Belgium

Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in <a href="/facts/Northwestern_Europe/d8zrdArn">Northwestern Europe</a>. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the <a href="/facts/Low_Countries/umPWQ5hV">Low Countries</a>, it is bordered by the <a href="/facts/Netherlands/y8xn5stT">Netherlands</a> to the north, <a href="/facts/Germany/paluuWBX">Germany</a> to the east, <a href="/facts/Luxembourg/vRN04l7f">Luxembourg</a> to the southeast, <a href="/facts/France/CxIeIKM3">France</a> to the south, and the <a href="/facts/North_Sea/htGJNmsb">North Sea</a> to the west. Belgium covers an area of 30,689 km2 (11,849 sq mi) and has a population of more than 11.8 million; its <a href="/facts/Population_density/70zGTCFc">population density</a> of 383/km2 (990/sq mi) ranks <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_population_density/WmvuNLfW">22nd in the world</a> and <a href="/facts/Area_and_population_of_European_countries/WmvuNLfW">sixth in Europe</a>. The capital and <a href="/facts/Metropolitan_areas_in_Belgium/AC79C89L">largest metropolitan region</a> is <a href="/facts/City_of_Brussels/qxGDUmq6">Brussels</a>; other major cities are <a href="/facts/Antwerp/v3Rwa1Mu">Antwerp</a>, <a href="/facts/Ghent/cUTeuduF">Ghent</a>, <a href="/facts/Charleroi/nIWyNHgW">Charleroi</a>, <a href="/facts/Li%25C3%25A8ge/QjGaj3M9">Liège</a>, <a href="/facts/Bruges/VofsF5GR">Bruges</a>, <a href="/facts/Namur/ReX7X56J">Namur</a>, and <a href="/facts/Leuven/zkKTDkzH">Leuven</a>.
Belgium is a <a href="/facts/Parliamentary_system/HAsnSsRz">parliamentary constitutional monarchy</a> with a complex <a href="/facts/Federation/R846sufb">federal</a> system structured on regional and linguistic grounds. The country is divided into three highly autonomous <a href="/facts/Communities%2c_regions_and_language_areas_of_Belgium/euL6UtzH">regions</a>: the <a href="/facts/Flemish_Region/vJgytzBQ">Flemish Region</a> (Flanders) in the north, the <a href="/facts/Wallonia/rXg1nkTV">Walloon Region</a> (Wallonia) in the south, and the <a href="/facts/Brussels-Capital_Region/tNzHrQYP">Brussels-Capital Region</a> in the middle. Belgium is also home to two main linguistic communities: the <a href="/facts/Dutch_language/yIB5lbsx">Dutch</a>-speaking <a href="/facts/Flemish_Community/PJGqz7kR">Flemish Community</a>, which constitutes about 60 percent of the population, and the French-speaking <a href="/facts/French_Community_of_Belgium/uc0kCqGB">French Community</a>, which constitutes about 40 percent of the population; a small <a href="/facts/German-speaking_Community_of_Belgium/nM9TgpuS">German-speaking Community</a>, comprising around one percent of the population, exists in the <a href="/facts/Eupen-Malmedy/UGsL7r8c">East Cantons</a>. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in its complex system of governance, made up of <a href="/facts/List_of_governments_in_Belgium/5yRA4hzP">six different governments</a>. Belgium is a <a href="/facts/Developed_country/sqwTSDHm">developed country</a> with an advanced <a href="/facts/World_Bank_high-income_economy/KTrB8swr">high-income economy</a>. It is one of the <a href="/facts/Inner_Six/z19BktGW">six founding members</a> of the European Union, with its capital of Brussels serving as the <a href="/facts/De_facto/3Du6WQKh">de facto</a> capital of the EU, hosting the official seats of the <a href="/facts/European_Commission/Cc5JgbEI">European Commission</a>, the <a href="/facts/Council_of_the_European_Union/xlE6rYKb">Council of the European Union</a>, the <a href="/facts/European_Council/QLJLlbkt">European Council</a>, and one of two seats of the <a href="/facts/European_Parliament/H9WLUd1r">European Parliament</a> (the other being <a href="/facts/Strasbourg/MTdQtoPy">Strasbourg</a>). Brussels also hosts the headquarters of many major international organizations, such as <a href="/facts/NATO_headquarters/x64JtzdK">NATO</a>.
In <a href="/facts/Ancient_history/P0fFQ8z5">antiquity</a>, present-day Belgium was dominated by the <a href="/facts/Belgae/j6m5y2CG">Belgae</a> before being annexed into the <a href="/facts/Roman_Empire/l4E1aUuV">Roman Empire</a> in the mid first century BC. During the <a href="/facts/Middle_Ages/RqzEKB9v">Middle Ages</a>, Belgium's central location kept it relatively prosperous and connected both commercially and politically to its larger neighbours; it was part of the <a href="/facts/Carolingian_Empire/kyp74kXx">Carolingian Empire</a>, the succeeding <a href="/facts/Holy_Roman_Empire/6mdobnXN">Holy Roman Empire</a>, and subsequently the <a href="/facts/Burgundian_Netherlands/vnqJvJ6y">Burgundian Netherlands</a>. Following rule by <a href="/facts/Spanish_Netherlands/p1whtCQm">Habsburg Spain</a> (1556–1714), the <a href="/facts/Austrian_Netherlands/JIEJQoMy">Austrian Habsburgs</a> (1714–1794), and <a href="/facts/French_Revolution/PIkDlrC0">Revolutionary France</a> (1794–1815), most of modern-day Belgium was incorporated into the <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom_of_the_Netherlands/JGfEtJAy">United Kingdom of the Netherlands</a> after the <a href="/facts/Congress_of_Vienna/SXD64asG">Congress of Vienna</a> in 1815. Centuries of being contested and controlled by various European powers earned Belgium the moniker "the Battlefield of Europe", a reputation reinforced in the 20th century by both <a href="/facts/World_war/pEzjDFFs">world wars</a>.
An independent Belgium was established following the 1830 <a href="/facts/Belgian_Revolution/NVk377My">Belgian Revolution</a>. In the 19th century it was one of the earliest participants of the <a href="/facts/Industrial_Revolution/B6E3Fasm">Industrial Revolution</a>, and the first country in <a href="/facts/Continental_Europe/EXR4F23f">continental Europe</a> to become industrialised. By the early 20th century, it possessed <a href="/facts/Belgian_colonial_empire/XPAWUXVH">several colonies</a>, notably the <a href="/facts/Belgian_Congo/KeenpcUJ">Belgian Congo</a> and <a href="/facts/Ruanda-Urundi/zaAj7gCz">Ruanda-Urundi</a>, which gained independence between 1960 and 1962. The second half of the 20th century was marked by rising tensions between the Dutch-speakers and French-speakers, fueled by differences in political culture and the unequal economic development of Flanders and Wallonia. This has resulted in several <a href="/facts/State_reform_in_Belgium/rVT8WDD9">far-reaching state reforms</a>, including the transition from a <a href="/facts/Unitary_state/HAxK1eMM">unitary</a> to <a href="/facts/Federalism/dNaFu2rM">federal</a> structure between 1970 and 1993. Tensions persist amid ongoing reforms; the country faces a strong separatist sentiment <a href="/facts/Flemish_Movement/1F8b7NBG">among the Flemish</a>, controversial <a href="/facts/Municipalities_with_language_facilities/ol3Xk3H5">language laws</a>, and a fragmented political landscape that resulted in a record 589 days without <a href="/facts/2010%25E2%2580%25932011_Belgian_government_formation/S24gT8zX">a government formation</a> following the <a href="/facts/2010_Belgian_federal_election/784wjCkW">2010 federal election</a>.

Belgium open-in-new

Belgium