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SOCIAL STUDIES FACT CARDS
COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD |
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BELGIUM
(BEL-juhm)
Copyright © by Toucan
Valley Publications, Inc.
During its history, Belgium has been both a trade center and a battleground for its European neighbors. It is populated by two cultural groups often in tension: the Dutch (Flemish) in the north, and the French (Walloons) in the south, considered generally to be more conservative than the Flemish. The country is 75% Catholic, and has produced many outstanding works of religious art and architecture.
Belgium's place in the art world is secured by Flemish artist Jan van Eyck (1400s), Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1500s), Anthony Van Dyck and Peter Paul Rubens (1600s). In the 1800s, a Belgian musical instrument maker named Adolphe Sax invented the saxophone.
Despite its short coastline, Belgium is a maritime nation. The Port of Antwerp, on the Schelde River which flows to the North Sea, is important for foreign trade. Belgian lace, linen, crystal, and diamonds grace the formal affairs of the world. Belgium's chocolate is legendary.
THE LAND
Location: on the North Sea, with France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg as neighbors.
Terrain: northern plain, central river lowlands, southern wooded plateau rising over 2,000 ft.
Climate: maritime climate, rainy and foggy, with cool summers and mild winters.
Area: 11,783 square miles (ranks 136th of 193 countries)
Highest point: 2,277 feet (Signal de Botrange)
Lowest point: 0 feet (North Sea)
Greatest distances: north-south: 140 miles; east-west: 170 miles
Coastline: 40 miles
Wildlife: sandpiper, snipe, pheasant, boar, wildcats, deer, muskrat, hamster
Plants and trees: oak, beech, silver birch, elm, spruce, Corsican pine
THE PEOPLE
People in Belgium are called: Belgians
Population (2010): 10,423,493 (ranks 79th of 194 countries)
Ethnic Groups:
| Fleming (from Dutch descent) |
58% |
| Walloon (from French descent) |
31% |
| other |
11% |
Religion:
| Roman Catholic |
75% |
| other |
25% |
Population growth rate: 0.1% (2010)
Population density: 885 persons per square mile
Largest cities (with population):
Brussels (1,018,804)
Antwerp (461,496)
Ghent (233,120)
Charleroi (201,300)
Liege (187,086)
Population living in cities: 97%
Life expectancy: 79.4 years (2010)
Languages spoken: Dutch (official); French (official); German (official)
Education: school is required for children of ages 6 to 16
Literacy: 99% persons age 15 and over can read and write
Popular foods: famous for mussels, chocolates, and 300 varieties of beer; pork, fish, variety of international dishes
Sports: soccer, cycling, hunting, fishing, pigeon racing
Music: classical, jazz, popular music, piano, violin
Holidays:
| May 1 |
Labor Day |
| Jul 21 |
Independence Day |
| Nov 11 |
Veterans' Day |
Famous Belgians:
Gerhard Mercator (16th century) - geographer and map maker
Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) - artist and court painter
for Archduke Albert
Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949) - Nobel Prize poet and playwright
Paul-Henri Charles Spaak (1899-1972) - politician and statesman
Georges Simenon (1903-89) - author, creator of mystery series featuring
Commissioner Maigret
HISTORY
Celtic tribes called Belgae settled the area about 100 BC. They were defeated by the Romans about 50 BC and the area became Gaul. Frankish rulers Clovis (in the AD 400s) and then Charlemagne (ruled 768-814) conquered Belgium and made it part of their empires in the Middle Ages. A 300-year feudal period followed, with merchants, manufacturers, and artisans gaining status and developing their trades.
The Low Countries, which included Holland, Belgium, Austria, and part of France, were claimed by Spain in 1516. Austrians and French contested for the Low Countries after the Netherlands was established in 1648. Belgium and the Netherlands became one in 1815; then Belgium separated and became independent in 1830. A period of industrialization followed the building of a national railroad.
During World Wars I and II, Germany occupied Belgium and was driven out by Allied forces. After the wars, Belgium was the first to recover and stabilize. It was a founding member of the United Nations, which had a Belgian (Paul-Henri Spaak) as the first president of the General Assembly. Belgium was also a founding member of NATO and the European Economic Community. The European Union headquarters is in Belgium.
In the 1960s, Belgium gave up the African territories in the Congo and Ruanda-Urundi which it had colonized in the 1880s.
Since the 1970s, Belgium’s French, Dutch, and German cultural and language groups have each played a part in governing the country. A new constitution in 1994 gave each linguistic region more local control, but the north (Dutch Flemish) and south (French Walloon) regions have continuing disputes. The capital, Brussels, has a dual (French and Dutch) official language. This issue brought the resignation of the prime minister in 2010; he remains as a caretaker until a new government can be formed.
THE ECONOMY
Money: Euro (EUR); EUR 0.73 = US$1 (2010)
Gross Domestic Product (value of all good and services, 2010): us$ 394.9 billion, or us$ 37,900 per person (ranks 20th of 194 countries)
Unemployment rate (2010): 8.1%
Inflation rate (2010): 2.3%
Industries: motor vehicle assembly, processed food and beverages, textiles, petroleum
Crops: sugar beets, tobacco, apples, pears, cherries
Livestock: cattle, pigs, sheep, horses
Natural resources: coal, natural gas, diamonds
Exports (2010): us$ 279.2 billion
Imports (2010): us$ 281.7 billion
Major trading partners: Germany, Netherlands, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, United States
GOVERNMENT
The
square flag with three equal vertical stripes of black, yellow, and red was
first used in 1789 when Belgians attempted to overthrow Austrian rule. The
design, inspired by the French tricolor, was adopted in 1831. Black, yellow,
and red were colors of former Belgian provinces.
Established: 1830
Capital: Brussels
Type: federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Chief of state: King Albert II
Head of government: Yves Leterme
Legislature: 71-member Senate; 150-member Chamber of Deputies
Voting rights: all persons age 18 and older must vote
National anthem: The Song of Brabant
POINTS OF INTEREST
St. Bavon Cathedral in Ghent is a majestic high Gothic structure housing the “Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” altarpiece by Herbert and Jan van Eyck.
The Atomium, created by Andre Waterkeyn for the 1958 Brussels Worlds Fair, is a model of a molecule of iron. There is a restaurant and observation area at the top.
The Brussels Comic Museum has over 25,000 comics and print plates for this popular art form.
The Port of Antwerp, best seen by boat tour, is visited annually by over 20,000 seagoing vessels from 70 nations.
Centuries of Belgian artists (Jan van Eyck, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Anton Van Dyck, Peter Paul Rubens) left a heritage of paintings.