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| Introduction | Belgium |
| Background: | 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. |
| People | Belgium |
| Population: | 10,348,276 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 17.1% (male 901,486; female 863,092) 15-64 years: 65.6% (male 3,424,438; female 3,364,057) 65 years and over: 17.3% (male 739,479; female 1,055,724) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 40.2 years male: 38.9 years female: 41.5 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 0.16% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 10.59 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 10.2 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 1.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 5.36 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 78.44 years male: 75.26 years female: 81.75 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.64 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.2% (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 10,000 (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | less than 100 (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Belgian(s) adjective: Belgian |
| Ethnic groups: | Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25% |
| Languages: | Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: NA female: NA |
| Government | Belgium |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium conventional short form: Belgium local short form: Belgique/Belgie local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie |
| Government type: | federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch |
| Capital: | Brussels |
| Administrative divisions: | 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 |
| Independence: | 4 October 1830 a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands; 21 July 1831 the ascension of King Leopold I to the throne |
| National holiday: | 21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King Leopold I |
| Constitution: | 7 February 1831, last revised 14 July 1993; parliament approved a constitutional package creating a federal state |
| Legal system: | civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993); Heir Apparent Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch head of government: Prime Minister Guy VERHOFSTADT (since 13 July 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers formally appointed by the monarch note: government coalition - VLD, MR, PS, SP.A-Spirit elections: 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 |
| Legislative branch: | 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) election results: 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; for other acronyms of the listed parties see the Political parties and leaders entry elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 May 2003 (next to be held no later than May 2007) |
| Judicial branch: | 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) |
| Political parties and leaders: | Christian Democrats and Flemish or CD & V [Yves LETERME]; Ecolo (Francophone Greens) [Jean-Michel JAVAUX, Evelyne HUYTEBROECK, Claude BROUIR]; Flemish Liberal Democrats or VLD [Karel DE GUCHT]; Flemish Socialist Party.Alternative or SP.A [Steve STEVAERT]; Francophone Humanist and Democratic Center of CDH [Joelle MILQUET]; Francophone Reformist Movement or MR [Antoine DUQUESNE]; Francophone Socialist Party or PS [Elio DI RUPO]; GROEN! (formerly AGALEV, Flemish Greens) [Vera DUA]; National Front or FN [Daniel FERET]; New Flemish Alliance or NVA [Bart DE WEVER]; Spirit [Els VAN WEERT]; note - new party now associated with SP.A; Vlaams Belang or VB [Frank VANHECKE]; other minor parties |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | 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 |
| International organization participation: | 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, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Franciskus VAN DAELE FAX: [1] (202) 333-3079 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York telephone: [1] (202) 333-6900 chancery: 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Tom C. KOROLOGOS embassy: Regentlaan 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels mailing address: PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE 09710 telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111 FAX: [32] (2) 511-2725 |
| Flag description: | three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the design was based on the flag of France |
| Communications | Belgium |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 5,120,400 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 8,135,500 (2002) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: highly developed, technologically advanced, and completely automated domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable network; limited microwave radio relay network international: country code - 32; 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat |
| Radio broadcast stations: | FM 79, AM 7, shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Radios: | 8.075 million (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997) |
| Televisions: | 4.72 million (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .be |
| Internet hosts: | 166,799 (2004) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 61 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 3.4 million (2002) |
| Transportation | Belgium |
| Railways: | total: 3,518 km standard gauge: 3,518 km 1.435-m gauge (2,631 km electrified) (2003) |
| Highways: | total: 148,216 km paved: 116,687 km (including 1,727 km of expressways) unpaved: 31,529 km (2000) |
| Waterways: | 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2003) |
| Pipelines: | gas 1,485 km; oil 158 km; refined products 535 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | Antwerp (one of the world's busiest ports), Brugge, Gent, Hasselt, Liege, Mons, Namur, Oostende, Zeebrugge |
| Merchant marine: | total: 50 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,146,301 GRT/1,588,184 DWT foreign-owned: Denmark 6, Finland 1, France 2, Netherlands 3 registered in other countries: 69 (2003 est.) by type: bulk 1, cargo 8, chemical tanker 11, container 6, liquefied gas 18, petroleum tanker 6 |
| Airports: | 42 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 25 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 16 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: | 1 (2003 est.) |
| Military | Belgium |
| Military branches: | Army, Naval, and Air Operations Commands |
| Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 16 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 2,509,538 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 2,068,221 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 61,270 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $3.999 billion (2003) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.3% (2003) |
| Transnational Issues | Belgium |
| Disputes - international: | none |
| Illicit drugs: | 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 |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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