Portal:Belgium
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
- May 15: Solar-powered airplane makes first international flight
- May 15: Azerbaijan win 2011 Eurovision Song Contest
- April 12: France first to enforce burqa ban
- December 2: FIFA announce Russia to host 2018 World Cup, Qatar to host 2022 World Cup
- December 1: Latest 'CableGate' disclosures hint at US diplomatic tactics in Spain and beyond
265 days with no government
Did you know...
- ...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
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- Help to expand the Belgium stubs
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Anniversaries for January 28
- 814: death of Charlemagne, emperor
- 1651: death of Manuel de Moura y Corte Real, 2nd Marquis of Castel Rodrigo, Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands
- 1688: death of Ferdinand Verbiest, Jesuit missionary in China, astronomer, and inventor of a miniature steam propelled car
- 1912: death of Gustave de Molinari, economist
- 1924: birth of Marcel Broodthaers, installation artist
- 1958: birth of Renaat Landuyt, politician, Minister of Transport in the federal government
- 1962: birth of Peter Verhelst, novelist, best known for Tongkat
- 1967: birth of Rudy Trouvé, musician and painter, former member of dEUS, founding member of Dead Man Ray
- 1976: death of Marcel Broodthaers, installation artist, on his birthday
- 2002: death of Gustaaf Deloor, cyclist, winner of the first two editions of the Vuelta a España
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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