Belgium

Belgium, French name Belgique and Flemish name België, is a small low-lying country in western Europe bordering on the southern shore of the North Sea with the Netherlands (Holland) to the north, France to the southwest, and Germany on the East, Luxembourg on the southeast. Its official name is the Kingdom of Belgium. Brussels is its capital city. It is less than a third the size of Ireland, but it is the most densely populated country on the Continent. Its surface area is 30,528 sq km and currency is euro. French is the language of educated circles and of the State, but the prevalence of dialects hinders the growth of a national literature. Official languages are Flemish and French. Flemish is spoken mainly in the north, and French and Walloon are spoken in the south.

The people of this country are of mixed stock, comprising Flemings, of Teutonic origin; Walloons, of Celtic origin; Germans, Dutch, and French. Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion. Education is excellent. There are universities at Ghent, Liège, Brussels, and Louvain.

The land is low and level and fertile in the north and west, undulating in the middle, rocky and hilly in the south and east. The Meuse and Scheldt are the chief rivers, the basin of the latter embracing most of the country. Climate is similar to the English, with greater extremes. Rye, wheat, oats, beet, and flax are the principal crops. Agriculture is the most painstaking and productive of the world. The hilly country is rich in coal, iron, zinc, and lead. After mining, the chief industries are textile manufactures and making of machinery: the former at Antwerp, Ghent, Brussels, and Liège; the latter at Liège, Mons, and Charleroi. The trade is enormous; France, Germany, and Britain are the best customers. Exports are coal to France; farm products, eggs, &c., to England; and raw material imported from across seas, to France and the basin of the Rhine. It is a small country of large cities.

The capital Brussels is in the centre of the kingdom, but communicating with the ocean by a ship canal. The railways, canals, and river navigation are very highly developed. The government is a limited monarchy; the king, senate, and house of representatives form the constitution. The country has been maintaining a conscript army of, but no navy.

Transferred from Spain to Austria in 1713. Belgium was under French sway from 1794 till 1814, when it was united with Holland, but established its independence in 1830 from the Netherlands after an nationalist revolt. It was occupied and devastated during both the World Wars. In 1948, Belgium formed the Benelux Customs Union with the Netherlands and Luxembourg and also became a founding member of the EEC.