Fun Easy English - Travel abroad Belgium.

OFFICIAL NAME: Kingdom of Belgium

COUNTRY DESCRIPTION

Belgium is a highly developed and stable democracy with a modern economy. Tourist facilities are widely available.

GEOGRAPHY

Belgium is located in Western Europe, bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France, and the North Sea. Although generally flat, the terrain becomes increasingly hilly and forested in the southeast (Ardennes) region. Climate is cool, temperate, and rainy; summer temperatures average 77°F, winters average 45°F. Annual extremes (rarely attained) are 10°F and 100°F.

PEOPLE

Geographically and culturally, Belgium is at a crossroads of Europe, and during the past 2,000 years has witnessed a constant ebb and flow of different races and cultures. Consequently, Belgium is one of Europe's true melting pots with Celtic, Roman, Germanic, French, Dutch, Spanish, and Austrian cultures having made an imprint.

Belgium is divided ethnically into the Dutch-speaking Flemings and French-speaking Walloons, the 70,000 residents of the eastern German cantons, and the bilingual capital of Brussels. The population density is the second highest in Europe, after the Netherlands.

ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS

A passport is required that does not expire before the intended duration of the visit to Belgium, as well as proof of sufficient funds and a return airline ticket, are required. American citizens do not need a visa to travel to Belgium for business or pleasure for up to 90 days. That 90-day period begins with entry to any of the "Schengen group" countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. Multiple visits to Schengen countries may not exceed 90 days in any 6 month period. For further information concerning entry requirements, contact the Embassy of Belgium at 3330 Garfield St. NW, Washington, DC 20008, telephone (202) 333-6900; or one of the Belgian Consulates General in Atlanta, Los Angeles, or New York. Visit the Belgian Embassy web site at http://www.diplobel.org/usa for the most current visa infomation.

Belgian law requires that everyone carry some form of official identification at all times, which must be displayed upon request to any Belgian police official. A U.S. passport suffices for these purposes.

Note: Although European Union regulations require that non-EU visitors obtain a stamp in their passport upon initial entry to a Schengen country, many borders are not staffed with officers carrying out this function. If an American citizen wishes to ensure that his or her entry is properly documented, it may be necessary to request a stamp at an official point of entry. Under local law, travelers without a stamp in their passport may be questioned and asked to document the length of their stay in Schengen countries at the time of departure or at any other point during their visit, and could face possible fines or other repercussions if unable to do so."

QUICK FACTS

Geography
Area: 32,547 square kilometers (12,566 sq. mi.), about the size of Maryland.
Cities: Capital--Brussels (pop. 992,041). Other cities--Antwerp (452,474); Ghent (228,016); Charleroi (200,460); Liège (184,303); Bruges (116,811); and Namur (105,705).

People
Population (2006): 10,379,067.
Annual population growth rate (2006 est.): 0.13%.
Density: 861 per sq. mi. Linguistic regions--(Dutch-speaking) Flanders 58%; (French-speaking) Wallonia 31.7%; (legally bilingual) Brussels Capital Region 9.6%; German-speaking 0.7%.
Religions: Predominantly Roman Catholic, with Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Anglican, Greek and Russian Orthodox, as well as secularism, "recognized" religions receiving government subsidies.
Languages: Dutch, French, German.
Education: Literacy--98%.

Government
Type: Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch.
Independence: 1830.
Constitution: 1994 (revised).
Branches: Executive--King (head of state), Prime Minister (head of government), Cabinet. Legislative--bicameral parliament (Senate and House of Representatives). Flemish Parliament and government for regional and community affairs; Walloon Regional Parliament and government for Walloon regional affairs; Francophone Community Parliament and government for Francophone community affairs; Brussels Regional Parliament and government for Brussels regional affairs; and German-language Community Parliament and government for community affairs.
Major political parties: Christian Democratic, Liberal, Socialist, Green, Vlaams Belang.
Suffrage: Over 18, compulsory.
Political subdivisions: Ten provinces, three regions, three communities, 589 municipalities.

Economy
GDP (PPP, 2006 est.): $330.4 billion.
Annual real growth rate (2006): 2.5%.
Per capita income (PPP, 2006): $31,800.
Natural resources: Coal.
Agriculture: (1.4% of GDP) Products--livestock, including dairy cattle, grain, sugarbeets, nursery products, flax, tobacco, potatoes, and other fruits and vegetables.
Industry: (24% of GDP) Types--machinery, iron, coal, textiles, chemicals, glass, pharmaceuticals, manufactured goods.
Trade: Exports--$335.3 billion (2006 est.): Iron and steel, coal, transportation equipment, tractors, diamonds, petroleum products. Export partners (2005 est.): Germany 19.4%, France 17.3%, Netherlands 11.7%, U.K. 8.2%, U.S. 6.4%, Italy 5.3%. Imports--$333.5 billion (2006 est.): Fuels, chemical products, grains, foodstuffs. Import partners (2005 est.): Netherlands 17.8%, Germany 17.2%, France 11.4%, U.K. 6.8%, Ireland 6.5%, U.S. 5.4%.

USEFUL LINKS

U.S. Government

Miscellaneous

Belgian Top50.com - Best Top Belgische websites.
ezilon.com - Europe International Web Directory and Search Engine.