gewest / Waals Gewest / De 25 bevolkingsrijkste gemeenten (2000–2006)
|date=© 1998/2007
|language=]
|publisher=Belgian Federal Government Service (ministry) of Economy — Directorate-general Statistics Belgium
|url=http://statbel.fgov.be/figures/d21_nl.asp#2
|format=asp
|accessdate=2007-05-23
}}</ref><br/></span>
|population_estimate_year = 2006
|population_estimate_rank = 76th<small>&nbsp;</small>
|population_census = 10,296,350
|population_census_year = 2001
|population_density = 344.32<!--Infobox template cannot properly show: ref name=statbel2-->
|population_density_rank = <small>2006</small>) (29th&nbsp;<small></small>
|population_densitymi² = 892 <!--Do not remove ]-->
|GDP_PPP_year = 2004
|GDP_PPP = $316.2&nbsp;]
|GDP_PPP_rank = 30th
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $31,400
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 12th
|Gini = 33
|Gini_year = 2000
|Gini_rank = 33th
|Gini_category = <span style="color:#dede00">medium</span>
|HDI_year = 2004
|HDI = {{steady}} 0.945
|HDI_rank = 13th
|HDI_category = <span style="color:#009900">high</span>
|sovereignty_type = ]
|sovereighty_note = from the ]
|established_event1 = Declared
|established_date1 = ] ]
|established_event2 = ]
|established_date2 = ], ]
|accessionEUdate = ], ]
|EUseats = 24
|currency = ] (])<sup>1</sup>
|currency_code = EUR
|time_zone = ]
|utc_offset = +1
|time_zone_DST = ]
|utc_offset_DST = +2
|cctld = ]<sup>2</sup>
|calling_code = 32
|footnote1 = Prior to 1999: ].
|footnote2 = The ] domain is also used, as it is shared with other ] member states.
}}

The '''Kingdom of Belgium''' is a country in ] bordered by ], ], ], and ], with a short coastline on the ]. It is one of the founding members of the ] and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major ]s, including ]. Belgium has a population of over ten-and-a-half million people, in an area of around 30,000 ]s (11,700&nbsp;square miles).

Straddling the cultural boundary between ] and ], Belgium is linguistically divided. The ]-speaking northern region, ], has 58% of the population. Another 10%, of which approximately 85% mainly uses ] in public, inhabits the officially bilingual ].<ref name=ericcorijn>Flemish Academic Eric Corijn (initiator of ), at a colloquium regarding Brussels, on ], states that in Brussels there is 91% of the population speaking French at home, either alone or with another language, and there is about 20% speaking 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, death, and so on); all these statistics on language are also available at Belgian Department of Justice (for weddings, birth, death), Department of Transport (for Driving licenses), Department of Interior (for IDs), because there are no means to know ''precisely'' the 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. ]</ref><ref name=britishcouncil>
{{cite web
|title=Belgium Market background
|quote=The capital Brussels, 80–85 percent French-speaking, ...
|publisher=]
|url=http://www.britishcouncil.org/eumd-information-background-belgium.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-05}} — Strictly, the capital is the municipality ], though the Brussels-Capital Region might be intended because of its name and also its other municipalities housing institutions typical for a capital.</ref> In this ] within the ] however, neither language is the primary one for roughly half of the residents.<ref name=philippevanparijs>
{{cite journal
|title=Belgium's new linguistic challenges
|author=], Professor of economic and social ethics at the ], Visiting Professor at ] and the ]
|journal=KVS Express (supplement to newspaper ]) March–April 2007
|pages=Article from pages 34–36 republished by the Belgian Federal Government Service (ministry) of Economy — Directorate-general Statistics Belgium
|url=http://www.statbel.fgov.be/studies/ac699_en.pdf
|format=pdf <small>0.7&nbsp;MB</small>
|accessdate=2007-05-05}} — The linguistic situation in Belgium (and in particular various estimations of the population speaking French and Dutch in Brussels) is discussed in detail.</ref><ref name=standaard>
{{cite journal
|title=Van autochtoon naar allochtoon
|quote=''Meer dan de helft van de Brusselse bevolking is van vreemde afkomst. In 1961 was dat slechts 7 procent.'' (More than half of the Brussels' population is of foreign origin. In 1961 this was only 7 percent.)
|journal=] (newspaper) online
|language=]
|url=http://www.standaard.be/Artikel/Detail.aspx?artikelId=641B1LAQ&word=brussel+bevolking
|accessdate=2007-05-05}}</ref><ref>Footnote: 'roughly half of the residents': The 56% of Brussels' residents of foreign origin include several percents of either ] or native speakers of French.</ref> French is the language in the southern region ] apart from most of the 73,000 inhabitants of its ].<ref name=germanspeakingcommunity1>
{{cite web
|title=The German-speaking Community
|publisher=The German-speaking Community
|url=http://www.dglive.be/EN/Desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-1263/2264_read-27181/
|accessdate=2007-05-05}} The (original) (already) mentions 73,000 instead of 71,500 inhabitants.</ref> This linguistic diversity often leads to political and cultural conflict and is reflected in Belgium's complex ] and ].<ref name=philippevanparijs/><ref name=bbcnews1>
{{cite web
|title=Language dispute divides Belgium
|author=Morris, Chris<!--NO LINK unless it goes to a British TV journalist-->
|publisher=BBC News
|date=]
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4545433.stm
|accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref><ref name=paulderidder>
{{cite web
|title=Linguistic Usages in Brussels before 1794
|author=<!--DUTCH: English version lacks biography-->, Doctor in Medieval History, ]
|publisher=Vereniging voor Brusselse Geschiedenis (Society for History of Brussels)
|url=http://www.paulderidder.be/history.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-01}}</ref><ref name=simonpetermann>
{{cite web
|title=Langues majoritaires, langues minoritaires, dialectes et NTIC
|date=]
|language=]
|author=Petermann, Simon, Professor at the University of Liège, Wallonia, Belgium — at colloquium ''IX<sup>e</sup> Sommet de la francophonie — Intitiatives 2001 — Ethique et nouvelles technologies, session 6 Cultures et langues, la place des minorités'', ]
|url=http://www.initiatives.refer.org/Initiatives-2001/_notes/sess604.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-04}}</ref>

Belgium derives its name from the ] name of the northernmost part of ], '']'', named after a group of mostly ]ic tribes, '']''.<ref>Footnote: The Celtic and/or Germanic influences on and origin(s) of the Belgae remains disputed. Further reading e.g.
{{cite web
|title=Ethnic and Cultural Identity
|work=Barbarians on the Greek Periphery? — Origins of Celtic Art
|year=1997 |month=May
|author=Witt, Constanze Maria
|publisher=Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, ]
|url=http://www3.iath.virginia.edu/Barbarians/Essays/ethnic_main.html
|accessdate=2007-06-06}}</ref> Historically, Belgium has been a part of the ], which included the Netherlands and Luxembourg and used to cover a somewhat larger region than the current ] group of states. From the end of the ] until the seventeenth century, it was a prosperous centre of commerce and culture. From the sixteenth century until the Belgian revolution in 1830, the area at that time called the ], was the site of many battles between the European powers, and has been dubbed "the battlefield of Europe"<ref name=diplomatbe1>
{{cite web
|title=Belgian economy
|work=Belgium
|publisher=Belgian Federal Public Service (ministry) of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation
|url=http://www.diplomatie.be/en/belgium/belgiumdetail.asp?TEXTID=49019
|accessdate=2007-05-21}}</ref> and "the cockpit of Europe".<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Rezention zu (Review of) Cook, Bernard: Belgium. A History ISBN 0-8204-5824-4
|date=]
|quote=die Bezeichnung Belgiens als „the cockpit of Europe” (James Howell, 1640), die damals noch auf eine kriegerische Hahnenkampf-Arena hindeutete
|language=]
|author=Haß, Torsten, Head of the ] Library, ], Germany
|publisher=FH-Zeitung (journal of the ])
|url=http://www.fh-kehl.de/zeitung/rezensionen/2003/cook,belgium.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-24}} — The book reviewer, Haß, attributes the expression in English to ] in 1640. Howell's original phrase "the cockpit of Christendom" became modified afterwards, as shown by:<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;
{{cite web
|title=The Hydra No.1 New Series (November 1917) — Arras And Captain Satan
|author=Carmont, John
|work=War Poets Collection
|publisher=Napier University’s Business School
|url=http://www.napier.ac.uk/warpoets/Hydraissues/Hyn01/hyn01a03.html
|accessdate=2007-05-24}} — and as such coined for Belgium:<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;
{{cite web
|title=Nuttall Encyclopaedia of General Knowledge — Cockpit of Europe
|quote=Cockpit of Europe, Belgium, as the scene of so many battles between the Powers of Europe.
|author=Wood, James
|year=1907
|url=http://www.fromoldbooks.org/Wood-NuttallEncyclopaedia/c/cockpitofeurope.html
|accessdate=2007-05-24}} (See also ])</ref> Upon its independence Belgium eagerly participated at the ], bringing relative wealth which further increased during ].

==History==
{{main|History of Belgium}}
Over the past two millennia, the area that is now known as Belgium has seen significant demographic, political and cultural upheavals. The first well-documented population move was the conquest of the region by the ] in the first century ], followed in the fifth century by the ] ]. The Franks established the ] kingdom, which became the ] in the eighth century. During the Middle Ages the Low Countries were split into many small ] states. Largely united in the course of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries by the house of ], the ] gained a degree of autonomy. ] completed the unification of the ] in the 1540s.<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Chapter II: Habsburg Rule in the Netherlands
|work=History of Holland
|author=Edmundson, George
|publisher=The University Press, Cambridge. Republished: Authorama
|year=1922
|url=http://www.authorama.com/history-of-holland-4.html
|accessdate=2007-06-09}}</ref>

] (orange, brown and yellow areas) and the ] (green area).]]
The course of history of the present-day countries Belgium and Luxembourg is distinguishable from that of the Netherlands from the ] (1568&ndash;1648) onwards, as of the division into the northernly ] and the ]. The latter were ruled successively by the ] and the ] ]s, and —until independence— sought after by numerous French conquerors and the theatre of most ] during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Following the ], the Low Countries —including territories that were never under Habsburg rule, such as the ]— were overrun by France, ending Spanish-Austrian rule in the region. The reunification of the Low Countries as the ] occurred at the end of the ] in 1815.

The 1830 ] led to the establishment of an ], ] and neutral Belgium under a ] and a ]. Since the installation of ] as king in 1831, Belgium has been a ] and ]. Between independence and ], the democratic system evolved from an ] characterised by two main parties, the Catholics and the Liberals, to a ] system that has included a third party, the Labour Party, and a strong role for the ]s. Originally, French, which was the adopted language of the ] and the ], was the official language. The country has since developed a bilingual Dutch-French system, but only in 1967 an official Dutch version of the ] was accepted.<ref name=krisdeschauwer>
{{cite web
|title=Ethnic structure, inequality and governance of the public sector in Belgium
|author=
|publisher=United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (<span style="font-size:87%;">UNRISD</span>)
|year=2004 |month=January
|url=http://www.unrisd.org/UNRISD/website/document.nsf/ab82a6805797760f80256b4f005da1ab/ec506a59176be044c1256e9e003077c3/$FILE/Deschou.pdf
|format=pdf
|accessdate=2007-05-22}}</ref>

],<br/>in the Ancient Art Museum, Brussels.]]
The ] of 1885 agreed to hand over ] to ] as his private possession, called the ]. In 1908, it was ceded to Belgium as a colony, henceforth called the ]. Belgium's neutrality was violated in 1914, when Germany invaded Belgium as part of the ]. The former ] then called ] —now ] and ]— were occupied by the Belgian Congo in 1916, and mandated to Belgium in 1924 by the ]. Belgium was again invaded by Germany in ] during the ] offensive, and occupied until its liberation by ] troops in the winter of 1944–45. During the ], the Belgian Congo gained independence in ]; two years later followed by Ruanda-Urundi.

After ], Belgium joined ], headquartered at Brussels, and formed the ] group of nations with the Netherlands and Luxembourg. In 1951 Belgium became one of the six founding members of the ], and since 1957 of the ] and ], now the ] for which the country hosts a major part of the administrations and institutions, including the ], the ], and the extraordinary and committee sessions of the ].

==Government and politics==
{{main|Politics of Belgium}}
{{seealso|Belgian federal parliament|Belgian federal government|Political parties in Belgium}}
{{further|], ], ]}}
Belgium is a ] ] and ]. During the twentieth century, and in particular since World War II, Belgian politics were increasingly dominated by the autonomy of its two main communities. This period saw a rise in intercommunal tensions, and the unity of the Belgian state came under scrutiny.<ref name=bbcnews1/> Through constitutional reforms in the 1970s and 1980s, ] of the ] led to a ] as a three-tiered system of ], regional, and linguistic community governments, a compromise designed to minimize linguistic, cultural and economic tensions.

The federal ] ] is composed of a ] and a ]. The former is a mix of directly elected senior politicians and representatives of the communities and regions; while the latter represents all Belgians over the age of eighteen in a ] system. Belgium is one of the few countries that has ], thus having one of the highest rates of ] in the world.<ref>
{{cite web
|title=The Dynamics of Electoral Participation — Table 10.1 Average turnout in free elections to the lower house in 40 countries, 1961-1999
|pages=p.&nbsp;32
|year=2001
|author=Franklin, Mark N., ]
|url=http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/cache/papers/cs/25027/http:zSzzSzwww2.trincoll.eduzSz~mfranklizSzParticipation.pdf/franklin01dynamics.pdf
|format=pdf
|accessdate=2007-05-29}}</ref> The federal government, having obtained the confidence of the Chamber of Representatives and to be led by the ], is formally nominated by the King, ] with limited ]. The numbers of Dutch- and French-speaking ministers are equal as prescribed by the Constitution.<ref name=constitution1>
{{cite web
|title=Belgium — Constitution — Title III Powers, Chapter II The Senate, Article 72 <nowiki></nowiki>&nbsp;; and Title III, Chapter III King and Federal Government, Section I The King&nbsp;; and Section II The Federal Government, Article 99 <nowiki></nowiki>
|work=International Constitutional Law
|publisher=Institut für öffentliches Recht, ], ]
|date=]
|url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/law/icl/be00000_.html
|accessdate=2007-05-20}} Or both:<br />*
{{cite web
|title=Title III On Power, Chapter II On the Senate, Art. 72
|work=The Constitution of Belgium
|publisher=The Federal Parliament of Belgium
|date=]
|url=http://www.fed-parl.be/gwuk0004.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-20}} And<br />*
{{cite web
|title=Title III On Power, Chapter III On the King and the Federal Government, Section I On the King&nbsp;; and Section II On the Federal Government, Art. 99
|work=The Constitution of Belgium
|publisher=The Federal Parliament of Belgium
|date=]
|url=http://www.fed-parl.be/gwuk0006.htm#E11E6
|accessdate=2007-05-20}}</ref> Actual power is vested in the Prime Minister and the ]. The judicial system is based on ] and originates from the ]. The ] is one level below the ].

], Prime Minister of mainly Liberal - Social Democrat governments for two full terms]]
Belgium's political institutions are complex; most political power is organized around the need to represent the main language communities. Since around 1970, the significant national Belgian ] have split into distinct components that mainly represent the interests of these communities (that is to say along political as well as linguistic fronts). The major parties in each community, though close to the ], belong to three main families: the ] ], the ] ], and the ] as ]. Other important, and younger, parties are the ] and —nowadays mainly in Flanders— ] parties, in particular after a steady rise of the far right ] party ], which upon a conviction by Belgium's highest court of promoting racism was immediately superseded by ], against which also by this new name the other parties except <span style="font-size:90%;">]</span> —a ] minor newcomer at the 2006 municipal elections— maintain a ].<ref name=bbcnews2>
{{cite news
|title=Court rules Vlaams Blok is racist
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3994867.stm
|publisher=BBC News
|date=]
|accessdate=2007-05-20}}</ref><ref>
{{cite news
|title=Elections 07 — Vlaams Belang
|publisher=VRT flandersnews.be
|date=]
|quote=This meant the introduction of a 'cordon sanitaire' around the party excluding it from government at all levels. The cordon remains in place until today.
|url=http://www.flanderninfo.be/cm/flandersnews.be/News/2.728/070503_VLBEL_Profile
|accessdate=2007-05-20}}</ref> Politics is influenced by lobby groups, such as ]s and business interests in the form of the ].

King ] succeeded ] in 1993. The series of coalitions since 1958 with the Christian Democrats was broken by normally scheduled 1999 elections which had been immediately preceded by the first ] crisis, a major food intoxication scandal which also led to the establishment of the Belgian Food Agency.<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Dioxin contamination scandal hits Belgium: Effects spread through European Union and beyond
|work=World Socialist Web Site (<small>WSWS</small>)
|publisher=International Committee of the Fourth International (<small>ICFI</small>)
|author=Tyler, Richard <!--Do NOT link to fictional character or The Daily Telegraph's Enterprise Editor, this R.T.=WSWS correspondent-->
|date=]
|url=http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/jun1999/belg-j08.shtml
|accessdate=2007-05-25}} — Follow-up on occasion of 2nd dioxin crisis: </ref><ref>
{{cite press release
|title=Food Law News - EU&nbsp;: <small>CONTAMINANTS</small> - Commission Press Release (IP/99/399) Preliminary results of EU-inspection to Belgium
|date=]
|author=]
|publisher=School of Food Biosciences, University of Reading, UK
|url=http://www.foodlaw.rdg.ac.uk/news/eu-99-40.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-29}}</ref> An atypically large representation by the Greens in parliament gave light to the 'rainbow ]' of six parties, Liberal - Social Democrat - Green from both north and south, and greater emphasis on environmental politics during the first government led by Prime Minister ] from the ]. One Green policy, for example, resulted in ] legislation — which became modified during Verhofstadt's second term in office, then with the four-party 'purple coalition' of Liberals and Social Democrats ].<ref>
{{cite news
|title=Belgium's "rainbow" coalition sworn in
|publisher=BBC News
|date=]
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/392004.stm
|accessdate=2007-05-20}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|title=La Chambre des représentants — Composition (''Composition of the Chamber of Representatives'')
|date=]
|publisher=The Chamber of Representatives of Belgium
|language=]
|url=http://www.lachambre.be/kvvcr/pdf_sections/pri/fiche/10F.pdf
|format=pdf
|accessdate=2007-05-25}}<!--REF FAILS TO CONFIRM TEXT (counting seats does not exclude possibility of Ecolo/NVA/FN as 5th etc parties)--></ref>

A significant accomplishment of the two successive Verhofstadt governments has been the achievement of a balanced budget; Belgium is one of the few member-states of the EU to have done so. A policy towards this end had been applied by the successive governments during the 1990s under pressure from the ]. The absence of Christian Democrats from the ranks of the government has enabled Verhofstadt to tackle social issues from a more ] point of view and to develop new legislation on the use of ]s, ] and ]. During both terms the government has promoted active diplomacy in Africa,<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Rwanda
|work=tiscali.reference
|publisher=Tiscali UK
|url=http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0019846.html
|accessdate=2007-05-27}} The article shows an example of Belgium's recent African policies.</ref> it opposed a military intervention during the ], and has passed ]. The major points of contention between Belgian communities during Verhofstadt's terms, have been the nocturnal air traffic routes at ] and the status of the electoral district of ].

==Communities and regions==
{{main|Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium}}
{| class="wikitable" align="right" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom;5px;margin-left:15px;text-align:center;font-size:87%;line-height:1em;"
|]<br/>]<br/>(]-speaking)
|]<br/>]<br/>(]-speaking)
|]<br/>]
|-
|]<br/>]
|]<br/>]
|<br/>]<br/>]
|}
The 1993 revision of ] builds on the in 1962–63 determined four ],<ref>The three legal versions of the Belgian Constitution:<br />*
{{cite web
|title=Titel I: Het federale België, zijn samenstelling en zijn grondgebied
|quote=Art.&nbsp;4 België omvat vier taalgebieden
|language=]
|date=] last update of web page
|work=De Belgische Grondwet
|publisher=Belgian Senate
|url=http://www.senate.be/doc/const_nl.html#t1
|accessdate=2007-05-31}}<br />*
{{cite web
|title=Titel I: Das föderale Belgien, seine Zusammensetzung und sein Staatsgebiet
|quote=Art.&nbsp;4 Belgien umfaßt vier Sprachgebiete
|language=]
|date=] last update of web page
|work=Die Verfassung Belgiens
|publisher=Belgian Senate
|url=http://www.senate.be/deutsch/const_de.html#t1
|accessdate=2007-05-31}}<br />*
{{cite web
|title=Titre Ier: De la Belgique fédérale, de ses composantes et de son territoire
|quote=Art.&nbsp;4 La Belgique comprend quatre régions linguistiques
|language=]
|date=] last update of web page
|work=La Constitution Belge
|url=http://www.senate.be/doc/const_fr.html#t1
|publisher=Belgian Senate
|accessdate=2007-05-31}}<br />&nbsp; English translation, not recently updated and without legal value:<br />*
{{cite web
|title=Title I: On Federal Belgium, its components and its territory
|quote=Art.&nbsp;4 Belgium has four linguistic regions
|date=] last update of main 'the Constitution' page on web site
|work=the Constitution
|publisher=Belgian Senate
|url=http://www.fed-parl.be/gwuk0001.htm#E12E1
|accessdate=2007-05-31}}<br />* Note: Each municipality of the Kingdom is part of one of these language areas / linguistic regions.</ref> to establish a unique federal state with competences at three levels:
#The ], based in Brussels.
#The three language communities:
#* the ];
#* the ];
#* the ].
# The three regions:
#* the ];
#* the ]; and
#* the ].
Conflicts between the bodies are resolved by the ]. The setup allows a compromise so distinctly different cultures can live together peacefully.

At the creation of the Communities and Regions in 1980, the Flemish politicians decided to merge both, hence in the Flemish Region a single institutional body of parliament and government is competent for all except federal and specific municipal matters.<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Politics — State structure
|work=Flanders.be
|publisher=Flemish Government
|url=http://www.flanders.be/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=MVG_FL/Template/MVG_FL_Html_Detail&cid=1072097196838&enablelasturl=1&p=1053963211306
|accessdate=2007-05-24}}</ref> The overlapping boundaries of the Regions and Communities have created two notable peculiarities: the territory of the Brussels-Capital Region (which came to be nearly a decade after the other regions) is included in both Flemish and French Communities, and the territory of the German-speaking Community lies wholly within the Walloon Region. Flemish and Walloon regions are furthermore subdivided in administrative entities, the ].
{{clear}}
{|class="wikitable" align="top" style="line-height:1em;"
|- style="text-align:center"
!rowspan="3" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;"|Linguistic&nbsp;region!!colspan="3" style="border-bottom:0px none;"|Authorities rendering services in the language of!!colspan="7"|Authority, limited to their respective competences, of
|- style="text-align:center"
!colspan="3" style="border-top:0px none;"|individuals & organisations expressing themselves!!colspan="3"|the Communities!!colspan="3"|the Regions (and&nbsp;their&nbsp;provinces)!!rowspan="2" style="border-bottom:none 0px;vertical-align:top;"|the<br/>Federal<br/>government
|- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;"
!in Dutch||in French||in German||Flemish!!French!!German-<br/>speaking!!Flemish!!Walloon!!Brussels-<br/>Capital
|- style="text-align:center"
|style="text-align:left;font-weight:700;"|Dutch language&nbsp;area||obviously||facilities (12)||not required||×||-||-||×||-||-||×
|- style="text-align:center"
|style="text-align:left;font-weight:700;"|French language&nbsp;area||facilities (4)||obviously||facilities (2)||-||×||-||-||×||-||×
|- style="text-align:center"
|style="text-align:left;font-weight:700;"|Bilingual&nbsp;area Brussels-Capital||obviously||obviously||not required||×||×||-||-||-||×||×
|- style="text-align:center"
|style="text-align:left;font-weight:700;"|German language&nbsp;area||not required||facilities (all 9)||obviously||-||-||×||-||×||-||×
|- style="line-height:.9em;background-color:#ffffff;"
|style="border-left:none 0px;border-right:none 0px;border-bottom:none 0px;"|&nbsp;||colspan="10" style="font-size:87%;border-left:none 0px;border-right:none 0px;border-bottom:none 0px;"|] exist only in specific municipalities near the borders of the Flemish with the Walloon and with the Brussels-Capital Regions,<br/>and in Wallonia also in 2 municipalities bordering its German language area as well as for French-speakers throughout the latter area.<br/>Within parentheses: number of municipalities with special status, i.e. required to offer facilities for speakers of the column's language.
|}
The Federal State retains a considerable "common heritage". This includes justice, defence, federal police, social security, monetary policy, public debt and other aspects of public finances, nuclear energy, State-owned companies (such as the Post Office and —an exception on regionalized transport— Belgian Railways). It 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.<ref name=fedgov1>
{{cite web
|title=The Federal Government's Powers
|work=.be Portal
|publisher=Belgian Federal Government
|url=http://www.belgium.be/eportal/application?origin=navigationBanner.jsp&event=bea.portal.framework.internal.refresh&pageid=indexPage&navId=6188
|accessdate=2007-05-23}}</ref>

Communities exercise competences only within linguistically determined geographical boundaries, originally oriented towards the individuals of a Community's language: culture (including audiovisual media), education, the use of the relevant language. Extensions to personal matters less directly attributed to the language comprise health policy (curative and preventive medicine) and assistance to individuals (protection of youth, social welfare, aid to families, immigrant assistance services, etc.)<ref name=fedgov2>
{{cite web
|title=The Communities
|work=.be Portal
|publisher=Belgian Federal Government
|url=http://www.belgium.be/eportal/application?origin=navigationBanner.jsp&event=bea.portal.framework.internal.refresh&pageid=indexPage&navId=2686
|accessdate=2007-05-23}}</ref>

Regions have authority in fields connected with their territory in the widest meaning of the term, thus relating to the 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.<ref name=fedgov3>
{{cite web
|title=The Regions
|work=.be Portal
|publisher=Belgian Federal Government
|url=http://www.belgium.be/eportal/application?origin=navigationBanner.jsp&event=bea.portal.framework.internal.refresh&pageid=indexPage&navId=2690
|accessdate=2007-05-23}}</ref>

In several fields, the different levels each have their own say on specificities. On education for instance, the autonomy of the Communities does neither include decisions about the compulsory aspect nor setting minimum requirements for awarding qualifications, which remain federal matters.<ref name=fedgov1/> Each level can be involved in scientific research and international relations associated with its powers.<ref name=fedgov2/><ref name=fedgov3/>

==Geography, climate, and environment==
{{main|Geography of Belgium}}
Belgium, with a land area of 30,528 ]s (33,990&nbsp;km² in total), has three main geographical regions: the coastal plain in the north-west, the central plateau, and the ] uplands in the south-east. The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes and ]s. Polders are areas of land, close to or below sea level that have been reclaimed from the sea, from which they are protected by ] or, 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 small ]s. Belgium shares borders with ] 620&nbsp;km, ] 167&nbsp;km, ] 148&nbsp;km and ] 450&nbsp;km.

] in the Ardennes.]]
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 named ]. This is where much of Belgium's wildlife can be found. Belgium's highest point, the ], is located in this region at only 694&nbsp;]s (2,277&nbsp;]).

The climate is maritime ], with significant precipitation in all seasons (]: ''Cfb''). The average temperature is lowest in January at 3&nbsp;°] (37&nbsp;°]), and highest in July with 18&nbsp;°C (64&nbsp;°F); the average precipitation per month varies between 54&nbsp;]s (2.1&nbsp;]) in February or April, to 78&nbsp;millimetres (3.1&nbsp;in) in July.<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Climate averages — Brussels
|publisher=Euro<span style="font-size:87%;">WEATHER</span>/Euro<span style="font-size:87%;">METEO</span>, Nautica Editrice Srl, Rome, Italy
|url=http://www.euroweather.net/english/climate/city_EBBR/id_GT/meteo_brussels%20belgium
|accessdate=2007-05-27}}</ref> Averages for the years 2000 till 2006 show for daily temperatures a minimum of 7&nbsp;°C (45&nbsp;°F) and a maximum of 14&nbsp;°C (57&nbsp;°F), for monthly rainfall 74&nbsp;]s (2.9&nbsp;]), which are about 1 degree centigrade and nearly 10 millimetres above last century's normal values.<ref name=statbel2>
{{cite web
|title=Kerncijfers 2006 — Statistisch overzicht van België
|pages=pp. 9–10
|language=]
|publisher=Belgian Federal Government Service (ministry) of Economy — Directorate-general Statistics Belgium
|url=http://statbel.fgov.be/pub/d0/p007y2006_nl.pdf
|format=pdf <small>1.8&nbsp;MB</small>
|accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref>

Because of its high population density, location in the centre of Western Europe, and inadequate political effort, Belgium faces serious ]. A 2003 report suggested Belgian rivers to have the lowest water quality of the 122 countries studied.<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Sewage-laden Belgian water worst in world
|last=Pearce |first=Fred
|publisher=]
|date=]
|url=http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3458
|accessdate=2006-05-09}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{main|Economy of Belgium}}
Densely populated, Belgium is located at the heart of one of the world's most highly industrialized regions, which helps to explain its place amongst the world's ten largest trading nations despite its small size, and with a highly productive work force its world leadership in export ].<ref name=diplomatbe1/> Currently, the Belgium economy is heavily service-oriented and shows a dual nature with a dynamic ] part and ] as its main multilingual and multi-ethnic centre and a GNP/person which is one of the highest in the ],{{Fact|date=June 2007}} and a ] economy that lags roughly one quarter behind (in GNP/person).

] at ], near ].]]
Belgium was the first continental European country to undergo the ], in the early 1800s.<ref name=erih>
{{cite web
|title=Industrial History Belgium
|publisher=European Route of Industrial Heritage
|url=http://en.erih.net/index.php?pageId=114
|accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref> ] and ] rapidly developed mining and steelmaking, which flourished until the mid-20th century. However, by the 1840s the textile industry of Flanders was in severe crisis and there was famine in Flanders (1846&ndash;50). After World War II, ] and ] experienced a fast expansion of the ] and ] industries. The ] and ] sent the economy into a recession, in particular prolonged in Wallonia where the steel industry had become less competitive and has experienced serious decline.<ref name=usdepartmentofstate1>
{{cite web
|title=Background Note: Belgium
|publisher=], Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
|year=2007 |month=April
|url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2874.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref> In the 1980s and 90s, the economic centre of the country continued to shift northwards, where it is now concentrated in the populous ] area.<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Het belang van de Vlaamse Ruit vanuit economisch perspectief ''The importance of the Flemish Diamond from an economical perspective''
|language=]
|author=Vanhaverbeke, Wim
|url=http://edata.ub.unimaas.nl/www-edocs/loader/file.asp?id=264
|publisher=Netherlands Institute of Business Organization and Strategy Research, ] (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration), ]
|accessdate=2007-05-19}}</ref>

By the end of the 1980s, Belgian macroeconomic policies had resulted in a cumulative government debt of about 120% of ]. Currently, budget is in balance and public debt is equal to 90.30% of GDP (2006).<ref>
{{cite web
|title=The World Factbook — (Rank Order — Public debt)
|date=]
|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2186rank.html
|publisher=CIA
|accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref> In 2005 and 2006 the real growth rate of GDP at 1.5% and 3.0% respectively, was slightly above the average for the euro area; the unemployment rate of 8.4% in 2005 was under the same area's average, but came above that in 2006, though decreased to 8.2%.<ref name=nbb>
{{cite web
|title=Key figures
|publisher=]
|url=http://www.nbb.be/pub/00_00_00_00_02/?l=en&t=ho
|accessdate=2007-05-19}}</ref>

Belgium has a particularly ].<ref name=diplomatbe1/> It has developed an excellent ] of ports, canals, ] and roads to integrate its industry with that of its neighbours. The ] is the second-largest European port and ], the modern port of ], is an important European port as well. One of the founding members of the European Union, Belgium strongly supports the extension of the powers of EU institutions to integrate the member economies. In 1999, Belgium adopted the ], the single European currency, which fully replaced the ] in 2002. The Belgian economy is strongly oriented towards foreign trade, in particular of high value-added goods. The main imports are food products, machinery, rough diamonds, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, clothing and accessories, and textiles. The main exports are automobiles, food and food products, iron and steel, finished diamonds, textiles, plastics, petroleum products, and nonferrous metals. Since 1922, Belgium and ] have been a single trade market within a ] and ] — the ]. Its main trading partners are Germany, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States and Spain. Belgium ranks thirteenth on the 2006 ] ].

== Demographics ==
{{main|Demographics of Belgium}}
By New Year 2004 nearly 92 percent of the Belgian population had the country's nationality and 5.5 percent were citizens of the earliest 15 members of the European Union. The more prevalent foreign nationals were ] (183,021), ] (114,943), ] (100,700), ] (81.763), ] (43,802), ] (41.336), and ] (35,530).<ref>
{{cite web
|title=European Migration Network — Annual Statistical Report on migration and asylum in Belgium (Reference year 2003) — section A. 1) b) Population by citizenship & c) Third country nationals, 1 January 2004
|year=2006 |month=April
|author=Perrin, Nicolas, ], Study Group of Applied Demographics (Gédap)
|pages=pages 5–9
|publisher=Belgian Federal Government Service (ministry) of Interior — Immigration Office
|url=http://www.dofi.fgov.be/nl/statistieken/belgian%20migration%20point/punt%208%20Belgian%20Statistical%20Report%20on%20Asylum%20and%20Migration%202003.pdf
|format=pdf
|accessdate=2007-05-28}}</ref>

]
===Urbanisation===
Almost all of the population is urban (97.2% in 2004).<ref>
{{cite web
|title=5. Demographic trends — Urban population (% of total)
|work=Human Development Indicators 2006 — Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis
|year=2006
|publisher=] (<span style="font-size:87%;">UNDP</span>)
|url=http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/indicators/42.html
|accessdate=2007-06-06}}</ref> Statistics of 1991 indicate for Flanders and Wallonia, two out of three inhabitants to be proprietors of their dwelling, in the Brussels-Capital Region 40%.<ref name=statbel3>
{{cite web
|title=Quelques résultats des précédents recensements — Indicateurs de logement (1991)
|publisher=Belgian Federal Government Service (ministry) of Economy — Directorate-general Statistics Belgium
|year=© 1998/2007
|language=] switchable to ]
|url=http://statbel.fgov.be/census/previous_fr.asp
|accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref> The ] of Belgium is 342 per square kilometre (886 per square mile) — one of the highest in Europe, after that of the Netherlands and some microstates such as ]. The most densely inhabited area is the ], outlined by the ]-]-Brussels-] agglomerations. The Ardennes have the lowest density. As of 2006, the Flemish Region has a population of about 6,078,600, with as most inhabited cities Antwerp (457,749), Ghent (230,951) and ] (117,251); Wallonia 3,413,978 with ] (201,373), ] (185,574) and ] (107.178); Brussels houses 1,018,804 in the Capital Region's 19 municipalities, two of which have over 100,000 residents.<ref name=statbel1/>

===Languages===
Both the ] and the ] have minor differences in ] and ] nuances from the varieties spoken in the Netherlands and France. Many people still speak ] of ] in their local environment. ], once the main ] of ], is now only understood and spoken occasionally, mostly by elderly people. Its dialects, along with those of ],<ref name=ethnologue>
{{cite web
|title=Languages of Belgium
|work=Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 15th edition
|author=Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.)
|year=2005
|publisher=] Dallas, Texas, USA
|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=BE
|accessdate=2007-05-07}}</ref> are not used in public life.

There are no official statistics on Belgium's three official languages (or their dialects) that inhabitants prefer. As no ] exists, such is not always simply established for an individual (language of which parent or of which years of education). Figures here given for Dutch, French or German include foreign immigrants and their children for whom neither is necessarily the primary language&nbsp;: 59%<ref>Footnote: Native speakers of Dutch living in Wallonia and of French in Flanders are relatively small minorities which furthermore largely balance one another, hence counting 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 has ] for 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 (3.414 - 0.093 = 3.321 million) and 85% of the Brussels inhabitants (0.866 milion) thus 4.187 million or 39.8%; together indeed 100%;</ref> of the Belgian population, being 6.23 million people in the north, mainly in the region ], speaks ] (while Belgians of both major language groups often refer to it as ])&nbsp;; ] is spoken by 40%, comprising 3.32 million in the southern region ] and an estimated 0.87 million or 85% of the officially bilingual ]<ref name=ericcorijn/><ref name=britishcouncil/> — in which ] encompassed by the ] thus a minority of perhaps 0.15 million speaks Dutch, its local language till shortly before Belgium's independence.<ref name=paulderidder/><ref name=simonpetermann/><ref name=ericcorijn/><ref name=britishcouncil/> With recent immigration having caused 56.5% of the capital region's population to be of foreign origin, usually natively neither French nor Dutch-speaking, neither official language is the primary one for roughly half of the inhabitants (though 74% has the Belgian nationality).<ref name=philippevanparijs/><ref name=standaard/><ref name=ibsa>
{{cite web
|title=Population et ménages
|publisher=IBSA Cellule statistique — Min. Région Bruxelles-Capitale (Statistical cell — Ministry of the Brussels-Capital Region)
|language=]
|url=http://www.bruxelles.irisnet.be/cmsmedia/fr/is_2006_population_menages.pdf?uri=43742a9611346ccd0111374fb94f0351
|format=pdf <small>1.4&nbsp;MB</small>
|accessdate=2007-05-05}}</ref> In general the population of Brussels is younger and the gap between rich and poor is wider. Of the 73,000 people of the ] in the east of the ], around 10,000 German and 60,000 Belgian nationals are speakers of ]; roughly 23,000 more of its speakers live in municipalities near the official ].<ref name=germanspeakingcommunity1/><ref>
{{cite web
|title=Citizens from other countries in the German-speaking Community
|publisher=The German-speaking Commmunity
|url=http://www.dglive.be/EN/Desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-1408/2267_read-27184/
|accessdate=2007-05-05}}<br />*
{{cite web
|title=German (Belgium) — Overview of the language
|publisher=Mercator, Minority Language Media in the European Union, supported by the ] and the ]
|url=http://www.aber.ac.uk/cgi-bin/user/merwww/index.pl?rm=lang_detail;id=112;lang=1
|accessdate=2007-05-07}}<br />*
{{cite web
|title=Belgique • België • Belgien — La Communauté germanophone de Belgique
|work=L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde
|language=]
|date=]
|author=Leclerc, Jacques <!--NO LINK: this is not the wellknown general-->, membre associé du TLFQ
|publisher=Host: Trésor de la langue française au Québec (TLFQ), ], ]
|url=http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/AXL/europe/belgiqueger.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-07}}</ref>

{{POV}}
{{copyedit}}
In 2006, the French-speaking ] published a survey report calling Flanders' leadership in speaking multiple languages "undoubtedly wellknown", and showing this lead to be considerable&nbsp;: 59% of the Flemish respondents can speak French and 53% English; of the Walloons on the other hand, merely 19% Dutch and 17% English; of the Brussels' residents, 95% declare to be able to speak French, 59% Dutch, and 41% the non-local English. Significant in an increasingly globalizing epoch, in their respective regions 59, 10, and 28 percent of people under forty can speak all three languages. In each region, Belgium's third official language, German, is notably less known than any of this survey's forementioned ones.<ref>
{{cite journal
|coauthors=Ginsburgh, Victor; Weber, Shlomo
|title=La dynamique des langues en Belgique
|journal=Regards économiques, Publication préparée par les économistes de l']
|month=June
|year=2006
|issue=Numéro 42
|quote=Les enquêtes montrent que la Flandre est bien plus multilingue, ce qui est sans doute un fait bien connu, mais la différence est
considérable&nbsp;: alors que 59&nbsp;% et 53&nbsp;% des Flamands connaissent le français ou l'anglais respectivement, seulement 19 % et 17 % des Wallons connaissent le néerlandais ou l'anglais. ... 95 pour cent des Bruxellois déclarent parler le français, alors que ce pourcentage
tombe à 59 pour cent pour le néerlandais. Quant à l’anglais, il est connu par une proportion importante de la population à Bruxelles (41 pour cent). ... Le syndrome d’H (...) frappe la Wallonie, où à peine 19 et 17 pour cent de la population parlent respectivement le néerlandais et l’anglais.
|language=]
|url=http://regards.ires.ucl.ac.be/Archives/RE042.pdf
|format=pdf <small>0.7&nbsp;MB</small>
|accessdate=2007-05-07}} (Summary:
{{cite web
|title=Slechts 19 procent van de Walen spreekt Nederlands
|date=]
|publisher=]
|language=]
|url=http://taalunieversum.org/nieuws/1349/
|accessdate=2007-05-26}})</ref><ref name=philippevanparijs/>

===Education===
{{seealso|Education in Belgium}}
Education is compulsory from six to eighteen, but many Belgians continue to study until they attain about 23 years of age. Among the ] countries in 2002, Belgium had the third-highest proportion of 18–21-year-olds enrolled in ], at 42 percent.<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Table 388. Percentage of population enrolled in secondary and postsecondary institutions, by age group and country
|work=Digest of Education Statistics — Tables and Figures
|chapter=Chapter 6. International Comparisons of Education
|year=2005, data: 2002
|publisher=], ] (<span style="font-size:87%;">IES</span>), ]
|url=http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d05/tables/dt05_388.asp
|accessdate=2007-06-06}}</ref> Though an estimated 98 percent of the adult population is ], concern is rising over ].<ref name=ethnologue/><ref>
{{cite web
|title=I. Monitoring Human Development: Enlarging peoples's choices... — 5. Human poverty in OECD, Eastern Europe and the CIS
|work=Human Development Indicators
|year=2000
|pages=pp. 172–173
|publisher=] (<span style="font-size:87%;">UNDP</span>)
|url=http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2000/en/pdf/hdr_2000_back1.pdf
|format=pdf
|accessdate=2007-06-06}}</ref> Highly politicized conflicts between freethought and Catholic segments of the population during the 1950s, caused education to be split into a secular branch controlled by the Community, the province, or the municipality, and a religious, mainly ] organized by religious authorities though ] and supervised by the Community.<ref name=deley>
{{cite web
|title=Humanists and Muslims in Belgian Secular Society (Draft version)
|year=2000
|author=De Ley, Herman
|publisher=Centrum voor Islam in Europe (Centre for Islam in Europe), ]
|url=http://www.flwi.ugent.be/cie/CIE/deley10.htm
|accessdate=2007-06-07}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{seealso|Religion in Belgium}}
Since independence, Catholicism, counterbalanced by strong ] movements, has had an important role in Belgium's politics. The '']'' ] provides for freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this right in practice. The monarchy has a reputation of deep Catholicism, for instance having required the then christian-democrat Prime Minister ] to have former King ] declared 'temporarily unfit to reign' in order to enpower a law opposed by ] after it had been passed by both chambers.<ref name=nyt>
{{cite news
|title=<span style="font-size:87%;">HEADLINERS</span>; Out of Power
|publisher=New York Times
|date=]
|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DB1538F93BA35757C0A966958260
|accessdate=2007-06-07}}</ref> Nevertheless, symbolically and materially the ] stays in a favourable position, and the concept of 'recognized religion' caused a tedious path for ] to become at the level of ] and ] religions, other minority religions such as ] do not yet have such status.<ref name=deley/><ref name=oldenburg>
{{cite web
|author=Bousetta, Hassan; Gsir, Sonia; Jacobs, Dirk
|title=Active Civic Participation of Immigrants in Belgium — Country Report prepared for the European research project POLITIS, Oldenburg
|year=2005
|publisher=] University, Oldenburg IBKM
|quote=In many respects, the Catholic Roman Church remains in a very advantageous situation both symbolically and materially. The long and troublesome process which eventually lead to the recognition of Islam is also illustrative of the ambiguity of the relations between the Belgian
State and religions. For 25 years, Islam has been maintained in an unfair position in comparison to other religions.
|url=http://www.uni-oldenburg.de/politis-europe/download/Belgium.pdf
|format=pdf
|accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref><ref name=metro>
{{cite news
|title=België gaat plat op zijn buik voor China (Belgium bends over backwards for China)
|language=]
|date=]
|publisher=]
|issue=#1455
|pages=page 2
|quote=''] for the second time in two years canceling a visit to Belgium after being informed by the Belgian government of ]'s diplomatic pressure, quote newspaper:]'' Uittredend Senaatsvoorzitster Anne-Marie Lizin reageert teleurgesteld: 'Gezien het belang van de vergadering waaraan u wilde deelnemen en gezien de redenenen van uw beslissing, betreur ik dat ik u niet kan ontvangen in ons land, een land dat openstaat voor iedereen ongeacht de religieuze overtuiging, en dat net een eerste stap heeft gezet in de erkenning van het'<small></small> 'boeddhistische filosofie.' (Lawfully resigning at the end of the government's legislation, President of the Senat Anne-Marie Lizin reacts disappointed: 'In view of the importance of the meeting you wanted to attend and in view of the reasons of your decision, I regret not being able to receive you in our country, a country open for everyone regardless the religious conviction, and which has just set a first step towards the recognition of the Buddhist philosophy.')
|url=http://www.metrotime.be/digipapernl.html?pag=2&kdate=20070510
|accessdate=2007-05-10}} Alternative urls:, , pdf <small>1.1&nbsp;MB</small>:<!--Retrieved same date--></ref> According to the ''2001 Survey and Study of Religion'',<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Belgium
|work=International Religious Freedom Report 2004
|year=2004
|publisher=US Department of State, ]
|url=http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35444.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-28}}</ref> about 47 percent of the population identify themselves as belonging to the Catholic Church while Islam is the second-largest religion at 3.5 percent. A 2006 inquiry in Flanders, considered more religious than Wallonia, showed 55% to call themselves religious, 36% believe that God created the world.<ref>Inquiry by 'Vepec', 'Vereniging voor Promotie en Communicatie' (Organisation for Promotion and Communication), published in Knack magazine ]] p. 14 ] sense, and/or in some ]].</ref>

==Science and technology==
]
Historical contributions to the development of science and technology continue through the Belgian era. ] ], ] ], ] ], and ] ] are among the most influential scientists from the beginning of the ] Age in the Low Countries. ] invented the ] in 1846. At the end of the nineteenth century, in ], the ] ] and the ] ] have given their names to the ] and the ]. ] is credited with proposing the ] theory of the origin of the universe in 1927. Three ] have been awarded to Belgians: ] in 1919, ] in 1938, and ] and ] in 1974. ] was awarded the ] in 1977.<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Rembert Dodoens: iets over zijn leven en werk — Dodoens' werken
|date=Revised ], ]
|work=Plantaardigheden — Project Rembert Dodoens (Rembertus Dodonaeus)
|language=]
|quote=... 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 ]s of later generations.)''
|publisher=Stichting Kruidenhoeve/Plantaardigheden, Balkbrug, the Netherlands
|url=http://plantaardigheden.nl/dodoens/over_dodoens/leven_en_werk.htm#dodoens
|accessdate=2007-05-17}}<br />*
{{cite web
|title=Simon Stevin
|author=O'Connor, J. J.; Robertson, E. F.
|publisher=School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, Scotland
|year=2004
|url=http://www-groups.dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Stevin.html
|quote=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.
|accessdate=2007-05-11}}<br />*
{{cite web
|title=Abstract (*)
|quote=The importance of A. Vesalius' publication'' 'de humani corporis fabrica libri septem' ''cannot be overestimated.
|publisher=S. Karger AG, Basel
|url=http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowPDF&ProduktNr=223979&Ausgabe=225203&ArtikelNr=13462
|accessdate=2007-05-11}} (*) Free abstract for pay-per-view article by
{{cite journal
|title=The Low Countries - 16th/17th Century
|url=http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowPDF&ArtikelNr=13462&Ausgabe=225203&ProduktNr=223979&filename=13462.pdf
|author=De Broe, Marc E.; De Weerdt, Dirk L.; Ysebaert, Dirk K.; Vercauteren, Sven R.; De Greef, Kathleen E.; De Broe Luc C.
|work=Origins of Renal Physiology
|journal=American Journal of Nephrology
|volume=19
|issue=2
|pages=282–9
|year=1999
|pmid=10213829
|doi=10.1159/000013462}}
<br />*
{{cite web
|title='A Day Without Yesterday': Georges Lemaitre & the Big Bang
|date=]
|pages=pp. 18–19
|author=Midbon, Mark, ]
|publisher=], republished: Catholic Education Resource Center (<span style="font-size:87%;">CERC</span>)
|url=http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/science/sc0022.html
|accessdate=2007-06-07}}</ref>

==Culture==
{{main|Culture of Belgium}}
Belgian cultural life has tended to concentrate within each community.<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Belgium — Arts and cultural education
|work=Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 8th edition
|publisher=Council of Europe / ERICarts
|year=2007
|url=http://www.culturalpolicies.net/web/belgium.php?aid=831
|accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|title=Belgique (though it should have been 'Belgium')
|work=European Culture Portal
|publisher=European Commission
|year=2007
|url=http://ec.europa.eu/culture/portal/sites/members/belgium_en.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-10}}</ref> The shared element is less important, because there are no bilingual universities besides the ], no common media, and no single, common large cultural or scientific organisation where both main communities are represented.
]'' (oil on board, c.&nbsp;1563)<br />by ],<br />in ]'s ].]]
The region corresponding to today's Belgium has seen the flourishing of major artistic movements that have had tremendous influence over European art. The ], the ],<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Low Countries, 1000–1400 AD
|work=Timeline of Art History
|publisher=]
|year=2007
|url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/07/euwl/ht07euwl.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-10}}</ref> the Flemish ] and ] painting,<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Low Countries, 1400–1600 AD
|work=Timeline of Art History
|publisher=]
|year=2007
|url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/08/euwl/ht08euwl.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-10}}</ref> and major examples of ], ], ] and ],<ref>Several examples of major architecturtal realisations in Belgium belong to ]'s ]:
{{cite web
|title=Belgium
|work=Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List
|publisher=]
|url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/be
|accessdate=2007-05-15}}</ref> and the Renaissance ] of the ]<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Western music, the Franco-Flemish school
|quote=Most significant musically was the pervasive influence of musicians from the Low Countries, whose domination of the musical scene during the last half of the 15th century is reflected in the period designations the Netherlands school and the Franco-Flemish school.
|work=]
|year=2007
|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-15698/Western-music
|accessdate=2007-05-15}}</ref> developed in the southern part of the Low Countries, are milestones in the history of art. Famous names in this classic tradition are ], ], ] and ]. This rich artistic production, as a whole usually referred to with little distinction between Flemish and Dutch, gradually declined during the second half of the seventeenth century&nbsp;; high quality ] however, continued to be created till well into the eighteenth.<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Low Countries, 1600–1800 AD
|work=Timeline of Art History
|publisher=]
|year=2007
|url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/09/euwl/ht09euwl.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-10}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|title=Art History: Flemish School: (1600 – 1800) — Artists: (biography & artworks)
|date=]
|publisher=World Wide Arts Resources
|url=http://wwar.com/masters/movements/flemish_school.html
|accessdate=2007-05-10}} — A general presentation of the Flemish artistic movement with a list of its artists, linking to their biographies and artworks</ref> In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, many original ], ] and ] Belgian painters such as ], ], ] and ] appeared, as well as the ], and ] remains a remarkable figure in contemporary art.<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Belgian Artists: (biographies & artworks)
|date=]
|publisher=World Wide Arts Resources
|url=http://wwar.com/masters/nationalities/belgian.html
|accessdate=2007-05-10}} — List of Belgian painters, linking to their biographies and artworks</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|author=Baudson, Michel
|title=Panamarenko
|publisher=Flammarion (Paris), quoted at presentation of the ''XXIII Bienal Internacional de São Paulo''
|year=1996
|url=http://www1.uol.com.br/bienal/23bienal/universa/iueopa.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-10}}</ref>

In ], ], ] and ] were major nineteenth- and twentieth-century violinists. The first Belgian singer to successfully pursue an international career is the pioneer of varieté and pop music ].<ref>
{{cite web
|author=Notte, Peter
|title=De Vlaamse kleinkunstbeweging na de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Een historisch overzicht. — 4. De schlager na de tweede wereldoorlog
|work=Verhandeling voorgelegd aan de Faculteit der Letteren en Wijsbegeerte, groep Germaanse Filologie, van de Universiteit Gent, voor het verkrijgen van de graad van licentiaat (Thesis presented at the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy, Germanic Philology, Ghent University, for obtaining a licentiate degree) Promotor: Prof. Dr Anne-Marie Musschoot
|year=1992
|language=]
|publisher=Sint-Lodewijkscholen (educational project ethesis)
|url=http://www.ethesis.net/kleinkunst/kleinkunst_4.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-12}} (For these credentials see , retrieved on ])</ref> Jazz musician ] is world famous, so are the singers ] and Italy-born ].<ref>The Italian singer Adamo mainly made his career in Belgium, as confirmed by the , retrieved on ].</ref> In rock/pop music, ], ], ] and ] are well known.<ref>Two comprehensive discussions of rock and pop music in Belgium since the fifties:<br />*
{{cite web
|title=The Timeline — A brief history of Belgian Pop Music
|year=2007 |month=March
|work=The Belgian Pop & Rock Archives
|publisher=, Brussels
|url=http://houbi.com/belpop/timeline.htm
|accessdate=2007-06-07}}<br />*
{{cite web
|title=Belgian Culture — Rock
|year=© 2006
|publisher=
|url=http://www.belgianexperts.com/rock.php
|accessdate=2007-05-11}}</ref> In architecture, ] and ] were major initiators of the ] style.<ref>
,
{{cite web
|title=ib. (page2)
|year=2007
|publisher=, Brussels
|url=http://www.senses-artnouveau.com/brussels.php?page=2
|accessdate=2007-05-11}} (for example)</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|title=Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta (Brussels)
|work=]'s ]
|publisher=UNESCO
|url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1005
|quote=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.
|accessdate=2007-05-16}}</ref> In literature, Belgium has produced several well-known authors, such as the poets ] and novelists ], ] and ]. The poet and playwright ] won the ] in 1911. The best known ] are '']'' by ] but many other major authors of comics have been Belgian, including ] (]), ], ] and ]. ], often showing influences by ] or ], brought a number of mainly Flemish novels to new life.<ref>Notable Belgian films based on works by Flemish authors include: ''De Witte'' (author ]) movie by Jan Vanderheyden & Edith Kiel in 1934, remake as ''De Witte van Sichem'' directed by ] in 1980; ''De man die zijn haar kort liet knippen'' (]) ] 1965; ''Mira'' ('De teleurgang van de Waterhoek' by ]) ] 1971; ''] (aka The Legend of Doom House)'' (] ], or as John Flanders in ]]) ] 1971<!--not 1973 as hereafter 'see also' link, it won the Cannes Festival in 1972-->; ''De loteling'' (]) Roland Verhavert 1974; ''Dood van een non'' (]) Paul Collet & Pierre Drouot 1975; ''Pallieter'' (]) Roland Verhavert 1976; ''De komst van Joachim Stiller'' (]) ] 1976; '']'' (]) ] (a famous author himself) 1985; '']'' ('Pieter Daens' by ]) ] 1992; — see also (in ]). Retrieved on ].</ref> The absence of a major Belgian cinema company has forced several talented directors to emigrate, or participate in low-budget productions such as ]'s ''Brussels by Night'' (1983).<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Kroniek van de Vlaamse film 1955–1990 — Perstekst naar aanleiding van de uitgave van ‘Brussels By Night’
|language=]
|publisher=], Media Desk, Ghent
|url=http://www.mediadesk-vlaanderen.be/ic_downloads/project%20kroniek%20van%20de%20vlaamse%20film.doc
|format=doc
|accessdate=2007-05-12}}</ref> Other Belgian directors include ], ], ] and ]; actors include ], ]; and films include '']'' and '']''.<ref>A review of the Belgian cinema can be found at
{{cite web
|title=Cinema
|work=.be Federal Portal
|publisher=Federal government of Belgium
|year=2007
|url=http://www.belgium.be/eportal/application?languageParameter=en&pageid=contentPage&docId=6879
|accessdate=2007-05-13}}</ref> In the 1980s, Antwerp's ] produced important fashion trendsetters, known as the ].<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Fashion and the ‘Antwerp Six’
|year=© 2004
|publisher=, Dorset, UK
|url=http://fashionworlds.blogspot.com/2000_01_16_fashionworlds_archive.html
|accessdate=2007-05-13}}</ref>
On the contemporary art scene, Belgian artists such as ] and the painter ] are internationally renowned.

] of ], in costume, wearing wax masks]]
Folklore plays a major role in Belgium's cultural life: the country has a comparatively high number of ]s, ]s, 'ommegangs' and 'ducasses',<ref>Footnote: The Dutch word 'ommegang' is here used in the sense of an entirely or mainly non-religious procession, or the non-religious part thereof — see also ]; the Processional Giants , Dendermonde and Mechelen mentioned in this paragraph are part of each city's 'ommegang'. The French word 'ducasse' refers also to a procession — see also ]; the mentioned Processional Giants of Ath and Mons are part of each city's 'ducasse'.</ref> and local festivals and ], nearly always with a religious background that nowadays often has become (all but) forgotten. The ] with its famous ], and the 'Processional Giants and Dragons' of ], ], ], ] and ] are recognized by ] as ].<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Processional Giants and Dragons in Belgium and France
|publisher=]
|url=http://www.unesco.org/culture/intangible-heritage/05eur_uk.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-15}}</ref> Other examples are the Carnival of ]; the still very religious processions of ] in ], Virga Jesse in ], and ] in Mechelen; the ] festival in ]; and the Walloon festival in ]. A major non-official holiday is the ], a festivity for the children and, in Liège, of the students.<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Folklore estudiantin liégeois
|publisher=]
|url=http://www.ulg.ac.be/etudiants/folklore/
|language=]
|accessdate=2007-05-12}}</ref>

] and ] are especially popular. Among the wellknown cyclists, ] is considered one of the best cyclists ever because of his five victories of the ] and numerous other bicycle races as well as for his several records, in particular the hour speed record in 1972 that lasted twelve years. Belgium has two current female tennis champions: ] (who, at less than 24 years of age, on ] ] decided her tennis career to have ended),<ref>
{{cite web
|author=Clijsters, Kim
|authorlink=Kim Clijsters
|title=Kim's Diary — Thank you
|date=] ]
|publisher=Kim Clijsters' Official site
|url=http://www.sport.be/kimclijsters/eng/nieuws/kimsdagboek/
|quote=The recurring injuires, having difficulty in getting out of bed in the morning, needing about an hour to get all the muscles warmed up, the demanding preparations of the marriage with Brian... It all makes things a bit difficult to keep on going.
|accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref> and ]. The ] motor-racing circuit is home to the ] ]. Belgium's most notable racing driver is ], winner of eight Grands Prix and six times winner of the ]. Belgium has also a strong reputation in ] with many world champions, among others ], ], ], ] and ].

Belgium is well known for its ].<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Eating Out in Belgium
|work=subsite www.hostelbelgium.com
|publisher=, Dublin, Ireland
|year=2007
|url=http://www.hostelbelgium.com/countryinfo/eating.php/ChosenCountry.Belgium
|accessdate=2007-05-15}}</ref> Many highly ranked restaurants can be found in the high-impact gastronomic guides, such as the ].<ref>
{{cite web
|title=The Michelin stars 2007 in Belgium
|publisher=
|year=2007
|url=http://www2.resto.be/bib_new.cfm?langue=uk
|accessdate=2007-05-15}}</ref> Brands of Belgian ], like ], and ], are world renowned and widely sold. In addition to chocolate, Belgian sweets have a reputation of very high quality. ] in Antwerp produces the famous 'Mokatine', also known as the 'Arabier'. Belgium produces over ]. The biggest brewery in the world by volume is ] based in Belgium.<ref>
{{cite press release
|title=InBev dividend 2006: 0.72 euro per share — <small>infobox:</small> About InBev
|quote=InBev is a publicly traded company (]: INB) based in ], Belgium. The company's origins date back to 1366, and today it is the leading global ] by volume.
|date=]
|publisher=InBev
|url=http://www.inbev.com/press_releases/20070424.1.e.cfm
|accessdate=2007-05-31}}</ref> Belgians have a reputation for loving ] and ], both assumed to have originated in their country. The national dishes are ]-fries and ], and ]s-fries.<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Belgium cuisine
|work=About.com: French Cuisine
|year=2007
|publisher=About, Inc., a part of The New York Times Company
|url=http://frenchfood.about.com/od/belgiancuisine/Belgian_Cuisine.htm
|accessdate=2007-05-15}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Belgium|Flag of Belgium.svg}}
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==References==
===Footnotes===
{{reflist|2}}

===General online sources===
{{sourcesstart}}
*{{cite web
|title=Belgium
|work=]
|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Chicago, IL, USA
|url=http://www.britannica.com/nations/Belgium
|accessdate=2007-06-07}}
*{{cite web
|title=Boordtabel
|year=2007
|language=]
|publisher=
|url=http://www.briobrussel.be/ned/webpage4.asp?WebpageId=39
|accessdate=2007-06-02}} (mentioning other original sources)
*{{CIA_World_Factbook_link|be|Belgium}} Retrieved on ].
*{{cite web
|title=The Constitution
|date=]
|publisher=Federal Parliament Belgium
|url=http://www.fed-parl.be/constitution_uk.html
|accessdate=2007-06-07}}
*{{cite web
|title=Country Portal - Europe — Belgium
|publisher=Belgian Federal Government Service (ministry) of Economy — Directorate-general Statistics Belgium
|url=http://statbel.fgov.be/port/cou_eu_en.asp#BE
|accessdate=2007-06-07}}
*{{cite web
|title=Die Stellung und Rolle der deutschsprachigen Minderheit in Ostbelgien innerhalb des belgischen Nationalstaats
|author=Fischer, Kathrin
|work=Kleiner Geländekurs in die <span style="font-size:87%;">EUREGIO</span> Maas-Rhein
|language=]
|date=]
|publisher=Geographical Institute of the ] (Department Culture and Social Geography), Göttingen, Germany
|url=http://www.geogr.uni-goettingen.de/kus/personen/euregio/emr99-21.htm
|accessdate=2007-06-13}}
*{{cite web
|title=History of Belgium
|date=Last revised ]
|work=
|publisher=
|url=http://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/lowcountries/xbelgium.html
|accessdate=2007-06-02}}
*{{cite web
|title=Brusselse Thema's 8 — Taalgebruik in Brussel — Taalverhoudingen, taalverschuivingen en taalindentiteit in een meertalige stad
|language=]
|date=]
|author=, ]
|publisher=VUBPress, Brussels ISBN 90 5487 293 4 — republished on web site of Centre for Information, Documentation and Research on Brussels (<span style="font-size:87%;"></span>)
|pages=312 pp
|url=http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/bt8download.pdf
|format=pdf
|accessdate=2007-06-02}}
*{{cite web
|title=Belgique • België • Belgien
|work=
|language=]
|year=© 2006
|author=Leclerc, Jacques<!--NO LINK: this is not the wellknown general-->, membre associé du TLFQ
|publisher=Host: Trésor de la langue française au Québec (TLFQ), ], ]
|url=http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/europe/belgiqueacc.htm
|accessdate=2007-06-02}}
*{{cite web
|title=Bye bye Belgium?
|date=]
|author=Mnookin, Robert, Professor at ]
|coauthors=Verbeke, Alain
|publisher=], republished by ]
|url=http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/2006/12/20_mnookin.php
|accessdate=2007-06-01}} — Reflections on nations and nation-state developments regarding Belgium
{{sourcesend}}

===Bibliography===
{{sourcesstart}}
*{{cite book
|title=A History of the Low Countries
|author=
|edition=Hardcover 312pp
|date=]
|series=Palgrave Essential Histories
|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan, New York
|isbn=1-4039-4827-5 ]), Paperback 312pp, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, ISBN 1-4039-4828-3]}}
*{{cite book
|title=History of the Low Countries
|author=Blom, J. C. H., Dutch State Institute for War Documentation, ed.; Lamberts, Emiel, Professor in Modern History ], ed.; Kennedy, James C., translator
|edition=Hardcover 503pp
|year=1999 |month=May
|publisher=Berghahn Books, Oxford/New York
|isbn=1-5718-1084-6 ]), Paperback 516pp, Berghahn Books, New York, ISBN 1-8454-5272-0]}}
*{{cite book
|title=A History of Belgium from the Roman Invasion to the Present Day
|author=<!--NO WIKILINK to poor stub-->
|origyear=1913
|edition=357pp
|year=1921
|publisher=D. Appleton and Co, New York
|id={{OCLC|1525559}} {{ASIN|B00085PM0A}} , London, {{OCLC|29072911}}; (1921) D. Unwin and Co., New York {{OCLC|9625246}}; also published (1921) as ''Belgium from the Roman invasion to the present day'', The Story of the nations, 67, T. Fisher Unwin, London, {{OCLC|2986704}} {{ASIN|B00086AX3A}}]}}
*{{cite book
|title=Belgium: A History
|url=http://www.netlibrary.com/Details.aspx
|author=Cook, Bernard A., Professor of History at ], LA, USA
|edition=Paperback 205pp
|year= or
|series=Studies in Modern European History, Vol. 50
|publisher=Peter Lang Pub, New York
|isbn=0-8204-5824-4 Ib. e-book (2004) NetLibrary, Boulder, CO, USA, ISBN 0-8204-7283-2 or ), ISBN 0-8204-7647-1]}}
*{{cite book
|title=The History of Belgium: Part 1. Cæsar to Waterloo
|url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1402167148/
|author=de Kavanagh Boulger, Demetrius C.
|edition=Paperback 493pp
|origdate=1902
|date= or
|series=Elibron Classics
|publisher=Adamant Media (]), Boston, MA, USA.
|isbn=1-4021-6714-8 }} — {{cite book
|title=Ib. Part 2. 1815-1865. Waterloo to the Death of Leopold I
|author=Ib.
|edition=Paperback 462pp
|origyear=1909
|date= or
|series=Ib.
|publisher=Ib
|isbn=1-4021-6713-X }}
*{{cite book
|title=The Low Countries: History of the Northern and Southern Netherlands
|author=Kossmann-Putto, Johanna A.; Kossmann Ernst H.; Deleu Jozef H. M., ed.; Fenoulhet Jane, translator
|edition=3rd Rev. edition Paperback 64pp
|origyear=1987<!--verified, though @libris (alibris.com) mentions 1987-->
|year=1993 |month=January
|publisher=Flemish-Netherlands , Rekkem, Belgium
|isbn=9-0708-3120-1 }}
{{sourcesend}}

==External links==
{{sisterlinks|Belgium}}
:''See also: section References, subsection ]''
{{wikiatlas|Belgium}}
*{{wikitravel}}
*, entry on the ], republished on ]
*
*
*,<br />- its <br />- its
* ''EuroDocs: Online Sources for European History''
*, entry on the Public Diplomacy wiki monitored by the ]

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{{Germanic-speaking regions of Europe|state=collapsed}}
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Revision as of 15:14, 14 June 2007

A shitty ghost town located in Iowa.