BELGIUM
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 30,510 km2; land area: 30,230 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries: 1,385 km total; France 620 km, Germany 167 km,
Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km
Coastline: 64 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: not specific;
Exclusive fishing zone: equidistant line with neighbors (extends
about 68 km from coast);
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid,
cloudy
Terrain: flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills,
rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Natural resources: coal, natural gas
Land use: arable land 24%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and
pastures 20%; forest and woodland 21%; other 34%, includes irrigated
NEGL%
Environment: air and water pollution
Note: majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of
Brussels; crossroads of Western Europe; Brussels is the seat of the EC
PEOPLE
Population: 9,921,910 (July 1991), growth rate 0.1% (1991)
Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 81 years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1991)
Nationality: noun--Belgian(s); adjective--Belgian
Ethnic divisions: Fleming 55%, Walloon 33%, mixed or other 12%
Religion: Roman Catholic 75%, remainder Protestant or other
Language: Flemish (Dutch) 56%, French 32%, German 1%; legally
bilingual 11%; divided along ethnic lines
Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1980 est.)
Labor force: 4,200,000; services 69%, industry 28%, agriculture
3% (1988)
Organized labor: 70% of labor force
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: Kingdom of Belgium
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Brussels
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (French--provinces,
singular--province; Flemish--provincien, singular--provincie);
Antwerpen, Brabant, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur,
Oost-Vlaanderen, West-Vlaanderen
Independence: 4 October 1830 (from the Netherlands)
Constitution: 7 February 1831, last revised 8-9 August 1980; the
government is in the process of revising the Constitution, with the aim
of federalizing the Belgian state
Legal system: civil law system influenced by English constitutional
theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: National Day, 21 July (ascension of King Leopold
to the throne in 1831)
Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, five deputy prime
ministers, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper
chamber or Senate (Flemish--Senaat, French--Senat) and a lower chamber
or Chamber of Representatives (Flemish--Kamer van
Volksvertegenwoordigers, French--Chambre des Representants)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Flemish--Hof van
Cassatie, French--Cour de Cassation)
Leaders:
Chief of State--King BAUDOUIN I (since 17 July 1951);
Heir Apparent Prince ALBERT of Liege (brother of the King; born 6
June 1934);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Wilfried MARTENS,
(since April 1979, with a 10-month interruption in 1981)
Political parties and leaders:
Flemish Social Christian (CVP), Herman van ROMPUY, president;
Walloon Social Christian (PSC), Gerard DEPREZ, president;
Flemish Socialist (SP), Frank VANDENBROUCKE, president;
Walloon Socialist (PS), Guy SPITAELS, president;
Flemish Liberal (PVV), Guy VERHOFSTADT, president;
Walloon Liberal (PRL), Antoine DUQUESNE, president;
Francophone Democratic Front (FDF), Georges CLERFAYT, president;
Volksunie (VU), Jaak GABRIELS, president;
Communist Party (PCB), Louis van GEYT, president;
Vlaams Blok (VB), Karel DILLEN;
other minor parties
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
Elections:
Senate--last held 13 December 1987 (next to be held by
January 1992);
results--CVP 19.2%, PS 15.7%, SP 14.7%, PVV 11.3%, PRL 9.3%,
VU 8.1%, PSC 7.8%, ECOLO-AGALEV 7.7%, VB 2.0%, VDF 1.3%,
other 1.96%;
seats--(106 total) CVP 22, PS 20, SP 17, PRL 12, PVV 11, PSC 9, VU 8,
ECOLO-AGALEV 5, VB 1, FDF 1;
Chamber of Representatives--last held 13 December 1987
(next to be held by January 1992);
results--CVP 19.45%, PS 15.66%, SP 14.88%, PVV 11.55%, PRL 9.41%,
PSC 8.01%, VU 8.05%, ECOLO-AGALEV 7.05%, VB 1.90%, FDF 1.16%, other
2.88%;
seats--(212 total) CVP 43, PS 40, SP 32, PVV 25, PRL 23,
PSC 19, VU 16, ECOLO-AGALEV 9, FDF 3, VB 2
Communists: under 5,000 members (December 1985 est.)
Other political or pressure groups: Christian and Socialist Trade
Unions; Federation of Belgian Industries; numerous other associations
representing bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal
and medical professions; various organizations represent the cultural
interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as the
Flemish Action Committee Against Nuclear Weapons and Pax Christi
Member of: ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE,
CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-9, G-10, GATT, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NATO, NEA, OAS
(observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOGIP,
UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Juan CASSIERS; Chancery at
3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 333-6900;
there are Belgian Consulates General in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, and New York;
US--Ambassador Maynard W. GLITMAN; Embassy at 27 Boulevard du
Regent, B-1000 Brussels (mailing address is APO New York 09667-1000);
telephone 32 (2) 513-3830; there is a US Consulate General in Antwerp
Flag: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow,
and red; the design was based on the flag of France
ECONOMY
Overview: This small private-enterprise economy has capitalized
on its central geographic location, highly developed transport
network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is
concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north, although
the government is encouraging reinvestment in the southern region
of Walloon. With few natural resources Belgium must import essential raw
materials, making its economy closely dependent on the state of world
markets. Over 70% of trade is with other EC countries. During
the period 1988-90 Belgium's economic performance was marked by buoyant
output growth, moderate inflation, and a substantial external surplus.
Real GDP grew by an average of 3.9% in 1988-90. However, the economy
is likely to slow in 1991-92 to below 3% GDP growth.
GDP: $144.8 billion, per capita $14,600; real growth rate 3.3%
(1990)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate: 8.2% est. (1991 est.)
Budget: revenues $45.0 billion; expenditures $55.3 billion,
including capital expenditures of NA (1989)
Exports: $106 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.) Belgium-Luxembourg
Economic Union;
commodities--iron and steel, transportation equipment,
tractors, diamonds, petroleum products;
partners--EC 74%, US 5%, Communist countries 2% (1989)
Imports: $108 billion (c.i.f., 1989) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic
Union;
commodities--fuels, grains, chemicals, foodstuffs;
partners--EC 73%, US 4%, oil-exporting less developed countries 4%,
Communist countries 3% (1989)
External debt: $28.8 billion (1990 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 1.3% (1991 est.); accounts
for almost 30% of GDP
Electricity: 17,325,000 kW capacity; 62,780 million kWh produced,
6,350 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: engineering and metal products, processed food and
beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum, coal
Agriculture: accounts for 2% of GDP; emphasis on livestock
production--beef, veal, pork, milk; major crops are sugar beets, fresh
vegetables, fruits, grain, and tobacco; net importer of farm products
Economic aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $5.8
billion
Currency: Belgian franc (plural--francs); 1 Belgian franc (BF) =
100 centimes
Exchange rates: Belgian francs (BF) per US$1--31.102 (January
1991), 33.418 (1990), 39.404 (1989), 36.768 (1988), 37.334 (1987), 44.672
(1986), 59.378 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: Belgian National Railways (SNCB) operates 3,667 km
1.435-meter standard gauge, government owned; 2,563 km double track;
1,978 km electrified; 191 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned and
operated
Highways: 103,396 km total; 1,317 km limited access, divided
autoroute; 11,717 km national highway; 1,362 km provincial road; about
38,000 km paved and 51,000 km unpaved rural roads
Inland waterways: 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use)
Ports: Antwerp, Brugge, Gent, Oostende, Zeebrugge
Merchant marine: 69 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,785,066
GRT/2,927,618 DWT; includes 12 cargo, 6 roll-on/roll-off, 6 container, 7
petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 9 liquefied gas, 3
combination ore/oil, 9 chemical tanker, 11 bulk, 6 combination bulk
Pipelines: refined products 1,167 km; crude 161 km; natural gas
3,300 km
Civil air: 47 major transport aircraft
Airports: 42 total, 42 usable; 24 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 14 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: excellent domestic and international telephone
and telegraph facilities; 4,720,000 telephones; stations--8 AM, 19 FM (42
relays), 25 TV (10 relays); 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations
operating in INTELSAT 3 Atlantic Ocean and EUTELSAT systems
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,521,178; 2,115,935 fit for
military service; 64,634 reach military age (19) annually
Defense expenditures: $4.8 billion, 2.5% of GDP (1990)