Country Facts - Belgium

The People

Nationality
Belgian(s)
Ethnic Composition

Flemish	58%
Walloon	31%
Mixed or other	11%

Religious Composition

Roman Catholic	75%
Protestant or other	25%

Languages Spoken

Dutch 60%, French 40%, German less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)

Education and Literacy

Literacy in the adult population is 98%.

Labor Force

Total: 4.44 million (2001)
By occupation:

Services	73%
Industry	25%
Agriculture	2%

Geography

Land Mass Total

11,779sq mi (30,510 sq km)

Land

11,671 sq mi (30,230 sq km)

Water

108 sq mi (280 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 860 mi (1,385 km)

Border countries: France 385 mi (620 km), Germany 103 mi (167 km), Luxembourg 91 mi (148 km), Netherlands 279 mi (450 km)

Coastline

41 mi (66 km)

Maritime claim

Continental shelf: median line with neighbors
Exclusive fishing zone: median line with neighbors (extends about 42 mi (68 km) from coast)
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate/Weather

Temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy.

Terrain

Flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: North Sea 0 ft (m)
Highest: Signal de Botrange 2,276 ft (694 m)

Natural Resources

Coal and natural gas.

Land use

Arable land	25%
Permanent crops	0%
Other	75%

Note: includes Luxembourg (1998)

Natural hazards

Flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes.

Environment - current issues

The environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, intense animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) have slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges

Geography Note

Crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and NATO

Demographics

Population

10,274,595 (July 2002)

Age structure

0-14 years:	17.3%	Male: 911,729	Female: 871,470
15-64 years:	65.6%	Male: 3,395,885	Female: 3,341,536
65 years and over:	17.1%	Male: 716,673	Female: 1,037,302

Growth Rate

0.15% (2002)

Life Expectancy

78.13 years (2002)
female: 81.62 years
male: 74.8 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$26,100 (2001)

Infant Mortality

4.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years:	1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	0.69 male(s)/female
Total population:	0.96 male(s)/female

(2002)

Net migration rate

0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Economy & Trade

This modern 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. With few natural resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. About 75 percent of its trade is with other EU countries. Belgium's public debt is expected to fall to about 100 percent of GDP in 2002, and the government has succeeded in balancing its budget. Belgium, together with 11 of its E.U. partners, began circulating euro currency in January 2002. Economic growth in 2001 dropped sharply due to the global economic slowdown. Prospects for 2002 depend largely on recovery in the E.U. and the U.S. Belgium is continuing with its "stability program" initiated in 2001 that includes firm measures to consolidate public debt. The nation also seeks to upgrade its infrastructure for both domestic use and to maintain its status as the home to the E.U. capital. All this must be obtained while staying within the limitations of the E.U.'s Stability and Growth Pact that demands balanced budgets.

Unemployment

6.8% (2001)

Inflation Rate

2.4% (2001)

Industries

Engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum, coal

Exports

US$160.3 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports

US$154 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$267.7 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

EU 74% (France 18%, Germany 17%, Netherlands 13%, UK 10%), US 6% (2000)

Top Import Partners

EU 68% (Germany 17%, Netherlands 17%, France 13%, UK 9%) (2000)

Top Exports

Machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products

Top Imports

Machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals and metal products

Debt - external

US$28.3 billion (1999)

Economic aid

Donor: ODA, $764 million (1997)

Fiscal Year:

Calendar year

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Offices	8:30a.m. to 5:30p.m.	Closed
Retail	9a.m. to 6p.m. or 7p.m. Department stores may stay open until 8p.m. or 9p.m. Smaller shops outside the main areas may close at noon for lunch.	Saturday 9a.m. to 6p.m. or 7p.m
Banks	9a.m. to 3:30 or 4p.m.; some banks may close during the lunch hour	Closed
Government	9a.m. to noon and 2p.m. to 5p.m.	Closed

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Easter¹	April 20	April 11	March 27
Easter Monday	April 21	April 12	March 28
Labor Day	May 1	May1	May 1
Ascension²	May 29	May 20	May 6
Whit Sunday (Pentecost)³	June 8	May 30	May 15
Whit Monday	June 9	May 31	May 16
Flemish Community Holiday	July 11	July 11	July 11
National Holiday	July 21	July 21	July 21
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary	August 15	August 15	August 15
French Community Holiday	September 27	September 27	September 27
All Saints' Day	November 1	November 1	November 1
Armistice Day	November 11	November 11	November 11
Christmas Day*¹	December 25	December 25	December 25

¹	Easter, a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first Sunday after the full moon and the vernal equinox (fixed in the Gregorian calendar at March 21), and often observed with Good Friday and Easter Monday. In the West, Easter is predicted using the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Orthodox Christians use the much older Julian calendar, and celebrate 13 days later.
²	The feast of Ascension takes place 40 days after Easter in both the Christian and Orthodox faiths and celebrates the ascent of Christ into Heaven.
³	The Christian feast of Pentecost, Whit Sunday or Whit Monday takes place 50 days after Easter.
*¹	Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press