Category:   World Travel Directory  :  Europe  :  Belgium
The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO and the OECD. Belgium covers an area of 30,528 km2 (11,787 square miles) and has a population of about 10.7 million.

Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Romance Europe, it is linguistically divided. Mainly two languages are spoken in Belgium: Dutch is spoken by the 6 million people in Flanders to the north, French by the 3.3 million Walloons in the south.

The capital, Brussels, is officially bilingual, while the majority of its residents speak French. Around 70,000 people live in the German-speaking Community 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. Source

Belgium Facts

Population: 11 million

Capital: Brussels

Currency: Euro

Area: 30,528 km2

Language: Dutch, French, German

Main Religion: Christian

Calling Code: +32

Time Zone: GMT + 1

Main Cities: Aalst, Antwerpen, Brugge, Brussel, Charleroi, Genk, Gent, Hasselt, Kortrijk, La Louviere, Leuven, Liege, Mechelen, Mons, Namur, Oostende, Roeselare, Seraing, Sint-Niklaas, Tournai