Information about Belgium

The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France. It has a population 11.306.030 residents and area 30.528 square kilometers. Located in the cultural border between German and Romanesque Europe is linguistically and culturally divided. There are two main languages ​​spoken in Belgium: Netherlands – called sometimes informally and Flemish is spoken in Flanders to the north, and the French spoken in the Walloon Region in the south. The capital, Brussels, It is officially bilingual, while the majority of residents speak French. To the east is an officially recognized minority German. This linguistic diversity often leads to political conflicts, reflected in the complex system of government and political history of Belgium.

Belgium got its name from the first inhabitants of, Belgians, a group of mostly Celtic tribes, who gave their name and the Roman province of Gallia Belgica (Gallia Belgica). History, Belgium is part of the so-called "Dutch", which also include the Netherlands and Luxembourg. From the late Middle Ages until the seventeenth century was a thriving center of commerce and culture. From the sixteenth century until independence in 1830, Belgium, at that time called the Southern Netherlands, It was the field of many battles between European forces. Recent years, Belgium was a founding member of the European Union, hosting the headquarters of, and the headquarters of other major international organizations, as NATO. The country held the Presidency of the European Council in the second’ half of 2010.