- Capital city: Brussels
- Total area: 30 158 km²
- Population: 10.5 million
- Currency: euro
Belgium lies in north-western Europe and is bordered by Germany, Luxembourg, France and the North Sea. Belgium is highly densely populated with 328 inhabitants per km2. Out of the 920,000 foreigners living in Belgium, most of them come from northern Africa and 23% from Italy.
While Flemish is officially spoken in Flanders in the north-west of the country (57 % of total population), French is the official language in Wallonia in the south-east (43% of total population) and German is spoken only by a 1% minority in the eastern part of the country. In Brussels, French and Flemish have equal status.
Belgium's metal processing is highly developed, as are the chemical and electronic industries. Traditional industries such as textiles in Flanders and glass in Wallonia have been modernised. Belgium's famous chocolate production contributes significantly to its trade balance surplus.
The Kingdom of Belgium is a parliamentary monarchy and a Federal State consisting of regions and communities. Legislative power at Federal level is exercised jointly by the King, the Chamber of Representatives (150 seats, directly elected by the people for four years) and the Senate (71 seats). Executive power is vested in the King and his Ministers lead by the Prime Minister. The King may dissolve the Parliament.
The three regions and the three linguistic communities each have a directly elected legislative body (the Council) and an executive. The Flemish region and community have merged to form one Council and executive only.
Belgium
