Country: Belgium is a country in Western
Europe. It has borders with the Netherlands in the North,
Germany to the East, Luxembourg in the South-East, France
in the South and across the North Sea in the west, the United
Kingdom. The name "Belgium" is derived from 'Gallia
Belgia "(sometimes listed as Belgica Prima), a Roman
province.
Belgium, independent of the Netherlands since 1830, numbers
10.414.33 people (2009). As regards administration affairs
the country is divided into three regions: the Flemish region
(Flanders), the Walloon region (Wallonia), and the bilingual
Brussels-capital region. Of the population 60% is Dutch-speaking
and 40% French-speaking. 74.000 inhabitants are German-speaking.
In geographical terms Belgium consists of two parts: the lowlands
which belongs to the coastal plain of the North Sea in the
North and the plateau of the Ardennes in the South. The capital
of Belgium is Brussels. Religiously, Belgium is traditionally
a Catholic country.
