By the end of the 1980s, Belgian macroeconomic policies had resulted in a cumulative government debt of about 120% of GDP. (Belgische Strijdkrachten Duitsland), This page was last edited on 14 July 2020, at 21:22. [59], The government led by Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt from 1999 to 2007 achieved a balanced budget, some tax reforms, a labor-market reform, scheduled nuclear phase-out and instigated legislation allowing more stringent war crime and more lenient soft drug usage prosecution. The plateaus of the Ardennes are more rough and rocky. After the campaigns of 1794 in the French Revolutionary Wars, the Low Countries were added into the French First Republic. [199][200][201] [53] Things to Do in Belgium, Europe: See Tripadvisor's 609,240 traveler reviews and photos of Belgium tourist attractions. Since 1922, through the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union, Belgium and Luxembourg have been a single trade market with customs and currency union. While the 15th century's art in the Low Countries is dominated by the religious paintings of Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden, the 16th century is characterized by a broader panel of styles such as Peter Breughel's landscape paintings and Lambert Lombard's representation of the antique. EFFECTIFS, MOUVEMENTS. This is particularly the case in eastern Wallonia and areas along the French border. In 2010, commuters to the cities of Brussels and Antwerp spent respectively 65 and 64 hours a year in traffic jams. The Belgian driver, Jacky Ickx, won eight Grands Prix and six 24 Hours of Le Mans and finished twice as runner-up in the Formula One World Championship. [54] A major addition to science was also due to a Belgian, Georges Lemaître. [77], Based on the four language areas defined in 1962–63 (the Dutch, bilingual, French and German language areas), consecutive revisions of the country's constitution in 1970, 1980, 1988 and 1993 established a unique form of a federal state with segregated political power into three levels:[78][79], The constitutional language areas determine the official languages in their municipalities, as well as the geographical limits of the empowered institutions for specific matters. Brussels hosts the headquarters of many major international organizations such as NATO. During the 8th century the kingdom of the Franks evolved and became the Carolingian Empire. [39][needs update] It lies between latitudes 49°30' and 51°30' N, and longitudes 2°33' and 6°24' E.[40], Belgium has three main geographical regions; the coastal plain in the northwest and the central plateau both belong to the Anglo-Belgian Basin, and the Ardennes uplands in the southeast to the Hercynian orogenic belt. Walloon, considered either as a dialect of French or a distinct Romance language,[146][147] is now only understood and spoken occasionally, mostly by elderly people. Advice from locals about top things to do. In addition, most Jewish children in Antwerp receive a Jewish education. This ended Austrian rule in the area. Further inland lies a smooth, slowly rising landscape irrigated by numerous waterways, with fertile valleys and the northeastern sandy plain of the Campine (Kempen). The Parliamentary elections in Belgium on 13 June 2010 saw the Flemish nationalist N-VA become the largest party in Flanders, and the Socialist Party PS the largest party in Wallonia. The effects of the Second World War made collective security a priority for Belgian foreign policy. [37][38] Its land area alone is 30,278 km2. In 870 in the Treaty of Meersen, modern Belgium lands all became part of the western kingdom, and in 880 in the Treaty of Ribemont, Lotharingia came under the lasting control of the Holy Roman Emperor, but the lordships and bishoprics along the "March" (frontier) between the two great kingdoms maintained important connections between each other. It is a founding member of the European Union and is home to its headquarters.

These include James Ensor and other artists in the Les XX group, Constant Permeke, Paul Delvaux and René Magritte. [150] Belgium officially recognizes three religions: Christianity (Catholic, Protestantism, Orthodox churches and Anglicanism), Islam and Judaism.[156]. [E], The total number of native Dutch speakers is estimated to be about 6.23 million, concentrated in the northern Flanders region, while native French speakers number 3.32 million in Wallonia and an estimated 870,000 (or 85%) in the officially bilingual Brussels-Capital Region. From September 1944 to February 1945 the Allies liberated Belgium. The country emerged in 1830 following the Belgian Revolution, when it seceded from the Netherlands. Before 2018, its total area was believed to be 30,528 km2 (11,787 sq mi). The capital city of Belgium is Brussels, where the European Union, NATO and other famous organisations are based. Many of these fiefdoms were united in the Burgundian Netherlands of the 14th and 15th centuries. The former is made up of 50 senators appointed by the parliaments of the communities and regions and 10 co-opted senators. [45] Averages for the years 2000 to 2006 show daily temperature minimums of 7 °C (44.6 °F) and maximums of 14 °C (57.2 °F) and monthly rainfall of 74 mm (2.9 in); these are about 1 °C and nearly 10 millimetres above last century's normal values, respectively. The judicial system is based on civil law and originates from the Napoleonic code. This recognition became official in 1898, and in 1967, the parliament accepted a Dutch version of the Constitution.

Belgium also has a strong reputation in motocross. [103] In the 1980s and 1990s, the economic center of the country continued to shift northwards and is now concentrated in the populous Flemish Diamond area.[104]. Starting in about 1900 many people did not like how he treated the Congolese people. [150], Roman Catholicism has traditionally been Belgium's majority religion; being especially strong in Flanders. [64][65][66] From 21 December 2007 until 20 March 2008 the temporary Verhofstadt III Government was in office. The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé is the best known of Franco-Belgian comics, but many other major authors, including Peyo (The Smurfs), André Franquin (Gaston Lagaffe), Dupa (Cubitus), Morris (Lucky Luke), Greg (Achille Talon), Lambil (Les Tuniques Bleues), Edgar P. Jacobs and Willy Vandersteen brought the Belgian cartoon strip industry a worldwide fame. [161], For the first time in Belgian history, the first child was euthanized following the 2-year mark of the removal of the euthanization age restrictions. In 2009 the yearly defence budget was $6 billion. The largest group of immigrants in Belgium are Moroccans, with 400,000 people. On 22 April 2010, Leterme again offered the resignation of his cabinet to the king[70] after one of the coalition partners, the OpenVLD, withdrew from the government, and on 26 April 2010 King Albert officially accepted the resignation.[71]. After World War II, the people made king Leopold III leave his throne in 1951.

[62], Verhofstadt's coalition fared badly in the June 2007 elections. Health care service are payable by the patient and reimbursed later by health insurance institutions, but for ineligible categories (of patients and services) so-called 3rd party payment systems exist. [69], After Herman Van Rompuy was designated the first permanent President of the European Council on 19 November 2009, he offered the resignation of his government to King Albert II on 25 November 2009. Nowadays, to a certain extent, cultural life is concentrated within each language Community, and a variety of barriers have made a shared cultural sphere less pronounced. Belgium has three main geographical regions. Protestants comprised 2.1% and Orthodox Christians were the 1.6% of the total. [63] This crisis was such that many observers speculated on a possible partition of Belgium. It is a founding member of the European Union and is home to its headquarters.