Belgium Guide

The Kingdom of Belgium is at a crossroads of Western Europe, geographically, culturally and politically. Bordered by Germany, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, it has historically been a true melting pot of various ethnic groups which account for the many cultural influences that can be seen and felt in this small country. Belgium is also one of the founding members of the European Union and home to the organization’s official headquarters along with other significant international institutions.

It has a population of about 10 million people which can be divided into three linguistic groups: the Dutch speaking inhabitants in the Flanders region in the north, the French speakers in the southern region of Wallonia and then there is the German-speaking population, a minority group in eastern Wallonia. Aside from this, Belgium is divided into three main regions: the Flemish Region, the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region.

Belgium is derived from the Belgae, a Celtic and Germanic tribe that settled in the area pre-Roman invasion in 100 BC.  When the Romans conquered the tribes, they called the region Gallia Belgica which became known as the Low Countries in the Middle Ages to the early modern times. For over 2000 years, the history of Belgium is replete with a succession of various foreign powers – from the Germanic tribe invasion, the rule of the Merovingian kings, the rise of the Carolingian Empire in the 8th century, the Spanish occupation in the 16th to the early 18th centuries and the Austrian invasion in the 18th century to name a few. Belgium gained its independence in 1830 as a result of the Belgian Revolution where a constitutional monarchy was established the following year with Leopold I named as its first king. During World War II, the country was again invaded by Germany and after its liberation by the Allied Forces in 1944, it has become one of the staunch proponents of collective security eventually leading to its involvement as a founding member of organizations such as NATO, the Benelux group of nations and the European Union.

Whilst Belgium can be divided into the three major linguistic groups, the population demographics is highly diversified owing to a high immigration rate.  As of 2008, it was estimated that immigrants and their descendants comprise over a fifth of the total population with prevalent ethnic groups such as the Italians, French, Dutch, Moroccan, Spanish, Turkish and German. Densely populated areas are in urban centers such as the cities of Antwerp, Ghent, Brussels and Brugges. Moreover, even though Belgium has been traditionally a Roman Catholic country, it is in reality predominantly secular with other recognized religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and Protestantism.

Being one of the world’s most highly industrialized country, Belgium has a highly developed market economy. Ever since the Middle Ages, it has enjoyed a robust and dynamic economy which was propelled even further during the Industrial Revolution when it was the first European country to embrace the changes during this important epoch – well-developed transportation network and adequate commercial infrastructure that connect it to its neighboring countries are among the many examples of Belgian’s progress.

Today Belgium is at the forefront of promoting open economy and integration of economic strengths in the European community. Belgium also boasts of a high productivity rate (Belgian per capita GDP is among the world’s highest) with industries such as steel, textiles, refining, chemicals, food processing, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, electronics and machinery fabrication. Because of its wealth, Belgium enjoys one of the world’s highest “quality of life” with reliable medical and social services, comfortable housing, excellent food, health care and education and low poverty rate.

On the cultural front, Belgium has made many significant contributions to art, music, architecture, science and literature. It has produced famous icons such as Baroque style artists Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, contemporary artists like Luc Tuymans and Rene Magritte, architectural innovators like Victor Horta and Henry van de Velde who were the proponents of the Art Nouveau style, astronomer and physicist Georges Lemaitre who proposed the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe, cartographer Gerardus Mercator and inventor of Bakelite Leo Baekeland to name a few. Aside from this, Belgium is known for food and beverage items which people all over the world have come to love such as beer, chocolate, waffles and French fries.