World Facts

Capital: Brussels-
Type of Government: federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch-
Administrative Divisions: 10 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Dutch: provincies, singular - provincie) and 3 regions* (French: regions; Dutch: gewesten); Antwerpen, Brabant Wallon, Brussels* (Bruxelles), Flanders*, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaams-Brabant, Wallonia*, West-Vlaanderen
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 16.9% (male 892,995/female 855,177)
Agriculture: sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk-
Airports:
With Paved Runways: total: 25
With Unpaved Runways:
Area: -. -
Background:
Birth rate: 10.48 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget: revenues: $180.4 billion
Coastline: -
Climate: -
Communications:
Constitution: 7 February 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993 to create a federal state-
Currency: euro (EUR)-
Current account balance:
Death rate: 10.22 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external: $980.1 billion (30 June 2005 est.)-
Dependency status: -
Dependent areas:
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Tom C. KOROLOGOS
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Franciskus VAN DAELE-
Disputes - international:
Distribution of family income: 25 (1996)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1.072 billion (2002)-
Economic aid - recipient: -
Economy - overview:
Electricity - consumption:
Electricity - exports:
Electricity - imports:
Electricity - production:
Elevation extremes: -
Environment - current issues:
Environment - International Agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
Ethnic groups: Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.79697 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)
Executive branch: chief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993); Heir Apparent Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch
Exports: $269.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - partners: Germany 19.9%, France 17.2%, Netherlands 11.8%, UK 8.6%, US 6.5%, Italy 5.2% (2004)
Fiscal year: calendar year-
Flag description:
GDP (official exchange rate): $361.4 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (purchasing power parity): $329.3 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.3%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $31,800 (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.5% (2005 est.)-
Geographic coordinates: -
Geography - note: -
Government - note:
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 10,000 (2003 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2005 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.2%-
Illicit drugs:
Imports: $264.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - partners: Germany 18.4%, Netherlands 17%, France 12.5%, UK 6.8%, Ireland 6.3%, US 5.5% (2004)
Independence: 4 October 1830 (a provisional government declares independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King Leopold I ascends to the throne)
Industrial production growth rate: 1.1% (2005 est.)
Industries: engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum
Infant mortality rate: total: 4.68 deaths/1,000 live births
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (2005 est.)
International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Internet country code: .be
Internet hosts: 166,799 (2004)
Internet users: 3.4 million (2002)-
Investment (gross fixed): -
Irrigated land:
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) or Cour de Cassation (in French) (judges are appointed for life by the Government; candidacies have to be submitted by the High Justice Council)
Labor force: 4.77 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Land boundaries: -
Land use:
Languages: Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)-
Legal system:
Legislative branch:
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.62 years
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write-
Location: -
Major infectious diseases: -
Manpower available for military service: -
Manpower fit for military service: -
Manpower reaching military service age annually: -
Map references: -
Maritime claims:
Median age: total: 40.55 years-
Merchant marine: -
Military - note:
Military branches: Land, Naval, and Air Components (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3.999 billion (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.3% (2003)
Military service age and obligation: 16 years of age for voluntary military service; women comprise some 7% of the Belgian armed forces (2001)
National holiday: 21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King Leopold I
Nationality: noun: Belgian(s)-
Natural gas - consumption: -
Natural gas - exports: -
Natural gas - imports:
Natural gas - production: -
Natural gas - proved reserves: -
Natural hazards: -
Natural resources:
Net migration rate: 1.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption: 624,200 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: 450,000 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports: 1.042 million bbl/day (2001)
Oil - production: 13,060 bbl/day (2003)-
Oil - proved reserves: -
People - note:
Political parties and leaders: Flemish parties: Christian Democrats and Flemish or CD & V [Jo VANDEURZEN]; Flemish Liberal Democrats or VLD [Bart SOMERS]; GROEN! (formerly AGALEV, Flemish Greens) [Vera DUA]; New Flemish Alliance or NVA [Bart DE WEVER]; Socialist Party.Alternative or SP.A [Caroline GENNEZ]; Spirit [Geert LAMBERT] (new party now associated with SP.A); Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) or VB [Frank VANHECKE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Christian, Socialist, and Liberal Trade Unions; Federation of Belgian Industries; numerous other associations representing bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical professions; various organizations represent the cultural interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as Pax Christi and groups representing immigrants-
Population:
Population below poverty line: 4% (1989 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.15% (2005 est.)-
Ports and terminals:
Public debt: 93.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
Radio broadcast stations: FM 79, AM 7, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways: total: 3,521 km-
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Religions: Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%-
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Roadways: total: 149,757 km
Sex ratio:
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Telephone system: general assessment: highly developed, technologically advanced, and completely automated domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities
Telephones - main lines in use: 5,120,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 8,135,500 (2002)
Television broadcast stations: 25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997)-
Terrain:
Total fertility rate: 1.64 children born/woman (2005 est.)-
Transportation - note:
Unemployment rate: 7.6% (2005 est.)
Waterways: 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2003)