Population
11.476.279 (2020)
Conditional reduction of currency
EUR
Climate, average max and min t°
Temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy; avg. maximum temperature (July) +20°; avg. minimum temperature (January) -1°
Time difference from Moscow
- 1 hour
State language
Dutch, French and German
Ethnic groups
Flemish 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%
History
The medieval history of Belgium is traced back to its accession to the Kingdom of Burgundy. In the course of time the territory of the modern Belgium belonged to the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, France and the Netherlands. Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830 as a result of an uprising known as the Belgian Revolution. At the end of the 19th century Belgium came to be a colonial empire with the Congo annexed under the Belgian rule. Belgium was occupied by Germany during World War I and World War II. A feature of its history is the number of wars between other European powers, which took place on the territory of the modern Belgium, causing it to be nicknamed ‘The Cockpit of Europe’. Belgium was one of the member-signatories to the Treaty of Brussels, signed on 17 March 1948, which is considered the precursor to the NATO agreement. Belgium is also one of the founding members of the EU. Both these organisations are headquartered within its territory.
Government type
federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Executive branch
The Belgian Federal Cabinet (Government) appointed by the monarch with the Prime-Minister as its head
Legislative branch
Bicameral Federal Parliament consisting of the Senate (71 senators) and the Chamber of Representatives (150 deputies)
Judicial branch
The highest courts are the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court of Justice and five civil and criminal courts of appeal (in Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, Liege, and Mons).
GDP per capita rank
23 (2020)
Corruption perceptions index rank
73 (2021)
