Official Name: Koninkrijk Belgie (Dutch): Royaume de Belgique (French) (Kingdom of Belgium)
Currency: Euro
Current Exchange Rate: |
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Hemisphere: Northern
Continent: Europe
Location: In W Europe on North Sea. Neighbors: France on W and S, Luxembourg on SE, Germany on E, Netherlands on N
Area: 11,787 sq mi, 30,528 sq km
Form of Government: Federal constitutional monarchy with two legislative chambers (senate 71) and House of Representatives 150)
Population: (2007) 10,597,000
Population Density: (2007) persons per sq mi 899.0, persons per sq km 347.1.
Principal Language(s): Dutch, French, German (all official)
Religions: Roman Catholic 75%, other 25%
Capital: Brussels
Capital Population: 1,024,492
Capital Average Temperature: N/A
Major Cities: Antwerp 464,038, Ghent 233,925, Charleroi 201,456, Liege 187,432.
Topography: Mostly flat, the country is trisected by the Scheldt and Meuse, major commercial rivers. The land becomes hilly and forested in the SE region.
Economy: G.D.P. $ 217 billion
G.D.P. per Capita: $36,500
Vital Statistics: Birth rate per 1,000 population (2005) 11.2 (world average 20.3). Death rate per 1,000 population (2005) 9.8 (world avg. 8.6). Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman 2005) 1.72. Life expectancy at birth (2005): male 76.7 years, female 82.4years.
Government Website: www.belgium.be
Reference Sources: The World Almanac 2009, The New York Times Almanac 2009, Time Almanac 2009, World Climate Website.
