Belgium in short [top]

Geographical description of Belgium [top]
Belgium is situated in the west of Europe, bordered to the north by the Netherlands, to the east by Germany and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and to the south and the west by France. Although its surface area of 32,545 km2 makes it a small country, its location has made it the economic and urban nerve centre of Europe.

"Belgium, heart of Europe" is not just a catch phrase: the geographical centre of the 15 countries of the European Union is actually in Belgium.

The geography of Belgium shows it to have three major areas:

Population [top]
There are three communities living there. The Flemish, in the north of the country, speak Dutch. They are the most numerous. Then come the Walloons, in the south, who speak French. Brussels is a bilingual region. However, most of its inhabitants are French-speaking. Finally, in the extreme east of the country there is a small German-speaking community.

Belgians are generally modest and moderate are also said to be good hosts and bons vivants. The innumerable caf้s and restaurants are evidence of that. In spite of that they are considered to be good workers. The productivity rate is one of the highest in the world.

Belgians also have a reputation of having "a brick in their belly". They invest a lot of money in their homes and, as building sites are becoming increasingly rare, there is a boom in renovation.

Just like other countries in the European Union, families in Belgium are becoming smaller and smaller. The fertility rate is 1.56 children per woman. So Belgium is faced with an ageing population, 15% of whom are older than 65. Life expectancy is 75 years for men and 81 years for women.

Finally, crossed by language boundaries, socio-economic realities and different identity streams, Belgium has adopted an attitude of peaceful resolution of the conflicts that sometimes arise from this diversity. This is the famous "compromise Belgian style".

Economic profile [top]
Brussels is the capital of Europe, the site of the headquarters of the European Commission, the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament. Other major international organizations, such as NATO, are also located in Brussels. As a result, Brussels is the number two city in the world (after Washington) in terms of its number of accredited journalists, and fourth in terms of the number of international meetings and seminars held there.

In 1999, Belgium's GDP could be broken down as follows: agriculture 1.3%, industry 24.7%, private services 53.7% and public services 13.4%. The majority of service activities (in the private sector) are very closely linked to industrial activity which implies that a dynamic industrial sector is crucial to the Belgian economy.

Belgium is a very open economy. Exports of goods and services accounted for nearly 76.5% of GDP in 1999, and imports nearly 73%. By way of comparison, the European average was almost 32.2% for exports and nearly 31% for imports. This trade focuses very much on the European market. This situation reflects Belgium's role as a hub within the EU.

Arts [top]
The movement which undoubtedly best represents Belgian art internationally is surrealism. The characteristics of this wave of artists, who at the beginning of the 20th century created an impertinent and innovative climate, and who are now famous far beyond our borders, are to be found in various fields.

In painting the most famous names are Ren้ Margritte, Paul Delvaux and James Ensor. In literature the most famous are Scutenaire, Henry Michaux and Hugo Claus, who's co-founder of the Cobra-movement. Georges Simenon is known for his classical work in crime novels.

Impossible not to mention the cartoon strip, which Herg้ among many others has without contest raised to the level of art. It may be less well-known that the Smurfs were invented by Pierre Culliford, a native of Brussels and that Willy Vandersteen created the famous Lambique.

In architecture, the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century saw an abundance of creativity, with Victor Horta the uncontested authority of Art Nouveau, certain of whose works have happily been preserved, specifically in Brussels. The same movement can be found in furniture, with Henry Van de Velde.

Belgians have also shone in music, as inventors, with Adolphe Sax (saxophone), and, in classical music, with a highly renowned competition such as the Queen Elisabeth Competition, and also with composers such as C้sar Franck or Edgard Poot, or as interpreters with the famous baritone Jos้ Van Dam and, in chanson, Jacques Brel, Adamo, Arno, Johan Verminnen, Pierre Rapsat, Maurane or Axelle Red. Jazz is virtually a Belgian speciality, if we believe the success of Toots Thielemans.

Major cities [top]
Antwerp
City at the River Scheldt, an important port already in the Roman era. For many years Antwerp attracted a numerous invaders. Ships used to moor up beside the city center; today the port can be found further down, near the Dutch border.
Brussels
Brussels is a cosmopolitan city, known as a crossroads for all of Europe It has a wide range of architectural styles, from Gothic cathedrals and churches to classical, with many art nouveau and art deco houses in the neighborhoods.
Bruges
The city of Bruges, known to many as the Venice of the North, is one of Belgium finest that still has the look and feel of medieval times. A walk through the tiny medieval streets can be an enchanting experience. Bruges is always beautiful place to visit, in both the summer and winter.
Ghent
Ghent is the capital of East Flanders is one of the most beautiful historic cities in Europe. The city combines a mixture of past and present. The historic heart of Ghent offers a lot of places of interest.
Li่ge
Liege, for over eight hundred years has been the former capital of an indepensant principatity. The city has always been a fun place to visit, witness the countless, late closing caf้s, the traditional Sunday market La Batte and the outrageous folklore puppet Tchantch่s, symbol of that individualistic spirit and open-mindedness of the Li้geois.
Ostend
The most important city at the belgian coast, where royals used to spend their holidays.