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Belgium |
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| Background: |
Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830 and was occupied
by Germany during World Wars I and II. It has 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
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| Geographic
coordinates: |
50 50 N, 4 00 E |
| Map
references: |
Europe
|
| Area: |
total: 30,510 sq km
land: 30,230 sq km
water: 280 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
about the size of Maryland |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 1,385 km
border countries: France 620
km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km |
| Coastline: |
66 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
continental shelf: median line with neighbors
territorial
sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: median line with
neighbors (extends about 68 km from coast) |
| 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: North Sea 0 m
highest point: Signal
de Botrange 694 m |
| Natural
resources: |
coal, natural gas |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 25%
permanent crops: 0%
note:
includes Luxembourg (1998 est.)
other: 75% |
| Irrigated
land: |
40 sq km (includes Luxembourg) (1998 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from
the sea by concrete dikes |
| Environment
- 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) have slowed progress in tackling environmental
challenges |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,
Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine
Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but
not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants |
| Geography
- note: |
crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals within
1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and NATO
|
| Population: |
10,289,088 (July 2003 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 17.2% (male 905,856; female 865,589)
15-64
years: 65.6% (male 3,400,419; female 3,346,182)
65 years
and over: 17.2% (male 725,162; female 1,045,880) (2003 est.) |
| Median
age: |
total: 40 years
male: 38.7 years
female:
41.3 years (2002) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.14% (2003 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
10.45 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
10.07 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population:
0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
total: 4.57 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
3.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 5.16 deaths/1,000
live births |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 78.29 years
male: 74.97 years
female: 81.78 years (2003 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.62 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Belgian(s)
adjective: Belgian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11% |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25% |
| Languages: |
Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less
than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French) |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total
population: 98%
male:
female:
|
| Economy
- overview: |
This modern private enterprise economy has capitalized on its central
geographic location, highly developed transport network, and diversified
industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated mainly in the
populous Flemish area in the north. With few natural resources, Belgium
must import substantial quantities of raw materials and export a large
volume of manufactures, making its economy unusually dependent on the
state of world markets. About three-quarters of its trade is with other
EU countries. Public debt is about 100% of GDP, and the government has
succeeded in balancing its budget. Belgium, together with 11 of its
EU partners, began circulating euro currency in January 2002. Economic
growth in 2001-02 dropped sharply due to the global economic slowdown.
Prospects for 2003 again depend largely on recovery in the EU and the
US. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $297.6 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
0.6% (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $29,000 (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 1.3%
industry: 24.4%
services:
74.3% (2001) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
4% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 23% (1996) |
| Distribution
of family income - Gini index: |
28.7 (1996) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
1.7% (2002 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
4.44 million (2001) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services 73%, industry 25%, agriculture 2% (1999 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
7.2% (2002 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $113.4 billion
expenditures: $106
billion, including capital expenditures of $7.17 billion (2000) |
| Industries: |
engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, processed food
and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum,
coal |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
4.5% (2000 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
74.28 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 38.4%
hydro: 0.6%
other:
1.7% (2001)
nuclear: 59.3% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
78.18 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
6.712 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
15.82 billion kWh (2001) |
| Oil
- production: |
0 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
| Oil
- consumption: |
595,100 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
| Oil
- exports: |
450,000 bbl/day (2001) |
| Oil
- imports: |
1.042 million bbl/day (2001) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork,
milk |
| Exports: |
$162 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products,
foodstuffs |
| Exports
- partners: |
EU 73.3% (Germany 18.9%, France 16.3%, Netherlands 11.7%, UK 9.8%),
US 7.7% (2002) |
| Imports: |
$152 billion f.o.b. (2001) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals and metal products, foodstuffs
|
| Imports
- partners: |
EU 71.4% (Germany 17.4%, Netherlands 15.6%, France 12.6%, UK 7.2%),
US 6.3% (2002) |
| Debt
- external: |
$28.3 billion (1999 est.) |
| Economic
aid - donor: |
ODA, $764 million (1997) |
| Currency: |
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary
Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial
institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became
the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
|
| Currency
code: |
EUR |
| Exchange
rates: |
euros per US dollar - 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386
(1999), 36.2986 (1998) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year
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