Located in western Europe, Belgium has about 40 mi of seacoast on the North Sea, at the Strait of Dover, and is approximately the size of Maryland. The Meuse and the Schelde, Belgium's principal rivers, are important commercial arteries.
Country lead by Sovereign: King Albert II (1993) Prime Minister: Guy Verhofstadt (1999)
Population
10,379,067 (growth rate: 0.1%); birth rate: 10.4/1000; infant mortality rate: 4.6/1000; life expectancy: 78.8; density per sq mi: 889
Land Area
11,672 sq mi (30,230 sq km); total area: 11,787 sq mi (30,528 sq km)
Monetary unit
Euro (formerly Belgian franc) Language
Dutch (Flemish) 60%, French 40%, German less than 1% (all official)
Ethnicity Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%
Religion Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%
Transportation Railways: total: 3,521 km (2,927 km electrified) (2004). Highways: total: 149,757 km; paved: 117,110 km (including 1,747 km of expressways); unpaved: 32,647 km (2003). Waterways: 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2003). Ports and harbors: Antwerp, Brussels, Gent, Liege, Oostende, Zeebrugge. Airports: 43 (2005).
Town Hall