The Kingdom of Belgium (Dutch: Koninkrijk België; French: Royaume de Belgique; German: Königreich Belgien) is a country in northwest Europe bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France and is one of the founding and core members of the European Union. Belgium has a population of over ten million people, in an area of around 30,000 square kilometres (11,700 square miles), mostly Flemish (over 6 million), a large minority of French-speakers (4 million, 3/4 of them Walloon) and a tiny German-speaking group. Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Romance Europe, it is linguistically divided. Two major languages are spoken in Belgium: Dutch is mainly spoken in Flanders to the north, while French in Wallonia in the south. The capital, Brussels, is officially bilingual, while the majority of its residents speak French and an officially-recognized German-speaking minority is present, in the east of the country. This linguistic diversity often leads to political and cultural conflict and is reflected in Belgium's complex system of government and political history.

Belgium derives its name from the Belgae, a group of mostly Celtic tribes, and from the Roman province in northern Gaul, known as Gallia Belgica. Historically, Belgium has been a part of the Low Countries, which also include the Netherlands and Luxembourg and were covering a somewhat larger region than the current Benelux group of states. From the end of the Middle Ages until the seventeenth century, it was a prosperous centre of commerce and culture. From the sixteenth century until independence in 1830, Belgium, called at that time the Southern Netherlands, was the site of many battles between the European powers, and has been dubbed "the cockpit of Europe."Nuttall encyclopedia More recently, Belgium was a founding member of the European Union, hosting its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, such as NATO.

History

---

More on [ Belgium ]

Belgium - Twitter Search

Domino's becomes number one in Belgium: http://bit.ly/5EJTEi via @ - story keeps getting better for Domino's which is listed on the ASX
GlennWalford (Glenn Walford) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:40:59 -0000
Domino's becomes number one in Belgium: http://bit.ly/5EJTEi via @ - story keeps getting better for Domino's which is listed on the ASX
I'm entertaining myself with Belgium beer and reading the @districtcycling blog. Probably go raccoon hunting next...
neilroad (Neil Browne) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:39:54 -0000
I'm entertaining myself with Belgium beer and reading the @districtcycling blog. Probably go raccoon hunting next...
Project Lead Production: Project Lead Production Head Quartered in Belgium this organisation is leading world wide... http://bit.ly/4UbjIE
jobsinbelgium (Jobs in Belgium) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:30:23 -0000
Project Lead Production: Project Lead Production Head Quartered in Belgium this organisation is leading world wide... http://bit.ly/4UbjIE
Customer Service Representative (Belgium): Belgian Customer Service Representatives - Greenock, Scotland You`re fl... http://bit.ly/8bEt2R
jobsinbelgium (Jobs in Belgium) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:30:20 -0000
Customer Service Representative (Belgium): Belgian Customer Service Representatives - Greenock, Scotland You`re fl... http://bit.ly/8bEt2R
Senior Inhouse MM/SD: In house Senior MM/SD Consultant Location: Belgium South of Brussels Multinational Market Le... http://bit.ly/8LVQKp
jobsinbelgium (Jobs in Belgium) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:30:10 -0000
Senior Inhouse MM/SD: In house Senior MM/SD Consultant Location: Belgium South of Brussels Multinational Market Le... http://bit.ly/8LVQKp
In house Senior WM/MM consultant: In house Senior WM/MM Consultant Location: Belgium South of Brussels Multination... http://bit.ly/7K3Ug9
jobsinbelgium (Jobs in Belgium) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:30:09 -0000
In house Senior WM/MM consultant: In house Senior WM/MM Consultant Location: Belgium South of Brussels Multination... http://bit.ly/7K3Ug9

Subscribe to Belgium RSS feed