Belgium Geography: A Comprehensive Overview of the Low Countries

Geography of Belgium Browse the article Geography of Belgium

Introduction to Geography of Belgium

Belgium, (French: Belgique, Dutch: België), or Kingdom of Belgium, a country in northwestern Europe. It is on the North Sea, opposite Great Britain, and is bordered by the Neth erlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and France. Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg are known collectively as the Low Countries or the Benelux nations. With an area of 11,787 square miles (30,528 km2), Belgium is one of the smallest countries in Europe. Maximum dimensions are about 125 miles (200 km) north-south and 140 miles (225 km) east-west. A tiny enclave, Baarle-Hertog, lies just over the border in the Netherlands.

Physical Geography

Belgium is a country in northwestern Europe.Land

Most of Belgium—that part north of the Sambre-Meuse Valley—is in the Great European Plain, which extends from France far into Russia. The land is low-lying and flat along the coast and throughout most of the north, including Flanders and the Kempen region. Somewhat more rolling terrain, with elevations up to about 500 feet (150 m) above sea level, is typical of central Belgium. South of the Sambre-Meuse Valley lies the Ardennes, a wooded, flat-topped plateau cut by deep valleys. Elevations in the Ardennes increase from west to east, reaching a maximum of 2,277 feet (694 m) at Signal de Botrange near the German border.

Water

Belgium is drained mainly by the Schelde and Meuse rivers and their tributaries. Both rivers begin in France, flow across Belgium, and enter the North Sea through the combined Rhine-Meuse-Schelde delta in the Netherlands. Tributaries of the Schelde include the Leie, Dender, and Rupel; among those of the Meuse are the Sambre, Ourthe, and Semois. The only lakes are tiny ones in the Ardennes.

Climate

Although Belgium lies at a more northerly latitude than New England, it has a mild climate. The weather is conditioned mainly by westerly winds that bring the moderating influences of the North Atlantic Current inland. Temperatures average near 65° F. (18° C.) during July and around 35° F. (2° C.) during January. There is much foggy, damp weather, especially along the coast. Precipitation averages about 30 inches (760 mm) a year on the lowlands, 40 inches (1,020 mm) in the Ardennes. Snowfalls are generally light.

Economy

Belgium is a highly developed, industrial countrycountry that is based on free enterprise, where the government has little or no control on the businesses. Though private enterprise is encouraged, yet the government owns and operates part of the transportation and communication system, apart from providing basic social services and medical insurance coverage to all citizens. Its economy is based primarily on manufacturing, commerce, and services and is heavily dependent on foreign trade. Most of the trade is with fellow members of the European Union. Tourism also contributes to the economy. The executive bodies of the European Union and the headquarters of many other international organizations, including NATO, are in Belgium.

Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg are closely linked by Benelux, an economic union formed for the free movement of workers, capital, goods, and services between the three countries.

Belgium's basic currency unit is the euro, which is divided into 100 cents.

Service Industries,

which include community, social, and personal services, which cover such areas as education, health care, and government, employ about three-quarters of Belgium's workforce. Apart from these, finance, restaurants, and wholesale and retail trade are important service industries. Most of Belgium’s service industries are based in its cities, for instance, Brussels is a key center for commerce, finance, and transportation.

Manufacturing

Belgium's manufacturing industries, which suffered relatively little damage during World War II, were greatly modernized and expanded after the mid-20th century. Industrial development was aided by many investment incentives offered to private industry by the government. Foreign investment in Belgian manufacturing has been large. Today, manufacturing employs around one-fourth of the Belgian workforce.

Most of the newer facilities are in the north, close to ocean shipping. This region is now the main manufacturing area of Belgium, surpassing in output the long-established Sambre-Meuse industrial area in the south. and such ports as Flanders.

For many years the iron and steel industry dominated the industrial sector of Belgium's economy. Although still significant, it has experienced a decline since the late 20th century. Especially important today are the electronics, engineering, and fabricating industries. Products include transportation equipment, machine tools, and telecommunications equipment.

The processing of foods and beverages, including Belgian chocolates and the making of chemicals, drugs, explosives, pesticides, plastics, refined petroleum products, textiles, clothing, glassware, and clay products are also well-developed industries. Belgian textiles have long had a reputation for quality, especially woolens, cottons, linen, and lace. In addition, Antwerp is one of the largest diamond-cutting centers in the world.

Agriculture and Fishing

Although its contribution to the gross national product is relatively small, agriculture is, nevertheless, important, providing nearly all of the country's food and a surplus for export. About 45 per cent of the country's total area is farmland, the best of which is north of the Sambre-Meuse Valley. The average farm is about about 58 acres (23 hectares) in size. Most farms are family operated, which they have rented.

Most of the farmland is used for pasture crops to feed beef and dairy cattle, hogs, and other livestock. Major food crops include wheat, oats, barley, sugar beets, potatoes, and a variety of vegetables and fruit. Greenhouses provide many of the vegetables. Flowers, such as azaleas, bulbs, and ornamental plants, mainly for export, are specialties in Flanders.

The relatively small fishing fleet operates mainly out of the North Sea ports of Ostend and Zeebrugge. The catch is mainly deep-water fish, such as cod and herring.

Mining and Forestry

Belgium's only significant mineral resource is coal, mined in the Kempen and the Sambre-Meuse Valley. Belgium was once a major European coal producer. However, production has been falling for many years, mainly because mining the deep underground seams is difficult and costly. The other products mined in Belgium are dolomite, granite, limestone, marble, and sandstone.

Forests cover nearly 20 per cent of the land, and lumbering is of some importance. Production comes mainly from the Ardennes and consists of about 60 per cent hardwoods. Virtually all the softwood trees, mainly pine and spruce, have been planted for lumber harvests.

International Trade

Belgium depends heavily on international trade as the country has few natural resources and the internal market for finished goods is also quite small. Belgium is a member of several international organizations that promote trade and economic cooperation, including the Belgium-Netherlands-Luxembourg Economic Union, or Benelux, and the European Union, an association of European countries that also works for political cooperation among its members. Belgium trades with many nations, though its major trading partners are other members of the European Union, especially Germany, the Netherlands and France.

Machines and other engineering goods are the largest imports and exports of Belgium. Belgium also imports chemicals, diamonds, grains and petroleum. The major exports of Belgium consist of chemicals, diamonds, glass products, processed foods, steel, and textiles.

Transportation

is highly developed in Belgium. The National Association of Belgian Railroads, which are nationally owned and operated, form one of the densest railway networks in the world, and cover almost 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers). Most main lines are electrified. The highway system is one of Europe's finest. Modern expressways link the major cities and connect with similar routes in adjoining countries.

Inland waterways and canals, especially the Ghent-Terneuzen and Albert canals, are used extensively. Normally they carry more tonnage than the railways, and cover almost 975 miles (1,570 kilometers). The chief port is Antwerp, one of the largest and busiest ports on the continent. Other important inland ports are Ghent and Zeebrugge. The Zaventem International Airport, the main international airport of Belgium is at Brussels. There are also international airports at Antwerp, Ostend, and Charleroi.

There are about 25 daily newspapers published in Belgium, most in Dutch or French, except one that is published in German. Radio and television are owned and operated by public corporations, which earn their incomes from the annual fees paid by people for having radios and TV sets at home. The major programs are broadcast in Dutch and French.

The People

Population

In 2001 the population of Belgium was 10,263,414. The population density was 871 persons per square mile (336 per km2). Of major countries in Europe, only the Netherlands is more densely settled. The Flemish section, in the north, is the most populous and densely settled part. About 90 per cent of the Belgians live in cities and other urbanized areas.

Belgium has one of the highest standards of living in Europe. Its people are sports-minded and excel in water sports such as sailing. Soccer and bicycling are popular. The Belgians have many traditional festivals and carnivals based on folklore, history, and religion.

Language and Religion

There are three official languages—Dutch, French, and German. (Until 1973, Belgian Dutch was called Flemish, referring to Flanders; the term Flemish is now used only in a cultural sense or, linguistically, to refer to dialects.) Dutch is the first language in the north, where nearly 60 per cent of the people live, French in the south. (Belgians who speak French as their first language are called Walloons, from the collective name for three French dialects spoken in the south.) German is spoken by several thousand people in the east.

Disputes between the two predominant language groups, who also have different traditions and customs, sometimes cause social and political tension. The country is divided from east to west into two major linguistic regions: Flanders, where Dutch is the first language; and Wallonia, where French is the first language. About 20 per cent of the people speak both languages. Brussels, although located in the Flemish region, is officially bilingual; but French, long the traditional language of government and commerce, is predominantly spoken.

Belgium has no state religion, but Catholicism is by far the largest faith. The national government pays part of the salary of all ministers and priests, regardless of denomination.

Education and Culture

There is almost no illiteracy in Belgium. School attendance is required between the ages of 6 and 14. Most private schools are operated by the Catholic Church and are partly subsidized by the government. There are both public and private universities. The oldest (founded 1425, at Louvain) has been separated into independent French and Flemish universities.

Belgium has been known for its art since the Middle Ages. Flemish painting of the Renaissance period ranks with that of Italy. The Flemish masters include the Van Eyck brothers (14th and 15th centuries); the Brueghel (Breughel) family (16th and 17th centuries); Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640); and Sir Anthony Vandyke (1599–1641).

Two of Europe's greatest early composers—Guillaume Dufay (1400?–1474) and Orlando di Lasso (1532–1594), both Walloons—lived in what is now Belgium. Belgians are also noted for tapestry weaving, sculpture, and woodcuts. The art and architecture of the country attract many tourists.

Government

Belgium is a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy. Its main political units are called communities and regions. The communities are based on language (French, Dutch, or German), the regions on geography (the historic areas of Flanders and Wallonia and the Brussels metropolitan area).

The Belgian constitution, as amended in 1993, limits the responsibilities of the national government to foreign policy, national defense, social security, and monetary and fiscal policy. The communities have responsibilities in cultural matters, including education and language policies. The regions have broad responsibilities, including economic development, housing policy, public works, and rural development.

The sovereign is the head of state. The head of government is the prime minister, who holds executive powers together with the cabinet, called the Council of Ministers. The cabinet consists of an equal number of Dutch and French speaking members.

The national legislature is made up of the Senate (71 members) and the Chamber of Representatives (150 members), with members serving four-year terms. All members of the Chamber are elected popularly, and of the 71 members of the Senate, 40 are elected by people, 21 are chosen by provincial councils, and the remaining 10 are elected by the remaining senators.

Belgium is a federal state made up of three regions and three separate language communities. The communities and the regions have their own legislative and executive bodies, the regions having its own parliament, called the regional council, and the communities having their own community councils.

Apart from this, the local government system includes two additional levels, the 10 provinces and almost 600 communes (cities and towns), each governed by its respective governor, and mayor.

There are three major political groups in Belgium, which include two Socialist parties, the Liberal parties, and the Christian Social parties. There are also smaller parties that represent regional, social, or economic concerns.

Belgian citizens who are 18 years old or more are required to vote in national elections, and failure to do so may result in their being fined.

The highest court in Belgium is the Court of Cassation, apart from which there are five regional courts that hear appeals of lower courts. Special courts are meant to deal with labor disputes, commercial agreements, and military justice. There are, in addition, an administrative superior court and a court of arbitration to rule on the conflicts that might arise between national and regional laws.

The Belgian defense forces include an army, a navy, and an air force, where people serve voluntarily.