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Belgium

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Background :

Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country 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. 

Location :

Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands 

Geographic Coordinates Center :

50 50 N, 4 00 E  (Latitude, Longtitude)

Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :

West 2.55
North 51.51
East 6.40
South 49.49

Area :

total 30 528 square km
land 30 278 square km
water 250 square km

Land boundaries :

total 1 385 km
France (fr) 620 km
Germany (de) 167 km
Luxembourg (lu) 148 km
Netherlands (nl) 450 km

Coastline :

66.50 km

Climate :

temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy 

Terrain :

flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast 

Elevation extremes :

lowest point 0 metres
highest point 694 metres

Natural resources :

carbonates construction materials
silica sand

Land use :

arable land 27.42 %
permanent crops 0.69 %
other 71.89 %

Irrigated land :

400 square km

current issues :

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) had slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges 

international agreements :

Air Pollution Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Air Pollution-Sulfur 85
Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds
Antarctic Seals Antarctic Treaty
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol Antarctic-Marine Living Resources
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 Whaling

Population :

10 414 336 

Indicators :

Growth rate 0.09 %
Birth rate 10.15 births/1,000 population
Total fertility rate 1.65 children born/woman
Death rate 10.44 deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate 1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population

Age structure :

0-14 years 16.10 %
15-64 years 66.30 %
65 years and over 17.60 %

Median age :

total 41.70 years
male 40.40 years
female 43.00 years

Sex ratio :

at birth 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.71 male(s)/female
total population 0.96 male(s)/female

Health :

Infant mortality rate 4.44 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth - total population 79.22 years
Life expectancy at birth - male 76.06 years
Life expectancy at birth - female 82.53 years
HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate 0.20 %
HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS 15 000
HIV-AIDS deaths 100

Religions :

Roman Catholic 75.00 %
other 25.00 %

Languages :

Dutch 60.00 %
French 40.00 %
German less than 1.00 %

Literacy :

total population 99.00 %
male 99.00 %
female 99.00 %

Country name :

conventional long form Kingdom of Belgium
conventional short form Belgium
local long form Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie
local short form Belgique/Belgie

Country Codes :

ISO 3166 BE
ISO Numeric 56
ISO3 BEL
FIPS BE
ccTLD be
English Belgium

Administrative divisions :

3 regions (French: regions, singular - region; Dutch: gewesten, singular - gewest); Brussels-Capital Region, also known as Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest (Dutch), Region de Bruxelles-Capitale (French long form), Bruxelles-Capitale (French short form); Flemish Region (Flanders), also known as Vlaams Gewest (Dutch long form), Vlaanderen (Dutch short form), Region Flamande (French long form), Flandre (French short form); Walloon Region (Wallonia), also known as Region Wallone (French long form), Wallonie (French short form), Waals Gewest (Dutch long form), Wallonie (Dutch short form)| 

Capital :

name Brussels
geographic coordinates 50 50 N, 4 20 E
time difference 1.00
daylight saving time 1

International organization participation :

ACCT ADB (nonregional members)
AfDB (nonregional members) Australia Group
BIS Benelux
CE CERN
EAPC EBRD
EIB EMU
ESA EU
FAO FATF
G-10 G-9
IADB IAEA
IBRD ICAO
ICC ICCt
ICRM IDA
IEA IFAD
IFC IFRCS
IHO ILO
IMF IMO
IMSO IOC
IOM IPU
ISO ITSO
ITU ITUC
Interpol MIGA
MONUC NATO
NEA NSG
OAS (observer) OECD
OIF OPCW
OSCE PCA
Paris Club SECI (observer)
Schengen Convention UN
UNCTAD UNESCO
UNHCR UNIDO
UNIFIL UNMIS
UNRWA UNTSO
UPU WADB (nonregional)
WCO WEU
WFTU WHO
WIPO WMO
WTO ZC

Independence :

1830-10-04 

National holiday :

Ascension to the Throne of King LEOPOLD I

1831-07-21

Executive branch :

King ALBERT II Prime Minister Yves LETERME

Legislative branch :

CDV/N-VA 19.40 %
Open VLD 12.40 %
MR 12.30 %
VB 11.90 %
PS 10.20 %
SP.A-Spirit 10.00 %
CDH 5.90 %
Ecolo 5.80 %
Groen! 3.60 %
Dedecker List 3.40 %
FN 2.30 %
other 2.80 %
CDV/N-VA 18.50 %
MR 12.50 %
VB 12.00 %
Open VLD 11.80 %
PS 10.90 %
SP.A-Spirit 10.30 %
CDH 6.10 %
Ecolo 5.10 %
Dedecker List 4.00 %
Groen! 4.00 %
FN 2.00 %
other 2.80 %

GDP - Gross Domestic product :

PPP - Purchasing Power Parity 381 400 000 000 $
Official Exchange Rate 461 500 000 000
RGR - Real Growth rate -3.40 %
PPP - per capita 36 600 $

GDP Composition by sector :

agriculture 0.80 %
industry 24.50 %
services 74.70 %

Labor force - by occupation :

agriculture 2.00 %
industry 25.00 %
services 73.00 %

Other Indicators :

Labor force 5 010 000 people
Unemployment rate 8.30 %
Population below poverty line 15.20 %
Distribution of family income - Gini index 28.00
Investment (gross fixed) 24.20 % of GDP
Current account balance - 18 920 000 000 $
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 15 650 000 000 $
Debt external 1 354 000 000 000 $
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad 707 500 000 000 $
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home 848 500 000 000 $
Market value of publicly traded shares 386 400 000 000 $
Military expenditures 1.30 % of GDP
Public debt 99.00 % of GDP

Household income or consumption by percentage share :

lowest 10% 3.40 %
highest 10% 28.40 %

Budget :

revenues 204 900 000 000 $
expenditures 230 900 000 000 $

Agriculture - products :

beef fresh vegetables
fruits grain
milk pork
sugar beets tobacco
veal

Industries :

basic metals chemicals
engineering and metal products glass
motor vehicle assembly petroleum
processed food and beverages scientific instruments
textiles transportation equipment

Energy :

Electricity Production 82 170 000 000 kWh
Electricity Consumption 84 880 000 000 kWh
Electricity Exports 6 561 000 000 kWh
Electricity Imports 17 160 000 000 kWh
Oil Production 11 220 bbl/day
Oil Consumption 716 800 bbl/day
Oil Exports 507 500 bbl/day
Oil Imports 1 076 000 bbl/day
Natural gas Consumption 17 330 000 000 cubic metres
Natural gas Imports 17 420 000 000 cubic metres

Value :

296 100 000 000 $

Commodities :

chemicals finished diamonds
foodstuffs machinery and equipment
metals and metal products

Value :

315 000 000 000 $

Commodities :

chemicals foodstuffs
machinery and equipment oil products
pharmaceuticals raw diamonds
raw materials transportation equipment

Communications :

Telephons Main lines in use 4 457 000
Telephons Mobile, Cellular 11 822 000
FM Radio broadcast stations 79
Television broadcast stations 25
Internet Country code (ccTLD) be
Internet Hosts 4 367 000
Internet Users 7 292 000

Transportation :

Airports with paved runways 27
Heliports 1
Pipelines - gas 1 330 km
Pipelines - oil 158 km
Pipelines - refined products 535 km
Roadways - total 152 256 km
Roadways - expressways 1 763 km
Roadways - paved 119 079 km
Roadways - unpaved 33 177 km
Railways 3 233 km
Waterways 2 043 km

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