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1991-08-18
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30,510 km²; land area: 30,230 km²
Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries: 1,385 km total; France 620 km, Luxembourg
148 km, Netherlands 450 km, FRG 167 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: 24% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 20% meadows and pastures;
21% forest and woodland; 34% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
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
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█ ≡ People ≡ █
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Population: 9,909,285 (July 1990), growth rate 0.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 80 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Belgian(s); adjective--Belgian
Ethnic divisions: 55% Fleming, 33% Walloon, 12% mixed or other
Religion: 75% Roman Catholic; remainder Protestant or other
Language: 56% Flemish (Dutch), 32% French, 1% German; 11% legally
bilingual; divided along ethnic lines
Literacy: 98%
Labor force: 4,000,000; 58% services, 37% industry, 5% agriculture (1987)
Organized labor: 70% of labor force
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█ ≡ Government ≡ █
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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 December
1991);
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 December 1991);
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: ADB, Benelux, BLEU, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, ECE,
ECOSOC, EIB, EMS, ESA, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA,
IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IPU, ITC, ITU, NATO, OAS (observer), OECD, UN,
UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Herman DEHENNIN; 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);
telephone p32o (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
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█ ≡ Economy ≡ █
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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. In 1988 over 70% of trade was with other EC countries. During the
period 1986-88 the economy profited from falling oil prices and a lower
dollar, which helped to improve the terms of trade. Real GDP grew
by an average of 3.5% in 1986-89, up from 1.5% in 1985. However, a
large budget deficit and 10% unemployment cast a shadow on the economy.
GDP: $136.0 billion, per capita $13,700; real growth rate 4.5%
(1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 9.7% est. (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $45.0 billion; expenditures $55.3 billion,
including capital expenditures of NA (1989)
Exports: $100.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic
Union; commodities--iron and steel, transportation equipment,
tractors, diamonds, petroleum products;
partners--EC 74%, US 5%, Communist countries 2% (1988)
Imports: $100.1 billion (c.i.f., 1989) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic
Union; commodities--fuels, grains, chemicals, foodstuffs;
partners--EC 72%, US 5%, oil-exporting less developed countries 4%,
Communist countries 3% (1988)
External debt: $27.5 billion (1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 6.4% (1988)
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
Aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $4.3 billion
Currency: Belgian franc (plural--francs); 1 Belgian franc (BF) = 100
centimes
Exchange rates: Belgian francs (BF) per US$1--35.468 (January 1990),
39.404 (1989), 36.768 (1988), 37.334 (1987), 44.672 (1986), 59.378 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
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█ ≡ Communications ≡ █
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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, 1 secondary, and
1 minor maritime; 11 inland
Merchant marine: 67 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,854,898
GRT/3,071,637 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 10 cargo, 6
roll-on/roll-off, 6 container, 7 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL)
tanker, 6 liquefied gas, 3 combination ore/oil, 9 chemical tanker, 13
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; 4,560,000 telephones; stations--8 AM, 19 FM (41
relays) 25 TV (10 relays); 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations
operating in INTELSAT 3 Atlantic Ocean and EUTELSAT systems
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█ ≡ Defense Forces ≡ █
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Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 2,512,681; 2,114,701 fit for military
service; 66,758 reach military age (19) annually
Defense expenditures: 2.7% of GDP, or $3.7 billion (1989 est.)