Belgium

Belgium is one of those countries that embrace the constitutional monarchial form of government as well as the parliamentary democratic style of governance. As a country that employs these systems of government, Belgium is headed by a prime minister, who works under the mandate and the power of the king. This explains why the country is also called the Kingdom of Belgium.

Belgium is an independent nation. Its declaration of independence dates back to the 4th of October, year 1830, but was recognised by the international community only nine years after the actual independence declaration.

The geography of Belgium

Belgium is situated in the northwestern portion of the European continent. Belgium is bordered by the countries Germany, the Netherlands, France and Luxembourg. Belgium takes up a total area of up to 33,990 square kilometres. Of this total area, 30,528 square kilometres is made up of pure land, while the remaining 6.4% is all water.

The geography of Belgium is primarily made up of three regions: the central plateau, the coastal plain and the uplands of the Ardennes. The central plateau and the coastal plain regions, part of the Anglo-Belgian basin, stretch on to the northwest of Belgium. Meanwhile, the uplands of the Ardennes, part of the Hercynian Orogenic belt, are located on the southeastern portion of Belgium. The land type of Belgium is sandy when it comes to the coastal plains. When you go to the inland areas of Belgium, you will see gently rising peaks of land, valleys and sandy plains that are irrigated by a lot of waterways. Moving on to the Ardennes, you will see that the landscape is more rocky, rugged and jammed with gorges and caves that are resplendent of the rich wildlife and jungle resources of Belgium.

The people of Belgium

The people of Belgium are called Belgians. Based on the 2008 census, the total population of Belgium went up to 10,670,866 from an estimate of 10,296,350 during the year 2001. The people of Belgium mainly speak Dutch, German and French as their official languages. There are also quite a number of dialects that have not been recorded. There were accounts, however, stating that some people speak the dialects that are connected to the three major languages of Belgium.

Foreigners also flock to Belgium. A large number of foreign visitors who go to Belgium every year include Italians. Other foreigners who visit Belgium in huge numbers are those from Spain, France, Germany, Morocco and Turkey.

What Belgium is known for

Belgium is best known for its contributions in the fields of the arts, science and technology, which includes Art Nouveau, Herge's the Adventures of Tintin, Saint Nicholas Day, Eddy Merckx and the Michelin Guide to cooking.

Aside from the Belgian chocolate, Belgium is also known for its tourist spots. These include
Basilica of the Sacred Heart, The Belgian Center for Comic Strip Art, Autoworld Museum, Cathedrale Saint-Michel et Sainte-Gudule, The David and Alice Van Buuren Museum and The Grand'place.