Belgium

Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Political divisions between the Dutch-speaking Flemish of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy. Its capital, Brussels, is home to numerous international organizations including the EU and NATO.

• temperate;
• mild winters, cool summers;
• rainy, humid, cloudy

agricultural land:

44.1%;

• arable land 27.2%;
• permanent crops 0.8%;
• permanent pasture 16.1%

forest:

22.4%

other:

33.5% (2011 est.)

• most of the population concentrated in the northern two-thirds of the country;
• the southeast is more thinly populated;
• considered to have one of the highest population densities in the world;
• approximately 97% live in urban areas

intense pressures from human activities:

• urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, extensive animal breeding and crop cultivation;
• air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries

noun:

Belgian(s)

adjective:

Belgian

• most of the population concentrated in the northern two-thirds of the country;
• the southeast is more thinly populated;
• considered to have one of the highest population densities in the world;
• approximately 97% live in urban areas

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.76 male(s)/female

total population:

0.97 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Belgium

conventional short form:

Belgium

local long form:

Royaume de Belgique (French)/Koninkrijk Belgie (Dutch)/Koenigreich Belgien (German)

local short form:

Belgique/Belgie/Belgien

etymology:

the name derives from the Belgae, an ancient Celtic tribal confederation that inhabited an area between the English Channel and the west bank of the Rhine in the first centuries B.C.

name:

Brussels

geographic coordinates:

50 50 N, 4 20 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

history:

drafted 25 November 1830, approved 7 February 1831, entered into force 26 July 1831, revised 14 July 1993 (creating a federal state)

amendments:

• "revisions" proposed as declarations by the federal government in accord with the king or by Parliament followed by dissolution of Parliament and new elections;
• adoption requires two-thirds majority vote of a two-thirds quorum in both houses of the next elected Parliament;
• amended many times, last in 2014 (2016)

• civil law system based on the French Civil Code;
• note - Belgian law continues to be modified in conformance with the legislative norms mandated by the European Union;
• judicial review of legislative acts

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Belgium

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

King PHILIPPE (since 21 July 2013); Heir Apparent Princess ELISABETH, daughter of the monarch

head of government:

• Prime Minister Charles MICHEL (since 11 October 2014);
• Deputy Prime Ministers Alexander DE CROO (since 22 October 2012), Jan JAMBON (since 11 October 2014), Kris PEETERS, Didier REYNDERS (since 30 December 2008)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers formally appointed by the monarch

elections/appointments:

• the monarchy is hereditary and constitutional;
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the monarch and approved by Parliament

highest court(s):

• Constitutional Court or Grondwettelijk Hof in Dutch and Cour constitutionelle in French (consists of 12 judges - 6 Dutch-speaking and 6 French-speaking);
• Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie in Dutch and Cour de Cassation in French (court organized into 3 chambers: civil and commercial; criminal; social, fiscal, and armed forces; each chamber includes a Dutch division and a French division, each with a chairperson and 5-6 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• Constitutional Court judges appointed by the monarch from candidates submitted by Parliament;
• judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 70;
• Supreme Court judges appointed by the monarch from candidates submitted by the High Council of Justice, a 44-member independent body of judicial and non-judicial members;
• judges appointed for life

subordinate courts:

• Courts of Appeal;
• regional courts;
• specialized courts for administrative, commercial, labor, immigration, and audit issues;
• magistrate's courts;
• justices of the peace

chief of mission:

Ambassador Dirk Jozef M. WOUTERS (since 16 September 2016)

chancery:

3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 333-6900

FAX:

[1] (202) 333-3079

consulate(s) general:

Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Matthew LUSSENHOP (since 20 January 2017)

embassy:

27 Boulevard du Regent [Regentlaan], B-1000 Brussels

mailing address:

PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE 09710

telephone:

[32] (2) 811-4000

FAX:

[32] (2) 811-4500

• three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red;
• the vertical design was based on the flag of France;
• the colors are those of the arms of the duchy of Brabant (yellow lion with red claws and tongue on a black field)

name:

"La Brabanconne" (The Song of Brabant)

lyrics/music:

Louis-Alexandre DECHET[French] Victor CEULEMANS [Dutch]/Francois VAN CAMPENHOUT

note: adopted 1830; according to legend, Louis-Alexandre DECHET, an actor at the theater in which the revolution against the Netherlands began, wrote the lyrics with a group of young people in a Brussels cafe

agriculture:

1.3%

industry:

18.6%

services:

80.1% (2013 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.4%

highest 10%:

28.4% (2006)

general assessment:

highly developed, technologically advanced, and completely automated domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities

domestic:

• nationwide mobile-cellular telephone system;
• extensive cable network;
• limited microwave radio relay network

international:

• country code - 32;
• landing point for a number of submarine cables that provide links to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia;
• satellite earth stations - 7 (Intelsat - 3) (2015)

• a segmented market with the three major communities (Flemish, French, and German-speaking) each having responsibility for their own broadcast media;
• multiple TV channels exist for each community;
• additionally, in excess of 90% of households are connected to cable and can access broadcasts of TV stations from neighboring countries;
• each community has a public radio network coexisting with private broadcasters (2009)

number of registered air carriers:

7; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 117

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

11,193,023

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

1,464,316,900 mt-km (2015)

total:

3,592 km

standard gauge:

3,592 km 1.435-m gauge (2,960 km electrified) (2014)

country comparison to the world: 50

total:

154,012 km

paved:

120,514 km (includes 1,756 km of expressways)

unpaved:

33,498 km (2010)

country comparison to the world: 33

major seaport(s):

Oostende, Zeebrugge

river port(s):

• Antwerp, Gent (Schelde River);
• Brussels (Senne River);
• Liege (Meuse River)

container port(s) (TEUs):

Antwerp (9,654,000), Zeebrugge (1,569,000) (2015)

LNG terminal(s) (import):

Zeebrugge

refugees (country of origin):

9,080 (Syria) (2016)

stateless persons:

2,630 (2016)

• growing producer of synthetic drugs and cannabis;
• transit point for US-bound ecstasy;
• source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors;
• transshipment point for cocaine, heroin, hashish, and marijuana entering Western Europe;
• despite a strengthening of legislation, the country remains vulnerable to money laundering related to narcotics, automobiles, alcohol, and tobacco;
• significant domestic consumption of ecstasy