NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Belgians

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. Belgium has a population of over ten million people in an area of thirty thousand square kilometres. Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Romance Europe, it is both linguistically and culturally divided. Two major languages are spoken in Belgium: Dutch—sometimes unofficially called Flemish—spoken in Flanders to the north; and French, spoken in Wallonia in the south. The capital, Brussels, is officially bilingual. An officially recognized minority of German speakers is present in the east. This linguistic diversity often leads to political conflict, and is reflected in Belgium's complex system of government and political history. Image File history File links Flag_of_Belgium_(civil). ... Image File history File links Coat of arms for Belgium. ... The state and war flag. ... == [[ Belgiums coat of arms The Coat of Arms of Belgium contains a pair of lions (called the Belgian Lion, or Leo Belgicus), that are the national symbols of the nation. ... This page lists state and national mottos for the worlds independent states and their subdivisions. ... A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that is formally recognized by a countrys government as their states official national song. ... The BrabanÃ§onne is the national anthem of Belgium. ... File links The following pages link to this file: Belgium User:DanielZm/test Template:Belgium infobox ... In politics, a capital (also called capital city or political capital â€” although the latter phrase has an alternative meaning based on an alternative meaning of capital) is the principal city or town associated with its government. ... Emblem of the Brussels-Capital Region Flag of The City of Brussels Brussels (French: Bruxelles, Dutch: Brussel, German: BrÃ¼ssel) is the capital of Belgium, the French community of Belgium, the Flemish community and of the European Union. ... Demographics of Belgium, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands. ... Emblem of the Brussels-Capital Region Flag of The City of Brussels Brussels (French: Bruxelles, Dutch: Brussel, German: BrÃ¼ssel) is the capital of Belgium, the French community of Belgium, the Flemish community and of the European Union. ... An official language is a language that is given a unique legal status in a country, state, or other territory. ... The royal palace in Brussels Successive Belgian kings are 1831-1865: LÃ©opold I (34) 1865-1909: LÃ©opold II (44) 1909-1934: Albert I (25) 1934-1951: LÃ©opold III (16) 1944-1950: Charles, reigned as Prince Regent 1951-1993: Baudouin I (42) Since 1993: Albert II (12) None... This is a list of Prime Ministers of Belgium, known regionally as: Premier Ministre in French, Eerste Minister in Dutch, and Premierminister in German. ... A constitutional monarchy is a form of monarchical government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges a hereditary or elected monarch as head of state. ... Albert II, King of the Belgians (Albert FÃ©lix Humbert ThÃ©odore ChrÃ©tien EugÃ¨ne Marie de Belgique, born Laeken, Belgium, June 6, 1934), is a European constitutional monarch and the current King of the Belgians. ... Guy Verhofstadt Guy Verhofstadt Pronunciation (born April 11, 1953) is the current Prime Minister of Belgium. ... Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830, Egide Charles Gustave Wappers (1834), in the MusÃ©e dArt Ancien, Brussels The Belgian Revolution was a conflict in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands that began with a riot in Brussels in August 1830 and eventually led to the establishment of... This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by area. ... To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here areas between 10,000 kmÂ² and 100,000 kmÂ². ... This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by area. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. ... This is a list of sovereign states and other territories by population, estimated for the year 2005. ... List of countries/dependencies by population density in inhabitants/kmÂ². The figures in the following table are based on areas including inland water bodies (lakes, reservoirs, rivers). ... In economics, purchasing power parity (PPP) is a number used to compare the standard of living of two countries. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... To help compare orders of magnitude this page lists dimensionless numbers between 109 and 1012. ... These are two lists of countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP), the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year. ... This is a list of countries of the world sorted by their gross domestic product (GDP) at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita for the year of 2004, the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year, divided by the average population for... World map indicating HDI of nation-states, 2003. ... 2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of countries by Human Development Index, as included in the United Nations Development Programme Report 2005. ... The euro (symbol: â‚¬; banking code: EUR) is the currency of twelve European Union member states: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain, collectively known as the Eurozone. ... ISO 4217 is an international standard describing three letter codes to define the names of currencies established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ... Time zones are areas of the Earth that have adopted the same standard time, usually referred to as the local time. ... Daylight saving time (also called DST) is the North American term for a system intended to save daylight (the British observe summer time, and likewise the Europeans). ... Central European Time (CET) is one of the names of UTC+1 time zone, 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. ... Coordinated Universal Time or UTC, also sometimes referred to as Zulu time or Z, is an atomic realization of Universal Time (UT) or Greenwich Mean Time, the astronomical basis for civil time. ... Central European Summer Time (CEST) is one of the names of UTC+2 time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. ... Coordinated Universal Time or UTC, also sometimes referred to as Zulu time or Z, is an atomic realization of Universal Time (UT) or Greenwich Mean Time, the astronomical basis for civil time. ... The following is a list of currently existing Internet Top-level domains (TLDs). ... .be is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Belgium. ... // At a glance In depth Zone 1 â€“ North American Numbering Plan Area nanpa. ... Western Europe is distinguished from Eastern Europe by differences of history and culture rather than by geography. ... The Romance languages, also called Romanic languages, are a subfamily of the Italic languages, specifically the descendants of the Vulgar Latin dialects spoken by the common people evolving in different areas after the break-up of the Roman Empire. ... An official or de facto standard Flemish language as such does not exist: there are however variants of the Dutch language (which is one and undivided, as guaranteed by the Taalunie, an organisation set up by the governments of the Netherlands and the Flemish region) spoken in Belgium) which are... This article is about the Belgian region Flanders and the eponymous historical region of the Low Countries. ... National motto: Walon todi ! (Walloon forever!) Official languages French, German Capital Namur Minister-President Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe Area - Total 16,844 km² Population - Total (2002) - Density 3,358,560 inhabitants 199. ... The Brussels-Capital Region (French: R gion de Bruxelles-Capitale, Dutch: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, German: Region Br ssel-Hauptstadt) or Brussels Region (French: R gion Bruxelloise, Dutch: Brusselse Gewest) is one of the three regions of Belgium. ... Belgium is a federal state and is composed of three communities, three regions, and four linguistic regions. ... The History of Belgium before the last 175 years is entwined into that of other European countries, notably that of the Netherlands and of Luxembourg. ...

Belgium derives its name from its first named inhabitants, 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 includes the Netherlands and Luxembourg. From the end of the Middle Ages until the seventeenth century, it was a prosperous center 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."^[1] More recently, Belgium was a founding member of the European Union, hosting its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organisations, such as NATO. The Belgae were a group of nations or tribes living in north-eastern Gaul, on the west bank of the Rhine, in the 1st century BC, and later also attested in Britain. ... This article is about the European people. ... Map of the Roman Empire, with the provinces, after 120 AD. In Ancient Rome, a province (Latin, provincia, pl. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (from Latin Gallia, c. ... The Roman Province of Gallia Belgica in 58 BCE The Roman Province of Gallia Belgica around 120 CE Gallia Belgica was a Roman province located in what is now the southern part of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, northeastern France, and western Germany. ... The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries (see Country) on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse (Maas) rivers. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... The Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain (Spanish Netherlands, 1579-1713), Austria (Austrian Netherlands, 1713-1794) and France (1794-1815). ... The NATO flag NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4...

History

Over the past two millennia, the area that is now known as Belgium has seen significant demographic, political and cultural upheavals. The first well-documented population move was the conquest of the region by the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC, followed in the 5th century by the Germanic Franks. The Franks established the Merovingian kingdom, which became the Carolingian Empire in the 8th century. During the Middle Ages, the Low Countries were split into many small feudal states. Most of them were united in the course of the 14th and 15th centuries by the house of Burgundy as the Burgundian Netherlands. These states gained a degree of autonomy in the 15th century and were thereafter named the Seventeen Provinces. The History of Belgium before the last 175 years is entwined into that of other European countries, notably that of the Netherlands and of Luxembourg. ... See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ... Look up Frank and frank in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses of the term Merovingian, see Merovingian (disambiguation). ... Map of Carolingian Empire The term Carolingian Empire is sometimes used to refer to the realm of the Franks under the dynasty of the Carolingians. ... Feudalism comes from the Late Latin word feudum, itself borrowed from a Germanic root *fehu, a commonly used term in the Middle Ages which means fief, or land held under certain obligations by feodati. ... Coat of arms of the 2nd duchy of Burgundy and later of the French province of Burgundy Burgundy (French: Bourgogne) is a historic region of France, inhabited in turn by Pre-Indo-European people, Celts (Gauls), Romans (Gallo-Romans), and various Germanic peoples, most importantly the Burgundians and the Franks. ... In the history of the Low Countries, the Burgundian Netherlands refers to the period when the dukes of Burgundy ruled the area, as well as Luxembourg and northern France from 1384 to 1477. ... The Seventeen Provinces were a personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 16th century, roughly covering the current Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, a good part of the North of France (Artois, Nord) and a small part of Germany. ...

The history of Belgium can be distinguished from that of the Low Countries from the 16th century. A civil war, the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648), divided the Seventeen Provinces into the United Provinces in the north and the Southern Netherlands in the south. The southern provinces were ruled successively by the Spanish and the Austrian Habsburgs. Until independence, the Southern Netherlands were sought after by numerous French conquerors and were the theatre of most Franco-Spanish and Franco-Austrian wars during the 17th and 18th centuries. Following the Campaigns of 1794 in the French Revolutionary Wars, the Low Countries—including territories that were never under Habsburg rule, such the Bishopric of Liège—were overrun by France, ending Spanish-Austrian rule in the region. The reunification of the Low Countries as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands occurred at the end of the French Empire in 1815. Download high resolution version (591x657, 174 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (591x657, 174 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Seventeen Provinces were a personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 16th century, roughly covering the current Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, a good part of the North of France (Artois, Nord) and a small part of Germany. ... The Bishopric of LiÃ¨ge or Prince-Bishopric of LiÃ¨ge was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in present Belgium. ... The Seventeen Provinces were a personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 16th century, roughly covering the current Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, a good part of the North of France (Artois, Nord) and a small part of Germany. ... Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830, Egide Charles Gustave Wappers (1834), in the Musée dArt Ancien, Brussels File links The following pages link to this file: Belgian Revolution Egide Charles Gustave Wappers Categories: Public domain art ... Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830, Egide Charles Gustave Wappers (1834), in the Musée dArt Ancien, Brussels File links The following pages link to this file: Belgian Revolution Egide Charles Gustave Wappers Categories: Public domain art ... Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830 (1834), Wappers most famous painting, now in the Musée dArt Ancien, Brussels Egide Charles Gustave, Baron Wappers (August 23, 1803 - December 6, 1874), Belgian painter, was born at Antwerp. ... A civil war is a war in which the competing parties are segments of the same country or empire. ... The Eighty Years War, or Dutch Revolt, was the war of secession between the Netherlands and the Spanish king, that lasted from 1568 to 1648. ... The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden/ProvinciÃ«n; also Dutch Republic or United Provinces in short) was a European republic between 1581 and 1795, which is now known as the Netherlands. ... The Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain (Spanish Netherlands, 1579-1713), Austria (Austrian Netherlands, 1713-1794) and France (1794-1815). ... Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy; also used as the flag of the Austrian Empire until the Ausgleich of 1867. ... Early Modern France is the portion of French history that falls in the early modern period from the mid 15th century to the end of the 18th century (or from the French Renaissance to the eve of the French Revolution). ... The French Revolutionary Wars continued from 1793 with few immediate changes in the diplomatic situation as France fought the First coalition. ... The Bishopric of LiÃ¨ge or Prince-Bishopric of LiÃ¨ge was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in present Belgium. ... United Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815 - 1830) (1839) (Dutch: Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden, French: Royaume-Uni des Pays-Bas). ... Arms of the First Empire The First French Empire, commonly known as the French Empire or the Napoleonic Empire, covers the period of the domination of France and much of continental Europe by Napoleon I of France. ...

The 1830 Belgian Revolution led to the establishment of an independent, Catholic and neutral Belgium under a provisional government. Since the installation of Leopold I as king in 1831, Belgium has been a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. Between independence and World War II, the democratic system evolved from an oligarchy characterised by two main parties, the Catholics and the Liberals, to a universal suffrage system that has included a third party, the Belgian Labour Party, and a strong role for the trade unions. Originally, French, which was the adopted language of the nobility and the bourgeoisie was the official language. The country has since developed a bilingual Dutch-French system. Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830, Egide Charles Gustave Wappers (1834), in the MusÃ©e dArt Ancien, Brussels The Belgian Revolution was a conflict in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands that began with a riot in Brussels in August 1830 and eventually led to the establishment of... Leopold I can refer to the following: Leopold I, Markgrave of Austria Leopold I, Duke of Austria and Styria Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I of Belgium Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share... A constitutional monarchy is a form of monarchical government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges a hereditary or elected monarch as head of state. ... A parliamentary system, or parliamentarism, is distinguished by the executive branch of government being dependent on the direct or indirect support of the parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. ... This is the current Improvement Drive collaboration! World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... Oligarchy is a Political regime where most political power effectively rests with a small segment of society (typically the most powerful, whether by wealth, military strength, ruthlessness, or political influence). ... Universal suffrage (also general suffrage or common suffrage) consists of the extension of suffrage, or the right to vote, to all adults, without distinction as to race, sex, belief or social status. ... The Workers Party of Belgium (WPB), Partij van de Arbeid van BelgiÃ« (PVDA) (in Dutch) or Parti du Travail de Belgique (PTB) (in French) is a Belgian communist party. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Lords and Barons prove their Nobility by hanging their Banners and exposing their Coats-of-arms at the Windows of the Lodge of the Heralds. ... Bourgeoisie (RP [], GA []) in modern use refers to the wealthy or propertied social class in a capitalist society. ...

The Berlin Conference of 1885 agreed to hand over Congo to King Leopold II as his private possession, called the Congo Free State. In 1908, it was ceded to Belgium as a colony, henceforth called the Belgian Congo. Belgium's neutrality was violated in 1914, when Germany invaded Belgium as part of the Schlieffen Plan. The former German colonies Ruanda-Urundi—now called Rwanda and Burundi—were occupied by the Belgian Congo in 1916. They were mandated in 1924 to Belgium by the League of Nations. Belgium was again invaded by Germany in 1940 during the blitzkrieg offensive. The Belgian Congo gained its independence on 30 July 1960 during the Congo Crisis, and Ruanda-Urundi became independent in 1962. The Berlin Conference of 1884â€“85 regulated European colonisation and trade in Africa. ... King LÃ©opold II His Majesty King LÃ©opold II of the Belgians (Louis Philippe Marie Victor) (April 9, 1835â€“December 17, 1909), succeeded his father, LÃ©opold I of Belgium, to the Belgian throne in 1865 and remained king until his death. ... The Congo Free State was a kingdom privately and controversially owned by King Leopold II of Belgium that included the entire area now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) between King LÃ©opold IIs formal relinquishment of personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November, 1908, to the dawn of Congolese independence on 30 June, 1960. ... Alfred Graf von Schlieffen The Schlieffen Plan, the German General Staffs overall strategic blueprint for victory on the Western Front against France in the years up to 1914, takes its name from its author, Alfred Graf von Schlieffen. ... This is a list of former German colonies, or Schutzgebiete (protectorates) as they were called in official German. ... Ruanda-Urundi was a Belgian League of Nations Mandate and then UN trust territory from 1924 to 1962 when it became the independent states of Rwanda and Burundi. ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. ... Blitzkrieg relies on close co-operation between infantry and panzers (tanks). ... July 30 is the 211th day (212th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 154 days remaining. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... (You may be looking for the First Congo War, 1996-7, or the Second Congo War, 1998-2002) The Congo Crisis (1960-1965) was a period of turmoil in the First Republic of the Congo that began with national independence from Belgium and ended with the seizing of power by...

After World War II, Belgium joined NATO and, together with the Netherlands and Luxembourg, formed the Benelux group of nations. Belgium was also one of the founding members of the European Economic Community. Belgium hosts the headquarters of NATO and a major part of the European Union's institutions and administrations, including the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and most of the sessions of the European Parliament. During the 20th century, and in particular since World War II, the history of Belgium has been increasingly dominated by the autonomy of its two main language communities. This period saw a rise in intercommunal tensions, and the unity of the Belgian state has come under scrutiny.^[2] Through constitutional reforms in the 1970s and 1980s, regionalisation of the unitary state had led to the establishment of a three-tiered system of federalism, linguistic-community and regional governments, a compromise designed to minimise linguistic tensions. Benelux Benelux Benelux is the region of Europe comprising Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. ... The European Community (EC), most important of three European Communities, was originally founded on March 25, 1957 by the signing of the Treaty of Rome under the name of European Economic Community. ... The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive of the European Union. ... The Council of the European Union forms, along with the European Parliament, the legislative arm of the European Union (EU). ... The European Parliament is the parliamentary body of the European Union (EU), directly elected by EU citizens once every five years. ... politics (or low politics), regionalisation is a process of dividing a political entity â€” typically a country â€” into smaller regions, and transferring power from the central government to the regions. ... Federalism is the idea of a group or body of members that are bound together (latin: foedus, covenant) with a governing representative head. ...

Politics

Belgium is a constitutional popular monarchy and parliamentary democracy that evolved after World War II from a unitary state to a federation. The bicameral parliament is composed of a Senate and a Chamber of Representatives. The former is a mix of directly elected senior politicians and representatives of the communities and regions; while the latter represents all Belgians over the age of eighteen in a proportional voting system. Belgium is one of the few countries that has compulsory voting, thus having one of the highest rates of voter turnout in the world.^[3] The Kingdom of Belgium is a sovereign, independent state. ... Image File history File links Government portrait of Guy Verhofstadt File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Government portrait of Guy Verhofstadt File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Guy Verhofstadt Guy Verhofstadt Pronunciation (born April 11, 1953) is the current Prime Minister of Belgium. ... Popular Monarchy is a system of monarchical governance which came into occasional usage in the nineteenth century1 in which the monarchs title is linked with the people, rather than the state. ... A parliamentary system, or parliamentarism, is distinguished by the executive branch of government being dependent on the direct or indirect support of the parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. ... A map showing the unitary states. ... A federation (from the Latin fÅ“dus, covenant) is a state comprised of a number of self-governing regions (often themselves referred to as states) united by a central (federal) government. ... In government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. ... An aerial view of Parliament of India at New Delhi. ... A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ... There are at least four political assemblies known as the Chamber of Representatives. ... Proportional representation (PR) is an election system which ensures a proportionally representative result of a democratic election, x% of votes should be represented by x% in the democratic institutions, parliament or congress. ... Compulsory voting is a practice that requires citizens to vote in elections or to attend a polling place and get their name crossed off the electoral roll. ... Voters lining up outside a Baghdad polling station during the 2005 Iraqi election. ...

The federal government, formally nominated by the king, must have the confidence of the Chamber of Representatives. It is led by the Prime Minister. The numbers of Dutch- and French-speaking ministers are equal as prescribed by the Constitution.^[4] The King or Queen is the head of state, though he has limited prerogatives. Actual power is vested in the Prime Minister and the different governments, who govern the country. The judicial system is based on civil law and originates from the Napoleonic code. The Court of Appeals is one level below the Court of Cassation, an institution based on the French Court of Cassation. Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister A prime minister may be either: chief or leading member of the cabinet of the top-level government in a country having a parliamentary system of government; or the official, in countries with a semi-presidential system of government, appointed to manage the... The President of the United States visits the President of the Philippines. ... // The Royal Prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity, recognised in common law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy as belonging to the Crown alone. ... List of the Belgian Federal, Regional, and Community Governments (as of 13 June 2004) // Federal Government Flemish Government This is the counterpart of the Government of the French Community and the Government of the Walloon Region Government of the French Community Government of the German-speaking Community Government of the... Civil law is a codified system of law that sets out a comprehensive system of rules that are applied and interpreted by judges. ... First page of the 1804 original edition The original Napoleonic Code, or Code NapolÃ©on (originally called the Code civil des franÃ§ais, or civil code of the French), was the French civil code, established at the behest of NapolÃ©on I. It entered into force on March 21, 1804. ... Court of Appeals is the title of certain appellate courts in various jurisdictions. ... The Cour de cassation is the main court of last resort in France. ... The Cour de cassation is the main court of last resort in France. ...

Belgium's political institutions are complex; most political power is organised around the need to represent the main language communities. Since around 1970, the significant national Belgian political parties has split into distinct components that mainly represent the interests of these communities. The major parties in each community belong to three main political families: the right-wing Liberals, the centrist Christian Democrats, and the left-wing Social Democrats. Other important younger parties are the Green parties and, especially in Flanders, the nationalist and far-right parties. Politics is strongly influenced by powerful lobby groups, such as trade unions and business interests in the form of the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium, or the Roman Catholic Church and the Freemasonry. A political party is a political organization that subscribes to a certain ideology and seeks to attain political power within a government. ... The examples and perspective in this article do not represent a worldwide view. ... Liberal Party is the name of dozens of political parties around the world. ... In politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes. ... Christian Democracy is a political ideology, born at the end of the 19th century, largely as a result of the papal encyclical Rerum Novarum of Pope Leo XIII, in which the Vatican recognizes workers misery and agrees that something should be done about it, in reaction to the rise of... The examples and perspective in this article do not represent a worldwide view. ... Social democracy is a political ideology emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from supporters of Marxism who believed that the transition to a socialist society could be achieved through democratic evolutionary rather than revolutionary means. ... This article is about the green parties around the world. ... // Nationalism is an ideology which holds that the nation, ethnicity or national identity is a fundamental unit of human social life, and makes certain political claims based upon that belief; above all, the claim that the nation is the only legitimate basis for the state, and that each nation is... The Far Right, Radical Right, or Hard Right are terms used by many scholars to discuss political groups, movements, and political parties that are located to the right of mainstream electoral conservatism. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the Christian Church led by the Pope, currently Benedict XVI, and whose adherents constitute almost half of all Christians worldwide. ... the Square and Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organisation. ...

The current king, Albert II, succeeded King Baudouin in 1993. In 1999, Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt from the VLD has led a six-party Liberal-Social Democrat-Greens coalition, often referred to as 'the rainbow government'. This was the first government without the Christian Democrats since 1958.^[5] In the 2003 elections, Verhofstadt won a second term in office and has led a Liberal-Social Democrat coalition of four parties.^[6] More recently however, the steady rise of the Flemish ultra-right nationalist separatist party Vlaams Belang, has superseded the Vlaams Blok amidst concerns of racism promoted by the party. ^[7]^[8] Image File history File links King_Albert_II_of_Belgium_2. ... Image File history File links King_Albert_II_of_Belgium_2. ... Albert II, King of the Belgians (Albert FÃ©lix Humbert ThÃ©odore ChrÃ©tien EugÃ¨ne Marie de Belgique, born Laeken, Belgium, June 6, 1934), is a European constitutional monarch and the current King of the Belgians. ... Albert II, King of the Belgians (Albert FÃ©lix Humbert ThÃ©odore ChrÃ©tien EugÃ¨ne Marie de Belgique, born Laeken, Belgium, June 6, 1934), is a European constitutional monarch and the current King of the Belgians. ... King Baudouin, (also spelled Boudewijn, Balduin or Baldwin) born Albert Charles LÃ©opold Axel Marie Gustave, (7 September 1930 - 31 July 1993), reigned as King of the Belgians from 1951 to 1993. ... Guy Verhofstadt Guy Verhofstadt Pronunciation (born April 11, 1953) is the current Prime Minister of Belgium. ... The Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten or VLD (Flemish Liberals and Democrats) is a Flemish liberal party, created in 1992 from the former PVV and a few other politicians from other parties. ... A coalition is an alliance between entities, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest. ... The May 18, 2003 Belgian general elections were the first Belgian elections to be held under a new electoral code. ... Separatism involves setting oneself or others apart. ... Vlaams Belang (English: Flemish Interest) is a right-wing Belgian political party. ... The Flemish Block (Dutch: Vlaams Blok) was a Flemish right-wing nationalist political party which rejected the state of Belgium, calling for political independence for the Flemish half of the country. ...

A significant achievement of the two successive Verhofstadt governments has been the achievement of a balanced budget; Belgium is one of the few member-states of the EU to have done so. This policy was applied by the successive governments during the 1990s under pressure from the European Council. The fall of the previous government was mainly due to the dioxin crisis,^[9] a major food intoxication scandal in 1999 that led to the establishment of the Belgian Food Agency.^[10] This event resulted in an atypically large representation by the Greens in parliament, and a greater emphasis on environmental politics during the first Verhofstadt government. One Green policy, for example, resulted in nuclear phase-out legislation, which has been modified by the current government. The absence of Christian Democrats from the ranks of the government has enabled Verhofstadt to tackle social issues from a more liberal point of view and to develop new legislation on the use of soft drugs, same-sex marriage and euthanasia. During the two most recent parliaments, the government has promoted active diplomacy in Africa,^[11] opposed a military intervention during the Iraq disarmament crisis, and has passed legislation concerning war crimes. Both of Verhofstadt's terms have been marked by disputes between the Belgian communities. The major points of contention are the nocturnal air traffic routes at Brussels Airport and the status of the electoral district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde. The European Council, sometimes informally called the European Summit, is a meeting of the heads of state or government of the European Union, and the President of the European Commission (not to be confused with the Council of the European Union, or the Council of Europe). ... Structure of Tetrachlorobenzodioxin Dioxins form a family of toxic chlorinated organic compounds that bioaccumulate in humans and wildlife because they are soluble in lipids (fat). ... A nuclear power plant at Grafenrheinfeld, Germany. ... This article discusses liberalism as a major political ideology as it developed and stands currently, rather than specific ideologies contained to specific countries. ... The term soft drug is given sometimes to a range of drugs that are supposed to be less harmful than other drugs, called hard drugs. ... On January 30, 2003, Belgium became the second country in the world to legally recognize same-sex marriage. ... Euthanasia (Greek: ÎµÏ…Î¸Î±Î½Î±ÏƒÎ¯Î± - ÎµÏ… good, Î¸Î±Î½Î±Ï„Î¿Ï‚ death) refers to assisted dying. ... The issue of Iraqs disarmament reached a crisis in 2002-2003, when George W. Bush demanded a complete end to alleged Iraqi production and use of weapons of mass destruction and that Iraq comply with UN Resolutions requiring UN inspectors unfettered access to areas those inspectors thought might have... Belgiums War Crimes Law, extended the concept of universal jurisdiction to allow anyone to bring war crime charges in Belgian courts, regardless of where the alleged crimes have taken place. ... Brussels Airport (IATA: BRU, ICAO: EBBR) (Dutch: Luchthaven Brussel, French: lAÃ©roport de Bruxelles), also called Brussels National Airport or Zaventem Airport, is an international airport located in Zaventem, in Flanders, near Brussels, Belgium. ... Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde (often abbreviated as BHV) is a contentious Belgian electoral district in the center of the country that encompasses both the officially bilingual Brussels-Capital region as well as an officially unilingual Dutch-speaking area, Halle-Vilvoorde, around it. ...

The royal palace in Brussels Successive Belgian kings are 1831-1865: Leopold I 1865-1909: Leopold II 1909-1934: Albert I 1934-1951: Leopold III 1944-1950: Charles, reigned as Prince Regent 1951-1993: Baudouin I Since 1993: Albert II None of these were King of Belgium: their title is... The Belgian Federal Parliament is a bicameral parliament, it consists of two chambers. ... The executive branch of the Belgian federal government consists of ministers and secretaries of state (junior ministers or smaller departments) drawn from the political parties which form the government coalition. ... This is a list of Prime Ministers of Belgium, known regionally as: Premier Ministre in French, Eerste Minister in Dutch, and Premierminister in German. ... Belgium has a multi-party political system, with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments. ...

Communities and regions

The country's constitution was revised on 14 July 1993 to create a unique federal state, based on three levels: Belgium is a federal state and is composed of three communities, three regions, and four linguistic regions. ... Image File history File links 350px-Belgium_RegProv_border. ... Image File history File links 350px-Belgium_RegProv_border. ... This article is about the Belgian region Flanders and the eponymous historical region of the Low Countries. ... National motto: Walon todi ! (Walloon forever!) Official languages French, German Capital Namur Minister-President Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe Area - Total 16,844 kmÂ² Population - Total (2002) - Density 3,358,560 inhabitants 199. ... Council of the German Speaking Community in Belgium (Eupen) Flag of the German-speaking community in Belgium The German-Speaking Community of Belgium (Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft Belgien in German, short DGB) is one of the three federal communities in Belgium. ... LiÃ¨ge is the easternmost province of Wallonia and of Belgium. ... The Brussels-Capital Region (French: R gion de Bruxelles-Capitale, Dutch: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, German: Region Br ssel-Hauptstadt) or Brussels Region (French: R gion Bruxelloise, Dutch: Brusselse Gewest) is one of the three regions of Belgium. ... July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

Conflicts between the bodies are resolved by the Court of Arbitration. The setup allows a compromise to distinctly different cultures live together peacefully. This article is in need of attention. ... The French Community of Belgium (French: Communauté française de Belgique, Dutch: Franse Gemeenschap van België) is one of the three official communities in Belgium along with the Flemish Community and the German speaking Community. ... Council of the German Speaking Community in Belgium (Eupen) Flag of the German-speaking community in Belgium The German-Speaking Community of Belgium (Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft Belgien in German, short DGB) is one of the three federal communities in Belgium. ... This article or section should be merged with Flemish region The Flemish region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium (alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region). ... National motto: Walon todi ! (Walloon forever!) Official languages French, German Capital Namur Minister-President Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe Area - Total 16,844 km² Population - Total (2002) - Density 3,358,560 inhabitants 199. ... The Brussels-Capital Region (French: R gion de Bruxelles-Capitale, Dutch: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, German: Region Br ssel-Hauptstadt) or Brussels Region (French: R gion Bruxelloise, Dutch: Brusselse Gewest) is one of the three regions of Belgium. ... The Court of Arbitration of Belgium plays a central role within the federal Belgian state. ...

The Flemish Community absorbed the Flemish Region in 1980 to form the government of Flanders^[12]. The overlapping boundaries of the Regions and Communities have created two notable peculiarities: the territory of the Brussels-Capital Region is included in both Flemish and French Communities, and the territory of the German-speaking Community lies wholly within the Walloon Region. Flemish and Walloon regions are furthermore subdivided in administrative entities, the provinces. This article is about the Belgian region Flanders and the eponymous historical region of the Low Countries. ...

At the highest level of this three-tiered setup is the federal government which manages foreign affairs, development aid, defence, military, police, economic management, social welfare, social security transport, energy, telecommunications, and scientific research, limited competencies in education and culture, and the supervision of taxation by regional authorities. The federal government controls more than 90 per cent of all taxation. The community governments are responsible for the promotion of language, culture and education in mostly schools, libraries and theatres. The third tier is the Regional governments, who manage mostly land and property based issues such as housing, transportation etc. For example, the building permit for a school building in Brussels belonging to the public school system would be regulated by the regional government of Brussels. However, the school as an institution would fall under the regulations of the Flemish government if the primary language of teaching is Dutch, but under the French Community government if the primary language is French. The executive branch of the Belgian federal government consists of ministers and secretaries of state (junior ministers or smaller departments) drawn from the political parties which form the government coalition. ... Foreign Affairs is an American journal of international relations. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with foreign aid. ... The words defense or defence can refer to any of the following: For defense of a doctoral dissertation see thesis committee For the military term see defense (military) Civil defense measures and emergency preparedness In politics, defense may be a euphemism for war For legal defense see defense (legal) For... Social welfare can mean: the welfare or well-being of a society. ... For specific national programs, see Social Security (United States), National insurance (UK), Social Security (Sweden) Social security mainly refers to a field of social welfare concerned with social protection, or protection against socially recognized needs, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment, families with children and others. ...

Geography

Belgium, with an area of 30,528 km², has three main geographical regions: the coastal plain in the north-west, the central plateau, and the Ardennes uplands in the south-east. The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes and polders. Polders are areas of land, close to or below sea level that have been reclaimed from the sea, from which they are protected by dikes or, further inland, by fields that have been drained with canals. The second geographical region, the central plateau, lies further inland. This is a smooth, slowly rising area that has many fertile valleys and is irrigated by many waterways. Here one can also find rougher land, including caves and small gorges. Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, LiÃ¨ge, Bruges and Namur are the seven largest cities of Belgium, with populations above 100,000 This article is about the geography of Belgium. ... Image File history File links A map of Belgium from the CIA World Factbook, update of Jul 28, 2005. ... Image File history File links A map of Belgium from the CIA World Factbook, update of Jul 28, 2005. ... Emblem of the Brussels-Capital Region Flag of The City of Brussels Brussels (French: Bruxelles, Dutch: Brussel, German: BrÃ¼ssel) is the capital of Belgium, the French community of Belgium, the Flemish community and of the European Union. ... The Cathedral of our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, Antwerp) in the Handschoenmarkt, in the old quarter of Antwerp is the largest cathedral in the Low Countries and home to a number of triptychs by Renaissance Belgian painter Rubens. ... Ghent (once Gaunt in English, Gent in Dutch, Gand in French) is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of East Flanders, of which it is the capital. ... Charleroi (Walloon: TchÃ¥lerwÃ¨) is a city and a municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. ... LiÃ¨ge (Dutch: Luik, German: LÃ¼ttich; before 1946, the citys name was written LiÃ©ge, with the acute accent) is a major city located in the Belgian province of LiÃ¨ge, of which it is the capital. ... Sometimes referred to as the Venice of the North, Bruges has many waterways that run through the city. ... Namur, the Meuse, the Walloon parliament and the citadel. ... The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests and rolling hill country, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France (lending its name to the Ardennes département and the Champagne-Ardenne région). ... Satellite image of Noordoostpolder, Netherlands A polder is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. ... A dike (or dyke) is an earthen wall, constructed as a defence or as a boundary. ... A gorge is a narrow passage between steep mountains or hills. ...

The third geographical region, called the Ardennes, is more rugged than the first two. It is a thickly forested plateau, very rocky and not very good for farming, which extends into northern France. This is where much of Belgium's wildlife can be found. Belgium's highest point, the Signal de Botrange is located in this region at only 694 metres. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1979 KB) Self-made picture, end of December 2004. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1979 KB) Self-made picture, end of December 2004. ... The Hautes Fagnes (-French, in German: Hohes Venn, English translation: high fens) is a highland in Belgium and Germany, between the Ardennes and the Eifel highlands. ... The 6m high tower at the Signal de Botrange The Signal de Botrange is the highest point in Belgium, located in the Hautes Fagnes, at 694 m above sea level. ...

The climate is maritime temperate, with significant precipitation in all seasons (Köppen climate classification: Cfb; the average temperature is 3°C in January, and 18°C in July; the average precipitation is 65 mm in January, and 78 mm in July).^[13] In geography, temperate latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. ... The KÃ¶ppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. ...

Economy

Densely populated, Belgium is located at the heart of one of the world's most highly industrialised regions. Belgium, a highly developed market economy, belongs to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a group of leading industrialized democracies. ...

Belgium was the first continental European country to undergo the Industrial Revolution, in the early 1800s. Liège and Charleroi rapidly developed mining and steelmaking, which flourished until the mid-20th century. However, by the 1840s the textile industry of Flanders was in severe crisis and there was famine in Flanders (1846–50). After World War II, Ghent and Antwerp experienced a fast expansion of the chemical and petroleum industries. The 1973 and 1979 oil crises sent the economy into a prolonged recession. The Belgian steel industry has since experienced serious decline. This has been responsible for inhibiting the economic development of Wallonia.^[14] In the 1980s and 90s, the economic centre of the country continued to shift northwards to Flanders. Nowadays, industry is concentrated in the populous Flemish area in the north. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 731 KB)The author, FranÃ§ois Schreuer, made this picture available from [1] within the creative commons [2] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 731 KB)The author, FranÃ§ois Schreuer, made this picture available from [1] within the creative commons [2] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Meuse is a dÃ©partement in northeast France, named after the Meuse River. ... LiÃ¨ge (Dutch: Luik, German: LÃ¼ttich; before 1946, the citys name was written LiÃ©ge, with the acute accent) is a major city located in the Belgian province of LiÃ¨ge, of which it is the capital. ... The Industrial Revolution was the major technological, socioeconomic and cultural change in the late 18th and early 19th century resulting from the replacement of an economy based on manual labour to one dominated by industry and machine manufacture. ... LiÃ¨ge (Dutch: Luik, German: LÃ¼ttich; before 1946, the citys name was written LiÃ©ge, with the acute accent) is a major city located in the Belgian province of LiÃ¨ge, of which it is the capital. ... Charleroi (Walloon: TchÃ¥lerwÃ¨) is a city and a municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. ... Ghent (once Gaunt in English, Gent in Dutch, Gand in French) is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of East Flanders, of which it is the capital. ... The Cathedral of our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, Antwerp) in the Handschoenmarkt, in the old quarter of Antwerp is the largest cathedral in the Low Countries and home to a number of triptychs by Renaissance Belgian painter Rubens. ... A chemical substance is any material substance used in or obtained by a process in chemistry: A chemical compound is a substance consisting of two or more chemical elements that are chemically combined in fixed proportions. ... Nodding donkey pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario Petroleum (from Greek petra â€“ rock and oleum â€“ oil), crude oil, sometimes colloquially called black gold, is a thick, dark brown or greenish liquid. ... At the height of the crisis in the United States, drivers of vehicles with odd numbered license plates were allowed to purchase gasoline only on odd-numbered days of the month, while drivers with even-numbers were limited to even-numbered days. ... (Redirected from 1979 oil crisis) The 1979 (or second) energy crisis occurred in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. ... National motto: Walon todi ! (Walloon forever!) Official languages French, German Capital Namur Minister-President Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe Area - Total 16,844 kmÂ² Population - Total (2002) - Density 3,358,560 inhabitants 199. ...

By the end of the 1980s, Belgian macroeconomic policies had resulted in a cumulative government debt of about 120% of GDP. Currently, although the government has recently succeeded in balancing its budget, public debt is nearly 100% of GDP.^[15] In 2004, the real growth rate of GDP was estimated at 2.7% ^[16] but is expected to fall to 1.3% in 2005.^[17]

Belgium has a particularly open economy. It has developed an excellent transportation infrastructure of ports, canals, railways and highways to integrate its industry with that of its neighbours. Antwerp is the second-largest European port. One of the founding members of the European Union, Belgium strongly supports the extension of the powers of EU institutions to integrate the member economies. In 1999, Belgium adopted the euro, the single European currency, which replaced the Belgian franc in 2002. The Belgian economy is strongly oriented towards foreign trade, in particular of high value-added goods. The main imports are food products, machinery, rough diamonds, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, clothing and accessories, and textiles. The main exports are automobiles, food and food products, iron and steel, finished diamonds, textiles, plastics, petroleum products, and nonferrous metals. Since 1922, Belgium and Luxembourg have been a single trade market within a customs and currency union—the Belgian-Luxembourgian Economic Union. Its main trading partners are Germany, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States and Spain. Belgium ranks ninth on the 2005 United Nations Human Development Index. An open economy is an economy in which people, including businesses, can trade in goods and services with other people and businesses in the international community at large. ... This article is about transportation in Belgium. ... The euro (symbol: â‚¬; banking code: EUR) is the currency of twelve European Union member states: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain, collectively known as the Eurozone. ... The Belgian franc (Dutch Belgische frank, French franc belge) was the currency of Belgium before the adoption of the euro. ... A customs union is a free trade zone with a Common External Tariff. ... In economics, a monetary union is a situation where several countries have agreed to share a single currency among them, for example, the East Caribbean Dollar. ... The examples and perspective in this article do not represent a worldwide view. ...

Demographics

The population density (342 per km²) is one of the highest in Europe, after the Netherlands and some smaller countries such as Monaco. The areas with the highest population density are around the Brussels-Antwerp-Ghent-Leuven agglomerations, as well as other important urban centres as Liège, Charleroi, Kortrijk, Bruges, Hasselt and Namur. The Ardennes have the lowest density. As of 2005, the Flemish Region has a population of about 6,043,161, Wallonia 3,395,942 and Brussels 1,006,749.^[18] Almost all of the population is urban (97.3% in 1999^[19]). The main cities and their populations are Brussels (1,006,749), Antwerp (457,749), Ghent (230,951), Charleroi (201,373), and Liège (185,574).^[20] Demographics of Belgium, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands. ... // Location The Gothic Leuven Town Hall Leuven listen â–¶(?) is the capital of the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. ... Charleroi (Walloon: TchÃ¥lerwÃ¨) is a city and a municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. ... Kortrijk (French: Courtrai) is a city and municipality located in West Flanders, Belgium. ... Sometimes referred to as the Venice of the North, Bruges has many waterways that run through the city. ... Hasselt is a city in Belgium, capital of the province of Belgian Limburg. ... Namur, the Meuse, the Walloon parliament and the citadel. ...

About 60% of the country is Dutch-speaking, 40% French-speaking, and 1% German-speaking. However, these figures must be interpreted cautiously, because the most recent linguistic census was taken before 1960, and the mother tongue is not always the same as the language used in public or in official life. Brussels is officially French-Dutch bilingual, but mostly French speaking; it evolved from a Dutch-speaking place to its current dominantly French character when the Belgian state became independent in 1830. Download high resolution version (683x640, 50 KB)Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg, Brussels, Belgium (taken from French wikipedia [1]). File links The following pages link to this file: Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Belgium Categories: GFDL images ... Download high resolution version (683x640, 50 KB)Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg, Brussels, Belgium (taken from French wikipedia [1]). File links The following pages link to this file: Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Belgium Categories: GFDL images ... Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels The Basilica of the Sacred Heart or Koekelberg Basilica (French: Basilique du Sacré-Coeur or Basilique de Koekelberg, Dutch: Basiliek van het Heilig Hart or Basiliek van Koekelberg) is the fifth largest church in the world, and is located in Brussels, Belgium. ... The royal palace in Brussels Successive Belgian kings are 1831-1865: Leopold I 1865-1909: Leopold II 1909-1934: Albert I 1934-1951: Leopold III 1944-1950: Charles, reigned as Prince Regent 1951-1993: Baudouin I Since 1993: Albert II None of these were King of Belgium: their title is...

Both the Dutch spoken in Belgium and the Belgian French have minor differences in vocabulary and semantic nuances from the varieties spoken in France and the Netherlands. Many people can still speak dialects of Flemish and Walloon. These dialects, along with some other ones like Picard or Limburgish,^[21] are not used in public life. Belgian French is the variety of French spoken by the french speakers of Belgium, alongside related minority regional languages like the Walloon language, the Picard language, Champenois and Gaumais. ... A vocabulary is a set of words known to a person or other entity, or that are part of a specific language. ... In general, semantics (from the Greek semantikos, or significant meaning, derived from sema, sign) is the study of meaning, in some sense of that term. ... A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος) is a variant, or variety, of a language spoken in a certain geographical area. ... An official or de facto standard Flemish language as such does not exist: there are however variants of the Dutch language (which is one and undivided, as guaranteed by the Taalunie, an organisation set up by the governments of the Netherlands and the Flemish region) spoken in Belgium) which are... Walloon (Walon) is a regional Romance language spoken as a second language by some in Belgium. ... Picard is a language closely related to French, and as such is one of the larger group of Romance languages. ... Limburgian (Dutch: Limburgs, German: Limburgisch, French: Limbourgeois) is a group of Franconian varieties, spoken in the Limburg and Selfkant regions, near the common Dutch/Flemish(Belgium)/German border. ...

The laïque constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this right in practice. According to the 2001 Survey and Study of Religion,^[22] about 47% of the population identify themselves as belonging to the Catholic Church. According to these figures, the Muslim population is the second largest religious community, at 3.5% (see Religion in Belgium). Since independence, Catholicism, counterbalanced by strong freethought movements, has had an important role in Belgium's politics, in particular via the Christian trade union (CSC/ACV) and the Christian Democrat parties (CD&V, CDH). In France and some other French-speaking countries, laïcité (pronounced /laisite/ IPA/X-SAMPA) is a prevailing conception of the separation of church and state and the absence of religious interference into government affairs (and conversely). ... In Belgium, Roman Catholicism is the majority religion, accounting for between 75% and 80% of the population, although as of 2004 only about 10% to 20% of the population regularly goes to church. ... Freethought is the practice of attempting to form ones opinions independently of or unlimited by tradition, authority, established belief, preconception, prejudice or any agenda that might compromise the free exercise of thought. ... Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams (CD&V) (Christian Democratic and Flemish) is a political party in Belgium, formerly called Christelijke Volkspartij (CVP) (Christian Peoples Party). ... The Humanist Democratic Centre (French: Centre D mocrate Humaniste or CDH) is a centrist, christian-democrat, Belgian French-speaking political party. ...

98% of the adult population is literate.^[23] Education is compulsory from the ages of six to 18, but many Belgians continue to study until the age of about 23. Among the OECD countries in 1999, Belgium had the third highest proportion of 18–21-year-olds enrolled in postsecondary education, at 42%.^[24] Nevertheless, in recent years, concern is rising over certain forms of illiteracy, such as functional illiteracy. In the period 1994–98, 18.4% of the population lacks functional literacy skills.^[25] Mirroring the historical political conflicts between the freethought and Catholic segments of the population, the Belgian educational system in each communities is split into a laïque branch controlled by the communities, the provinces, or the municipalities, and a subsidised religious—mostly Catholic—branch controlled by both the communities and the religious authorities—usually the dioceses. Literacy is the ability to use text to communicate across space and time. ... The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organization of those developed countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and a free market economy. ... Post-secondary education is a form of secondary education that is taken after first attending a secondary school, such as a high school. ... Literacy is the ability to use text to communicate across space and time. ... Functional illiteracy refers to the inability of an individual to use reading, speaking, writing, and computational skills efficiently in everyday life situations. ... In France and some other French-speaking countries, laïcité (pronounced /laisite/ IPA/X-SAMPA) is a prevailing conception of the separation of church and state and the absence of religious interference into government affairs (and conversely). ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ...

Culture

Belgian cultural life has tended to concentrate within each community. The shared element is less important, because there are no bilingual universities, except the royal military academy, no common media, and no single, common large cultural or scientific organisation where both main communities are represented. Aside from these differences, Belgium is well-known for its fine art and architecture. A discussion of Belgian culture requires discussing both those aspects of cultural life shared by all or most of the Belgians, regardless of what language they speak, and also, the differences between the main cultural communities, the Flemings and the French-speakers from Brussels and Wallonia. ...

The region corresponding to today's Belgium has seen the flourishing of major artistic movements that have had tremendous influence over European art. The Mosan art, the Early Netherlandish, the Flemish Renaissance and Baroque painting, and major examples of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture, and the Renaissance vocal music of the Dutch School developed in the southern part of the Low Countries, are milestones in the history of art. Mosan art or Rheno-Mosan art is medieval art from the valleys of the Meuse and Rhine, in present-day Belgium and Rhineland, from the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries. ... Early Netherlandish painting is a term art historians use to designate a group of painters who were active primarily in the Southern Netherlands in the 15th and early 16th centuries. ... By region Italian Renaissance Spanish Renaissance Northern Renaissance French Renaissance German Renaissance English Renaissance The Renaissance, also known as Il Rinascimento (in Italian), was an influential cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern European history. ... Adoration, by Peter Paul Rubens: dynamic figures spiral down around a void: draperies blow: a whirl of movement lit in a shaft of light, rendered in a free bravura handling of paint In arts, the Baroque (or baroque) is both a period and the style that dominated it. ... Interior of the Saint-Saturnin church St-Sernin basilica, Toulouse, 1080 â€“ 1120: elevation of the east end Romanesque sculpture, cloister of St. ... See also Gothic art. ... By region Italian Renaissance Spanish Renaissance Northern Renaissance French Renaissance German Renaissance English Renaissance Renaissance Architecture: The cultural movement called the Renaissance (which literally means re-birth) was just that in architecture, a rebirth of the Roman traditions of design recognized by contemporaries in the term alllAntica, in the... For the Baroque style in a more general sense, see Baroque. ... Vocal music is music performed by one or more singers, with or without instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. ... In music, the Dutch School refers, somewhat imprecisely, to the style of polyphonic vocal music composition in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. ...

This rich artistic production, often referred to as a whole as Flemish art, gradually declined during the second half of the 17th century. However, in the 19th and 20th centuries, many original artists appeared. In music, Adolphe Sax invented the saxophone in 1846. Eugène Ysaÿe was a major 19th- and 20th-century Belgian violinist (See also Music of Belgium). In architecture, Victor Horta was a major initiator of the Art Nouveau style. Belgium has produced famous romantic, expressionist and surrealist painters; these include Egide Wappers, James Ensor, Constant Permeke and René Magritte. In literature, Belgium has produced several well-known authors, such as the poets Emile Verhaeren, Jacques Brel and novelists Hendrik Conscience and Georges Simenon. The poet and playwright Maurice Maeterlinck won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1911. The best known Franco-Belgian comics are The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé but many other major authors of comics have been Belgian, including Edgar P. Jacobs and André Franquin. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (882x513, 121 KB)James Ensor: The Entry of Christ into Brussels, 1888 [Malibu] - entry_in. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (882x513, 121 KB)James Ensor: The Entry of Christ into Brussels, 1888 [Malibu] - entry_in. ... James Sidney Ensor, Baron Ensor (April 13, 1860â€“November 19, 1949), was a Belgian painter whose unique portrayals of grotesque humanity made him a principal precursor of 20th-century expressionism and surrealism. ... Perhaps you mean: The Chevrolet Malibu, a type of automobile, or Malibu, a beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California Malibu Comics, a comic book publisher Malibu Rum, a coconut based rum from Barbados Malibu Surfboard, a classic california shape board getting its name from the secret spot in... Life-size statue of Adolphe Sax outside his birthplace in Dinant, Belgium. ... Saxophones of different sizes play in different registers. ... EugÃ¨ne YsaÃ¿e EugÃ¨ne YsaÃ¿e (July 16, 1858 â€“ May 12, 1931) was a Belgian violinist and composer. ... Belgium is a cultural crossroads where Flemish Dutch-speaking and Walloon French-speaking inhabitants mix with German minorities and immigrant communities from Republic of the Congo and other distant countries. ... Maison and Atelier Horta, designed in 1898, now the Horta Museum, dedicated to his work. ... Alfons Mucha, lithographed poster Dancel (1898). ... Romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement in the history of ideas that originated in late 18th century Western Europe. ... The Scream by Edvard Munch (1893) which inspired 20th century Expressionists Portrait of Eduard Kosmack by Egon Schiele Rehe im Walde by Franz Marc On White II by Wassily Kandinsky, 1923. ... Surrealism is a cultural, artistic, and intellectual movement oriented toward the liberation of the mind by emphasizing the critical and imaginative faculties of the unconscious mind and the attainment of a state different from, more than, and ultimately truer than everyday reality: the sur-real, i. ... Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830 (1834), Wappers most famous painting, now in the Musée dArt Ancien, Brussels Egide Charles Gustave, Baron Wappers (August 23, 1803 - December 6, 1874), Belgian painter, was born at Antwerp. ... James Sidney Ensor, Baron Ensor (April 13, 1860â€“November 19, 1949), was a Belgian painter whose unique portrayals of grotesque humanity made him a principal precursor of 20th-century expressionism and surrealism. ... Constant Permeke (1886 â€” 1952) is a Belgian painter who is considered the leading figure of Flemish expressionism. ... The Treachery Of Images (La trahison des images) (1928-1929) // RenÃ© FranÃ§ois Ghislain Magritte RenÃ© FranÃ§ois Ghislain Magritte (November 21, 1898 â€“ August 15, 1967) was a surrealist artist, born in Lessines, Belgium. ... Emile Verhaeren (May 21, 1855- November 27, 1916) was a Belgian poet writing in the French language, and one of the chief founders of the school of Symbolism. ... Brel on a cover of Les Adieux Ã¡ lOlympia concert album (1966) Jacques Brel (April 8, 1929 â€“ October 9, 1978) was a Belgian French-speaking author-composer, considered by many a poet as well, for the strong power of expression in his lyrics. ... Hendrik Conscience (born December 3, 1812 in Antwerp â€“ died September 10, 1883 in Antwerp) was a Flemish writer. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck, Belgian author Count Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (August 29, 1862 - May 6, 1949) was a Belgian poet, playwright, and essayist. ... The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words of Alfred Nobel, produced the most outstanding work of an idealistic tendency. The work in this case generally refers to an authors work as a whole, not to any individual... Tintin, one of the most famous Belgian comics Franco-Belgian comics are comics written in Belgium and France. ... The Adventures of Tintin (originally Les Aventures de Tintin), drawn and written by the Belgian writer-artist Georges Remi a. ... Georges Remi HergÃ© Georges Remi (May 23, 1907 - March 3, 1983), better known by the pen name HergÃ©, was a Belgian comics writer and artist. ... Edgard Félix Pierre Jacobs, (b. ... AndrÃ© Franquin (January 3, 1924 â€“ January 5, 1997) was a Belgian cartoonist, perhaps best known for his humorous comic strip creation Gaston and the Marsupilami. ...

More recently, notable cinema directors have emerged, most of them strongly influenced by French cinema. The absence of a major Belgian cinema company has forced them to emigrate or participate in low-budget productions. Belgian directors include Stijn Coninx, Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne; actors include Jan Decleir, Marie Gillain; and films include Man Bites Dog and The Alzheimer Affair. In the 1980s, Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts has produced the important fashion trendsetters, the Antwerp Six. France has been influential in the development of film as a mass medium and as an art form. ... Luc Dardenne is a belgian filmmaker. ... Jean-Pierre Dardenne (born April 21, 1951 in Engis, LiÃ¨ge, Belgium) is a filmmaker. ... Jan Decleir (February 14, 1946), born in Niel is Belgiums most famous actor. ... Marie Gillain, actress (born 18 June 1975 LiÃ¨ge, Belgium) Trivia Is the heroine of the John Malkovitchs play on scene Hysteria. Is a model for cosmetics company LancÃ´me Brief filmography LEnfer (2005) - Anne Tout le plaisir est pour moi (2004) - Louise aka The Pleasure Is All... Man Bites Dog is also a daily news report series in Belgium. ... The Alzheimer Case film poster The Alzheimer Case (a. ... The Antwerp Six refers to a group of influential fashion designers from Antwerps Royal Academy of Fine Arts that emerged in the 1980s and presented a distinct vision for fashion that established Antwerp as a notable location for fashion design. ...

Belgium has also contributed to the development of science and technology. The mathematician Simon Stevin, the anatomist Andreas Vesalius and the cartographer Gerardus Mercator are among the most influential scientists from the beginning of Early Modern in the Low Countries. More recently, at the end of the 19th century, in applied science, the chemist Ernest Solvay and the engineer Zenobe Gramme have given their names to the Solvay process and the Gramme dynamo. Georges Lemaître is a famous Belgian cosmologist credited with proposing the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe in 1927. Three Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine have been awarded to Belgians: Jules Bordet in 1919, Corneille Heymans in 1938, and Albert Claude and Christian De Duve in 1974. Ilya Prigogine was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1977. Mathematics is often defined as the study of topics such as quantity, structure, space, and change. ... Simon Stevin Simon Stevin (1548/49 â€“ 1620) was a Belgian mathematician and engineer. ... Anatomical drawing of the human muscles from the EncyclopÃ©die. ... Andreas Vesalius or Andreas Vesal (1514 - Belgian anatomist and the author of the first complete textbook on human anatomy: De Humanis Corporis Fabrica (On the workings of the Human Body) (Basel, 1543). ... Cartography or mapmaking (in Greek chartis = map and graphein = write) is the study and practice of making maps or globes. ... Gerardus Mercator (March 5, 1512 â€“ December 2, 1594) was a Flemish cartographer of Dutch descent, remembered for the Mercator projection named after him. ... The early modern period is a term used by historians to refer to the period in Western Europe and its first colonies, between the Middle Ages and modern society. ... Applied science is the exact science of applying knowledge from one or more natural scientific fields to practical problems. ... Look up chemist on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The portrait of participants to the first Solvay Conference in 1911. ... Engineering applies scientific and technical knowledge to solve human problems. ... Zénobe Théophile Gramme (April 4, 1826 - January 20, 1901) was a Belgian electrical engineer. ... The Solvay process, also referred to as the ammonia-soda process is the major industrial process used in the production of soda ash (sodium carbonate). ... The Gramme dynamo was an electrical generator patented in 1870 by Belgian engineer Zénobe Gramme (April 4, 1826 - January 20, 1901). ... Georges-Henri LemaÃ®tre (July 17, 1894 â€“ June 20, 1966) was a Belgian Roman Catholic priest and astronomer. ... Cosmology, from the Greek: κοσμολογία (cosmologia, κόσμος (cosmos) world + λογια (logia) discourse) is the study of the universe in its totality and by extension mans place in it. ... According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe originated in an extremely dense and hot state (bottom). ... List of Nobel Prize laureates in Physiology or Medicine from 1901 to the present day. ... Biography he sucks ... Dr. Corneille Jean François Heymans (March 28, 1892 - July 18, 1968) was a Belgian physiologist who received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1938 for for showing how blood pressure and oxygen content of the blood are measured by the body and transmitted to the brain. ... Albert Claude (August 24, 1899 â€“ May 22, 1983) was a Belgian biologist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1974. ... Christian de Duve (born October 2, 1917) is a biochemist. ... Ilya Prigogine (January 25, 1917 â€“ May 28, 2003) was a Belgian physicist and chemist noted for his work on dissipative structures, complex systems, and irreversibility. ... This is a list of Nobel Prize laureates in Chemistry from 1901 to the present day. ...

One could not understand Belgian cultural life without considering the folk festivals, which play a major role in the country's cultural life. Examples are the Carnival of Binche, the Ducasse of Ath, the procession of the Holy Blood in Bruges, the 15th-of-August festival in Liège, and the Walloon festival in Namur. A major non-official holiday is the Saint Nicholas Day, which commemorates the festival of the children and, in Liège, of the students. Binche is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. ... This article is about the Belgian municipality. ... Saint Nicholas, also known as Nikolaus in Germany and Sinterklaas (a contracted form of Sint Nicolaas) in the Netherlands and Flanders, is the common name for the historical Saint Nicholas of Myra, who lived in 4th century Byzantine Anatolia, (now in modern Turkey) and had a reputation for secret gift...

Belgium is well represented in the world of sport—football (soccer) and cycling are especially popular. The national football team is the Red Devils. Among the well known cyclists, Eddy Merckx, won five Tours de France. Belgium also has two current female tennis champions: Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne. Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Confederation of African Football (CAF) Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) The Current Laws of the Game (LOTG) The Rec. ... Cycling is a recreation, a sport, and a means of transport across land. ... First International Belgium 3 - 3 France (Brussels, Belgium; 1 May 1902) Largest win Belgium 9 - 0 Zambia (Brussels, Belgium; 4 June 1994) Belgium 10 - 1 San Marino (Brussels, Belgium; 28 February 2001) Worst defeat England amateur 11 - 2 Belgium (London, England; 17 April 1909) World Cup Appearances 11 (First in... Red Devils may be: The Red Devils are the Parachute Regiments parachute display team. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Tour de France (French for Tour of France), often referred to as La Grande Boucle, Le Tour or The Tour, is an epic long distance road bicycle racing competition for professionals held over three weeks in July in and around France. ... Kim Clijsters IPA â–¶(?) , (born on June 8, 1983, Bilzen, Belgium) is a former World No. ... Justine Henin-Hardenne ( â–¶(?)) (born June 1, 1982, LiÃ¨ge, Belgium) is a former World No. ...

Many highly ranked restaurants can be found in the high-impact gastronomic guides, such as the Michelin Guide. Brands of Belgian chocolate, like Neuhaus, are world renowned and widely sold; even the cheapest and most popular brand, Leonidas, has earned a reputation for its quality. Belgium produces over 500 varieties of beer (ales, pils) (see Belgian beer). Belgians have a reputation for loving waffles and French fries, both originally from Belgium; the national food is steak (or mussels) with French fries. The Michelin Guide or Michelin Red Guide is a guide book about restaurants and hotels, published by the Michelin company. ... Neuhaus is a producer and retailer of Belgian chocolates. ... Leonidas is a chocolate manufacturer based in Belgium that also has a U.S. presence (four stores in New York and one in Chicago). ... Ale is an ancient word for a fermented alcoholic beverage obtained chiefly from malted barley. ... Pilsener or pilsner is a type of lager beer. ... Pierlala beer is one of the artisanal Belgian beers Belgian beer comprises the most varied and numerous collection of beers in the world. ... Belgian waffles are a type of waffle identified by their larger size, lighter batter and higher grid pattern which forms deep pockets. ... French fries (also, less controversially simply fries or chips) are pieces of potato that have been deep-fried. ...