]! ^! Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830 and was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. It has prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings 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. 
]" ^" Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands ^# 50 50 N, 4 00 E ^$ Europe ^% `! 30,528 sq km `" 30,278 sq km `# 250 sq km ^& about the size of Maryland ^' `! 1,385 km `U France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km ^( 66.5 km ^) `$ 12 nm `I geographic coordinates define outer limit `J median line with neighbors ^* temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy ^+ flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast ^, `% North Sea 0 m `& Signal de Botrange 694 m ^- construction materials, silica sand, carbonates ^. `' 23.28% `( 0.4% `) 76.32% note: includes Luxembourg (2001) ^/ 40 sq km (includes Luxembourg) (1998 est.) ^0 flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes ^1 the environment is exposed to 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; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) have slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges _J `K Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands `L Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants ^2 crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and NATO 
]# ^3 10,364,388 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 16.9% (male 892,995/female 855,177) `+ 65.7% (male 3,435,282/female 3,373,917) `, 17.4% (male 745,178/female 1,061,839) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 40.55 years `- 39.29 years `. 41.81 years (2005 est.) ^6 0.15% (2005 est.) ^7 10.48 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 10.22 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 1.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.04 male(s)/female `0 1.04 male(s)/female `+ 1.02 male(s)/female `, 0.7 male(s)/female `1 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 4.68 deaths/1,000 live births `- 5.27 deaths/1,000 live births `. 4.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 78.62 years `- 75.44 years `. 81.94 years (2005 est.) ^= 1.64 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> 0.2% (2003 est.) ^? 10,000 (2003 est.) ^@ less than 100 (2003 est.) ^A `2 Belgian(s) `3 Belgian ^B Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11% ^C Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25% ^D Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French) ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 98% `- NA% `. NA% 
]$ ^F `4 Kingdom of Belgium `5 Belgium `V Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie `W Belgique/Belgie ^H federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch ^I Brussels ^J 10 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Dutch: provincies, singular - provincie) and 3 regions* (French: regions; Dutch: gewesten); Antwerpen, Brabant Wallon, Brussels* (Bruxelles), Flanders*, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaams-Brabant, Wallonia*, West-Vlaanderen note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities ^K 4 October 1830 (a provisional government declares independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King Leopold I ascends to the throne) ^L 21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King Leopold I ^M 7 February 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993 to create a federal state ^N civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations ^O 18 years of age; universal and compulsory ^P `6 King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993); Heir Apparent Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch `7 Prime Minister Guy VERHOFSTADT (since 13 July 1999) `8 Council of Ministers formally appointed by the monarch `9 none; the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch and then approved by parliament note: government coalition - VLD, MR, PS, SP.A-Spirit ^Q bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in Dutch, Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly elected by popular vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members serve four-year terms) and a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch, Chambre des Representants in French (150 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) `9 Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 May 2003 (next to be held no later than May 2007) `: Senate - percent of vote by party - SP.A-Spirit 15.5%, VLD 15.4%, CD & V 12.7%, PS 12.8%, MR 12.1%, VB 9.4%, CDH 5.6%; seats by party - SP.A-Spirit 7, VLD 7, CD & V 6, PS 6, MR 5, VB 5, CDH 2, other 2 (note - there are also 31 indirectly elected senators); Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - VLD 15.4%, SP.A-Spirit 14.9%, CD & V 13.3%, PS 13.0%, VB 11.6%, MR 11.4%, CDH 5.5%, Ecolo 3.1%; seats by party - VLD 25, SP.A-Spirit 23, CD & V 21, PS 25, VB 18, MR 24, CDH 8 Ecolo 4, other 2 note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six governments each with its own legislative assembly ^R Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) or Cour de Cassation (in French) (judges are appointed for life by the Government; candidacies have to be submitted by the High Justice Council) ^S Flemish parties: Christian Democrats and Flemish or CD & V [Jo VANDEURZEN]; Flemish Liberal Democrats or VLD [Bart SOMERS]; GROEN! (formerly AGALEV, Flemish Greens) [Vera DUA]; New Flemish Alliance or NVA [Bart DE WEVER]; Socialist Party.Alternative or SP.A [Caroline GENNEZ]; Spirit [Geert LAMBERT] (new party now associated with SP.A); Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) or VB [Frank VANHECKE] Francophone parties: Ecolo (Francophone Greens) [Jean-Michel JAVAUX, Evelyne HUYTEBROECK, Claude BROUIR]; Humanist and Democratic Center of CDH [Joelle MILQUET]; National Front or FN [Daniel FERET]; Reformist Movement or MR [Didier REYNDERS]; Socialist Party or PS [Elio DI RUPO]; other minor parties ^T Christian, Socialist, and Liberal Trade Unions; Federation of Belgian Industries; numerous other associations representing bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical professions; various organizations represent the cultural interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as Pax Christi and groups representing immigrants ^U ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC ^V `N Ambassador Franciskus VAN DAELE `O 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 `P [1] (202) 333-6900 `Q [1] (202) 333-3079 `R Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York ^W `N Ambassador Tom C. KOROLOGOS `Z Regentlaan 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels `[ PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE 09710 `P [32] (2) 508-2111 `Q [32] (2) 511-2725 ^X three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the design was based on the flag of France 
]% ^Y This modern private enterprise economy has capitalized on its central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north. With few natural resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. Roughly three-quarters of its trade is with other EU countries. Public debt is nearly 100% of GDP. On the positive side, the government has succeeded in balancing its budget, and income distribution is relatively equal. Belgium began circulating the euro currency in January 2002. Economic growth in 2001-03 dropped sharply because of the global economic slowdown, with moderate recovery in 2004. ^Z $316.2 billion (2004 est.) ^[ 2.6% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $30,600 (2004 est.) ^] `; 1.3% `< 25.7% `= 73% (2004 est.) ^^ 4.75 million (2004 est.) ^_ agriculture 1.3%, industry 24.5%, services 74.2% (2003 est.) ^` 12% (first half, 2004) ^a 4% (1989 est.) _! `> 3.2% `? 23% (1996) _d 28.7 (1996) _" 1.9% (2004 est.) _P 19.1% of GDP (2004 est.) _# `@ $173.7 billion `A $174.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.56 billion (2004 est.) _Q 96.2% of GDP (2004 est.) _$ sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk _% engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum _& 3.5% (2004 est.) _' 76.58 billion kWh (2002) _( 78.82 billion kWh (2002) _) 9.1 billion kWh (2002) _* 16.7 billion kWh (2002) _+ 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) _, 595,100 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- 450,000 bbl/day (2001) _. 1.042 million bbl/day (2001) _S 0 cu m (2001 est.) _T 15.5 billion cu m (2001 est.) _U 0 cu m (2001 est.) _V 15.4 billion cu m (2001 est.) _X $11.4 billion (2004 est.) _/ $255.7 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) _0 machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs _1 Germany 19.9%, France 17.2%, Netherlands 11.8%, UK 8.6%, US 6.5%, Italy 5.2% (2004) _2 $235 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) _3 machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, transportation equipment, oil products _4 Germany 18.4%, Netherlands 17%, France 12.5%, UK 6.8%, Ireland 6.3%, US 5.5% (2004) _Y $14.45 billion (2003) _5 $28.3 billion (1999 est.) _Z ODA, $1.072 billion (2002) _7 euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries _8 euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: 5,120,400 (2002) _; 8,135,500 (2002) _< `B highly developed, technologically advanced, and completely automated domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities `C nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable network; limited microwave radio relay network `D country code - 32; 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat _= FM 79, AM 7, shortwave 1 (1998) _> 25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997) _? .be _@ 166,799 (2004) _A 3.4 million (2002) 
]' _e `! 3,521 km `b 3,521 km 1.435-m gauge (2,927 km electrified) (2004) _B `! 149,028 km `E 116,540 km (including 1,729 km of expressways) `F 32,488 km (2002) _b 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2003) _[ gas 1,485 km; oil 158 km; refined products 535 km (2004) _C Antwerp, Brussels, Gent, Liege, Oostende, Zeebrugge _K `! 53 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,146,301 GRT/1,588,184 DWT by type: bulk carrier 15, cargo 2, chemical tanker 2, container 8, liquefied gas 17, petroleum tanker 9 `S 12 (Denmark 4, France 4, Greece 4) `\ 101 (2005) _D 43 (2004 est.) _E `! 25 `] 6 `G 8 `^ 3 `_ 1 `T 7 (2004 est.) _L `! 18 `_ 2 `T 16 (2004 est.) _\ 1 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Land, Naval, and Air Components (2005) _M 16 years of age for voluntary military service; women comprise some 7% of the Belgian armed forces (2001) _] males age 16-49: 2,436,736 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 16-49: 1,998,003 (2005 est.) _^ `` 64,263 (2005 est.) _N $3.999 billion (2003) _O 1.3% (2003) 
]) _H none _I growing producer of synthetic drugs; 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 