The Belgium Portal
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The Kingdom of Belgium (Dutch: Koninkrijk België; French: Royaume de Belgique; German: Königreich Belgien) is a country in northwest Europe bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France and is one of the founding and core members of the European Union. Belgium has a population of over eleven million people, in an area of around 30,000 square kilometres (11,700 square miles).
Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Romance Europe, it is linguistically divided. Mainly two languages are spoken in Belgium: Dutch is spoken by the 6.1 million people in Flanders to the north, French by the 3.5 million Walloons in the south. The capital, Brussels, is officially bilingual, while the majority of its residents speak French. Around 75,000 people live in the German-speaking Community in the east of the country. This linguistic diversity often leads to political and cultural conflict and is reflected in Belgium's complex system of government and political history.
Belgium news
- March 21: Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters awards Belgian mathematician Pierre Deligne with Abel prize of 2013
- February 16: 2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships preparations underway
- September 6: Wheelchair rugby gets underway at London Paralympics
- September 5: Greece defeats Portugal in boccia match at 2012 London Paralympics
- March 13: Imam dead in Shia mosque attack in Belgium
Did you know...
- ...that French fries come from Belgium?
- ...that Belgium is ranked as the best country to do academic research by The Scientist in 2007?
- ...that the 2010-2011 government formation is the longest government formation according to the Guinness book of world records [1]?
- ...that the Belgians formed the third largest non-Commonwealth contingent in the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain?
- ...that Sir John Houblon, the first Governor of the Bank of England, was the son of a Walloon protestant who had fled to London to escape religious persecution?
- ...that the Belgian National Railways operate the densest rail network in the world?
- ...that Belgium is ranked as the best country in the field of educational well-being by a UNICEF report on the well-being of children in rich countries published in 2007?
- ...that TC Matic, the former band of Arno Hintjens, split after touring with the Simple Minds?
- ...that Johan Vande Lanotte, party president of the SP.a, is a professor of public law at the Ghent University?
- ...that Raoul Cauvin, a comics writer with over 45 million albums sold, started his career as a cameraman for animated movies at Dupuis?
Things you can do
- Visit the Wikiproject Belgium page and help to write, expand and improve Belgium-related articles
- List newly created articles at the announcement page
- Update News and Did You Know
- Suggest Selected article and Selected picture on the Portal talk page
- Help to expand the Belgium stubs
Related portals
| Europe | European Union | NATO |
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| UK | France | Netherlands | Germany | Luxembourg |
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| Brussels |
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Anniversaries for May 25
- 1813: birth of Edmond de Sélys Longchamps (pictured), politician and scientist
- 1821: birth of Henri Alexis Brialmont, fortification engineer
- 1904: Land speed record set in Ostend to 156.50 km/h
- 1939: birth of Ferdinand Bracke, cyclist, winner of the 1971 Vuelta a España and former holder of the World Hour Record
- 1962: birth of Murat Kaplan, criminal
- 1967: birth of Luc Nilis, soccer player with 56 appearances for the Belgium national football team
- 1982: birth of Ellen Petri, Miss Belgium 2004
Categories
- Geography
- History (Belgian Revolution, ...)
- Culture (Arts, Languages, Literature, ...)
- Health (Healthcare, Hospitals Surgeons, ...)
- Economy - Organizations - Education
- Science and technology - Sport - Tourism
- People
- ...
Belgium Topics
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