See also: Belgium (homonymy)

The Kingdom of Belgium (in Dutch: Koninkrijk België ; in German: Königreich Belgien ) is a State of the European Union located in Europe of the West. It is bordering on the Germany, the France, the Luxembourg, the Netherlands and is bordered in the North-West by the the North Sea. The State stretches on a distance of 318 kilometers between the Breakdown and Arlon.

Belgium is member of the Benelux, of the the United Nations, the European Union - of which it is one of the six countries founders and of which it shelters the capital (Brussels) - and of NATO.

The country, meets cultures Germanic and Latin, includes/understands various speech communities and cultural. The three official languages are the Dutch, the French and the German . They are placed on an equal footing at the federal level. Among the various areas, only the Région of Brussels-Capital (inhabited by nearly ten pourcents of the population) is officially bilingual (French and Dutch). The Flemish Région (inhabited by nearly fifty eight pourcents of the population), located at north is officially unilingual Dutch-speaking. The Walloon region (inhabited by more than thirty two pourcents of the population), located at the south is officially unilingual French-speaking person except in his part is area of the German-speaking Communauté of Belgium which includes/understands: 75000 people, is less one pourcent of the Belgian population. Minority linguistic minorities are present in the unilingual areas, their respective importances can be only estimated, the linguistic censuses being prohibited by the law in Belgium. The Dutch-speaking ones would account for 57% to 60% of the Belgian population, and the French-speaking people 40% to 43%.

Beside the official languages, are spoken about the endogenous regional languages. It is about the brabançon, of the Champenois, the Flemish , the Francique ripuaire, the Limbourgeois, the Lorrain, the Luxembourg, the Picard and the Wallon. Certain areas changed linguistiquement : zones which were German dialects, Luxembourg or Flemish became French-speaking. From a territorial point of view, French is in progression, Flanders (close to Brussels, or in the surroundings of the French border beside Lille), but also in German-speaking zone. This tendency is a natural tendency noted since centuries with the increase in the communications and the facility to travel, which requires a homogenization of the languages more and more, the languages important gaining always gradually on the local languages or the patois.

This linguistic diversity often causes political conflicts, related to other stakes (the position arithmetically minority of Wallonia, that, more sociocultural of the language Dutchwoman at the beginning, the foreign politics of the inter-war period, the Walloon problems economic, especially starting from the Années 1960 etc), which generated a system of complex governorship.

In the Antiquité, the Belgian people were composed of Celtic tribes, later romanized, that Jules César called Belgae . the Gaulle Belgium then occupied a vast territory limited by the Rhine to north and the east and concerning almost to the Seine to the south, thus including part of the Netherlands, Germany and France current. At the end of the the Middle Ages until the 17th century, the Netherlands of the South were an important industrial and cultural center. Since the 16th century until the creation of Belgium in 1830, this territory was also the place of many battles between the European powers.

Since the federal elections of June 10th, 2007, the liberal parties and social-chétiens in vain try to form a national government (or federal). This serious attack of several months, on a bottom of deep Community dissension, is a made without precedent in the political history of the country.

History

See also: History of Belgium

During four millenia, the area now covered by Belgium was the theater of demographic, political and cultural upheavals. The first well documented traces of civilization go up with the invasion of the area by the Roman Empire with I er According to Jules César: “ Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgæ ”. The Francs established the Kingdom mérovingien, which became the Empire Carolingien at the 8th century.

With the the Middle Ages, the Netherlands were divided into a feudal multitude of State S which occupied the area. The majority were unified with the S by the Bourguignons. These States gained some Indépendance at the 15th century and named the Seventeen Provinces of Belgium.

The catholic Netherlands of the South (current Belgium about) were distinguished from the Netherlands of North calvinists as from the 16th century. The latter made secession in 1581 with of Akte van Verlating . They did not recognize any more the very catholic king d' Espagne Philippe II like their sovereign. Thus, the seventeen provinces were cut into two; in North, Plain Provinces and, in the South, the Netherlands of the South. This part was managed successively by the Spanish Habsbourg then Austrian, before knowing a transitory independence as a plain States Belgium.

Until creation of Belgium, Netherlands of South were coveted by many conquerors French and were theater of several battles which transfers the latter to face coalitions directed sometimes by the United Provinces (in particular the Bataille of Peene to Noordpeene in 1677, which caused the fastening of a small portion of the Flanders in France), sometimes by the Austrians.
Après the French revolution, the Netherlands of the South and the Principauté of Liege integrated France, following a referendum in 1792, which put an end to the ambitions of the Spaniards and the Austrians. The reunification of the Netherlands took place at the end of the First French Empire in 1815.

Composed of the old southernmost part of the Spanish Netherlands (except current the Grand Duche du Luxembourg, which became independent of the Netherlands several years after Belgium), then Austrian, and old the Principauté of Liege, the Kingdom of Belgium was founded after the Belgian Révolution of 1830 which drove out the Netherlanders. A king had to be found. The thing was not easy. A German, duke of Saxony-Cobourg was finally selected; Léopold {{Ier}} became the first king of the Belgians. In 1885, his/her son Léopold II created the State independent of Congo, property personal until its death day before, which provides raw materials to Belgian industry. In 1908, the Belgian Parliament voted the annexation of the Congo and its rich person resources, which became Belgian colony.

Belgium was then occupied by the Germany during the Première and Second world war. Since, the country thrived and became one of the most modern countries of Europe. The country enters the EEC and its economy turns more to the European countries. In 1960 Belgium grants independence to the Congo at the end of a few months of a conflict which perduré several years in particular in the mine field secessionist of the Katanga; independences of the Rwanda and the Burundi whose Belgium was, since the exit of the First World War, the power agent (SDN), then the Official Authority (UNO), are proclaimed as for them in 1962.

Belgium, which adhered to NATO, was one of the countries founders of the European Union and belonged to the Euro area. The modern history is dominated by the increasingly autonomous evolutions of its two principal communities, the French Communauté of Belgium and the Flemish Communauté just as its three Régions: Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia. Belgium is shaken by a rise of Flemish nationalism since the years 1960 and one very sharp Walloon movement in the years 1950-1990. The country is regularly the object of institutional reforms giving more autonomy to the areas and communities to avoid the Sécessionnisme preached by certain Flemish parties under the pressure of Vlaams Belang (Political party of extreme nationalist right Flemish) and Walloon side, to answer the difficulties of Wallonia minorized in the Belgian State. This movement is today the second party of Flanders with 18,99% of vote to the elections of June 10th, 2007. In addition to this last, the parties Flemish Christian Democrats and Socialist arise each one in trust with a democratic party nationalist-but, respectively the NVA ( Nieuw-vlaamse alliantie ) and Spirit. These two last formations are themselves resulting from the bursting of old the volksunie disappeared today. It is of this late Flemish nationalist party that was born, by scission of the elements most radical Vlaams Blok, current Vlaams belang.

In its totality, Belgium belongs to the Rhenish Europe, the most dynamic area of Europe and one of most dynamic of the world.

See also: Amorce=Voir also, Monarchs of Belgium, Spanish Netherlands, life in Belgium during the Second world war, History of Belgian monarchy, Wallonia, Flag of Belgium

Genesis of the Belgian federalism: Flemish nationalism, Walloon regionalism and “belgitude” of Brussels

Origins of the modern Flemish movement: administrative and linguistic alienation

At the time of the independence of Belgium in 1831, French was an important language in particular in the courses European and was naturally selected like single official language. However, the French-speaking Walloon part of the country had a little more territorial half of Belgium while the Flemish part constituted the other of it almost half. At that time the Walloon part however laid out of almost all the industrial centers of the country. It was the source of deep misunderstandings to come between the two speech communities from the country, but also inside the Flemish community, insofar as the choice of French were the fact of the elites social as well Flemish as of Brussels or Walloon. This single official language, which was not spoken by the Flemish people nor by a majority about the Wallons at the time, was not a bias of the State in favor of the Walloon part of the country, but rather only in favor of a language which was then perceived by the Belgian State like the factor of union.

As of second half of the 19th century, the Flemish Mouvement became extensive, in particular in reaction to " the State belge". The Flemings felt dispossessed of their culture, but especially they perceived that their administrative and linguistic representation at the national level did not correspond to their actual weight in the country. In Flanders even, a local elite resulting from the Flemish upper middle classes, had adopted the French language and dominated the economy of the area (banks, finance, jewellers of Antwerp, large industrial, etc): they were called the Fransquillons (of Dutch Franskiljons , literally “small French”). It was largely dominating also in the whole of the Belgian French-speaking political community: gathered primarily around the catholic Party, it dominated the Belgian governments and this sometimes even without interruption like 1884 to 1914.

All these elements contributed to a kind of general feeling of alienation within the Flemish population and in particular of the lower middle class. In 1898, State Belgian recognized language Dutchwoman like second official language of country, however territory Flemish (in north) remained officially bilingual (until 1921 and 1932 when he by stages was proclaimed unilingual) and the agglomeration of Brussels continued to be francized. Nevertheless, in many national institutions, French still largely dominated: in the army, the administrations, etc During the First World War, the Front Partij animated by Christian-Democrats highlighted the fact that this army, composed Flemish soldiers in majority (because the Flemings were always majority), was always unilingual French-speaking person officially, which was often perceived like a certain humiliation by the Flemish soldiers. Francis Balace written: “Flemish, Wallons and Of Brussels is mixed within the units and is ordered exclusively in French, while the military slang indistinctly draws from the two languages its tasty expressions”.

Flemish nationalism thus took again width after the end of the war.

Some, like Giovanni Carpinelli, affirm that it became hegemonic in Flanders in the Années 1920. While in Wallonia of the inter-war period, the labor movement is focused around total social objectives (vote for all, social improvements, economic reforms), the Flemish movement includes with the Christian Democrat part of the labor movement. Thus appears a Flemish leading class, defending the interests of the Flanders. The Walloon Mouvement awakes however in particular vis-a-vis the policy of neutrality adopted by Belgium in 1936 from the point of view of a second serious world war. The French-speaking leading class is then identified as of the beginning with the Belgian national project which succeeds in 1830 and it put on the industrial richness of Wallonia, first industrial area of the world in relative terms.

Walloon industrial decline, economic advancement of the Flanders and institutional claims

After the second world war, the economy of the Walloon part of the country is blown. Conscious of this breathlessness, the Walloon political elites in vain deposit at the Parliament several proposals for revisions of the Constitution in the federal direction: in 1947 in the line of the Walloon National congress, in 1952 with Joseph Merlot. This claim also bores in serious insurrectionary movements as with the Walloon Gouvernement secessionist outlined in 1950 at the time of the epilog of the royal Question, during the General strike of the winter 1960-1961. Or even by initiatives taken in common with the Flemings like the Agreement Schreurs-Roofer at the end of 1952. The Walloon Pétitionnement organized in the tread of the great strike of 1960-1961 required that the adaptation (unfavourable with the Walloons) of the parliamentary seats to the figures of the population be placed after before the constitutional reform and that this one can take place by way popular chief clerk of initiative. : 645499 signatures were collected either one the third of the Walloon electorate (and more: 100000 in Brussels).

The Flemings, carried by a flourishing economy, required from now on the realization of political and institutional claims: to obtain the equality and the abolition of remaining discriminations, fixing of the linguistic border (1962-1963), total flamandisation of the universities located in Flemish territory (1968: the French-speaking people are expelled of the etc, University of Louvain)

According to the thesis of Michel Quévit in the Causes of the Walloon decline , EVO, BXL, 1978, the Flemish movement are plain behind the defense of an shared interest, and the Walloon movement quartered between a labor movement internationalist and a leading class in the search of sound only profit; in this work, it estimates that the “Walloon leading class” was not interdependent of its community (Robert Devleeshouwer) to the difference of the Flemish leading class; he adds that this French-speaking leading class is remained indifferent to the economic difficulties of Wallonia. Within the Belgian Parliament, the Flanders holds the majority of the seats. What explains the failure of the Walloon federalists or the fact that the linguistic border which they wished to fix (see work of the Center Harmel), as much as the Flemings did not have the layout which they wished.

The Flanders on the other hand obtains the complete flamandisation of the catholic university of Leuwen in 1968 and generally achieved its goals of cultural autonomy as of the reform of the State in 1970. This one also devotes the autonomy of the economic Areas (the claim of the Walloons), but is concretized only in 1980 after several years of extremely hard political conflicts (with for example two being followed recourse to the ballot boxes few months in 1977 and 1978). Moreover the Area of Brussels-capital must wait until 1989 to really exist considering the Flemish hostility with a federalism with three (and even with the federalism any course as one saw it at the time of the resignation of the Prime Minister Léo Tindemans announced in full Room - fact without precedent - in October 1978, resignation who torpedoes the projects of regionalization of the government and which will be worth with its author the hostility of king Baudouin Ier).

In fact, the Flemings always remained being wary even hostile with regard to the Area of Brussels as an institution: even if this Area is officially bilingual (because of the political compromises), their discrimination existed there a long time, even if that decreased much since the end of the 19th century. Conversely, the majority of the French-speaking agents in Brussels never considered the Flemings on the same foot as the French-speaking people by fear of being made absorb, considering the any Flemish power within the Belgian State.

The Flanders became one of the richest areas of Europe, primarily because of its economic dynamism since the years 1960, while Wallonia were affected by the closing of coal mining as of the Années 1950, the difficulties of the iron and steel industry in the Années 1970 and 1980, those of metal industries in the years 1970. Unemployment is much more important in Wallonia than in Flanders and the economic performances of the Flanders are higher than those of Wallonia. It was observed that the Walloon economic decline especially was of with the absence of reinvestment in Wallonia by the great Belgian financial groups after the crisis of heavy industry, and later by the Walloon political community, defending of the dedicated uses with péricliter for electoral reasons in the short run.

Wallonia and Brussels since the federalisation: affinities and differences

The Walloons develop since 1912 a will of economic, political and cultural autonomy in order to be able to escape the Flemish domination in the Belgian State founded on the number (the Flemings were always most numerous).

Regionalistic tendencies in Wallonia

The institutional regionalization of the country started in the years 1970 is for certain Walloons a manner of concretizing the score of federalistic projects which they wrote since 1905 and, since 1912, with the support of a majority of Walloon members of Parliament, in particular at the time of the Walloon Congress of 1913, in 1938 at the time of the deposit of a revision of the Constitution going in this direction by Georges Truffaut. In 1947, the majority of the Walloon parliamentary group supported a revision of the Belgian Constitution going in this direction after the meeting of the Walloon National congress in 1945 and 1946. A new attempt took place in 1952 on the initiative of Joseph Merlot. January 13rd, 1961, with most extremely of the strike which paralyzed Wallonia 400 socialist agents Walloon joined together with Saint-Were useful and wrote a Adresse with the King in whom they claimed Wallonia the right to lay out of itself . Social movement was born a movement later the Walloon Popular movement then the Walloon Rassemblement which makes it possible to think that in fact the Walloon policies initiated the passage of Belgium of the unit State to the Federal state started in the years 1970.

Tendencies unitarists and centralizing in Brussels (French-speaking)

The French-speaking Inhabitants of Brussels remained on the other hand in favor of centralized Belgium, fear to lose their influence of city-center of the Belgian policy and economy. From now on, the Inhabitants of Brussels (French-speaking) support in their turn regionalization, since they obtained in 1989 their own federate Région and the guarantee that this one would be an Area with whole share.

The French-speaking Inhabitants of Brussels are neither Walloon, nor Flemish: on the other hand, the French-speaking Inhabitants of Brussels have with the Walloons a common language, French (because of the Francization of Brussels). The Inhabitants of Brussels of stock have with the Flemings of many family ascents (the Inhabitants of Brussels were in majority of Dutch-speaking at the 19th century, speaking about the Flemish dialects brabançons).

The population of Brussels grew rich by an immigration supported coming from Wallonia with (in proportions equivalent to that coming from the Flanders), then still diversified with an immigration of Eastern Europe and South during the 20th century (taken refuge Russian fleeing the Bolchevism after 1917; workers coming from Italy, of Spain and Portugal around the second world war and during the glorious Thirty; etc), and finally a more recent immigration (since the years 1960-1970) coming from the old Belgian colonies but also of the Maghreb, of Turkey, of Latin America, etc These waves of successive immigrations have jointly to have adopted the French language.

The Flemings of Brussels have an extremely different position: they defend the autonomy of the area-capital, but assert with force their membership of the Flemish Communauté. None of their elected officials would like to drop that. They are defined as Flemings and Inhabitant of Brussels at the same time, one being their community (see for some of them, their “nation”), the other their city.

Brussels and Wallonia in the same French-speaking space

The two Areas very mainly French-speaking of Belgium (Walloon region and Area Brussels-Capital), live in same linguistic, artistic and media space. Multiple and strong solidarity thus exist between Wallons and Inhabitant of Brussels. The Belgian political parties divide according to the language. There recently exists a consensus inside the French-speaking Belgian parties to face the undeniable power of the Flemish nationalist movement (all the moderate political parties of Flanders declare “nationalist Flemish today”, the party of the Flemish minister-president considers even long-term independence). Walloons and Inhabitants of Brussels remain very attached to the existence of their respective area, while preserving a political honesty at Belgium (the latter appearing to differing degree both in Brussels and in Wallonia, but also, to a lesser extent, in Flanders, cf Sentiments of membership in Belgium and Wallonia).

Personalities of Brussels and Walloon opposed to the French Community

The Belgian federalism gives in fact precedence to the Areas of the Communities since the deputies of the Parliaments Walloon and inhabitants of Brussels are directly elected, part of the deputies of Brussels French-speaking directly elected forming then, with the totality of the directly elected Walloon members of Parliament, the Parliament of the Communauté Wallonia-Brussels, institution sometimes called into question by Walloons, as the seasonal political barometer of indicates it regularly Libre Belgique. Since, a similar dispute emerged to Brussels even with a text published on December 20th, 2006 in the newspaper the Evening , which Walloons answered positively on May 7th, 2007. It seems well that one can say that if French-speaking solidarity is not disputed, the manner of organizing it institutionnellement currently poses problem since the Area of Brussels, although mainly French-speaking person, has at his head a Government where the number of the Flemish ministers in title is strictly identical to that of the French-speaking ministers (whereas the Flemings account for 10% of the population of Brussels as recalled by Philippe Van Parijs), which constitutes an asymmetry on the level of the demographic representation of the capital. As many French-speaking inhabitants of Brussels do not vote, the Flemish representation turns however around 14% of the votes, but these votes elect 19% of the seats of the District council (17 seats against 72 with the French-speaking people). It was calculated that a French-speaking seat " coûtait" 44% of voice moreover than one Flemish seat. In the federal government, the number of the French-speaking ministers is equivalent to that of Dutch-speaking (without counting the Prime Minister), although the French-speaking people are in a minority position (40 to 45% at the federal level, if one adds to it also the French-speaking people of Flanders). But these two minority positions are not comparable. One (Flemings of Brussels), constitutes a community within a city, the other - Walloons and of the French-speaking Inhabitants of Brussels - either constitute the population almost very whole of a federate entity (the Walloon region), alive on most of the Belgian territory, or constitute the great majority of a city which made of French his lingua franca .

See also Statut and stakes of Brussels-Capital.

Organization of the Belgian Federal state

See also: Political of Belgium

Belgium is a Constitutional monarchy and a Federal state, whose chief of Actual position is the king Albert II. In practice the country preserves some confederal characteristics.

The Constitution was amended in 1993 to adopt a federal system in order to avoid the rupture between Dutch-speaking and French-speaking. In spite of that, the tensions political, cultural, linguistic and economic always exist between the two communities. A Flemish political party, the Vlaams Belang, preaches the independence of the short-term Flanders thus while a very minority French-speaking party, RWF, wishes the fastening of Wallonia and Brussels in France. These two movements are of republican obedience by nature.

The Belgian Fédéralisme is built on the concept of équipollence of the standards, i.e. the level of federal capacity does not have any precedence compared to the federate entities. A decree voted at the Walloon Parliament cannot thus be contradicted by a Belgian law. Moreover, as the federate entities have, essentially, of the Exclusive competences (including on the international scene), the same competence cannot be held at the same time by the federate entities and the Belgian State.

In 1980 during the creation of the Areas, the Flemings immediately transferred all their regional competences to the Flemish Communauté, as the Constitution authorizes it. The six deputies of the Flemish Parliament coming from the Area of Brussels-Capital do not vote however the decrees relating to the regional matters.

The federal capacity is between the hands of the Prime Minister and his government. Since the elections of June 2003 the government is a coalition of four political parties carried out by Guy Verhofstadt, composed of the socialist parties Dutch-speaking French-speaking person and , as well as liberal parties Dutch-speaking French-speaking person and .

The Federal state is qualified in all the fields of national interest, such as the international defense and businesses, all the social security, 95% of the taxation, the economy, telecommunications and of important semi-federalized competences, as in the field of the scientific research, and teaching (age of compulsory education, diplomas, etc).

The Communities - Frenchwoman, Flemish, German-speaking - are responsible for the culture and education (schools, libraries, theaters, audio-visual…) as well as assistance with the people. The Areas - Flemish, Walloon, Brussels-Capital - deal with the territorial and economic problems (transport, plan of town and country planning…) for the area which relates to them. The Communities and Areas control, moreover, the international relations concerned with the matters of their competence, except for the assistance with the third world in these same fields.

See also: Amorce=Voir also, Distribution of competences in federal Belgium

Each province and each commune belong to an Area, and are subjected to its supervision.

Federate entities and specific subdivisions

See also: Geography of Belgium

Areas

See also: Areas of Belgium

The Areas (Walloon region, Flemish Area and Area of Brussels-Capital) are the mainly qualified entities federated out of economic material.

The Communities

See also: the Communities of Belgium

The Communities (the French Community, the Flemish Community and the German-speaking Community) are the federate entities which are qualified out of cultural matter and manage teaching. The communities are subsidized by the Federal state.

Provinces

See also: Provinces of Belgium

The provinces represent an intermediate political level between the Area and the commune. Belgium (apart from the area of Brussels which constitutes a provincial territory almost stripped of provincial institutions, except for a governor), is divided into ten provinces, which depend directly on the Régions:

Flemish provinces in French and Dutch (with chief towns between brackets):

  • Antwerp (Antwerp) - Antwerpen (Antwerpen)
  • Brabant-Fleming (Leuwen) - Vlaams the Brabant (Leuven)
  • Flanders-Western (Bruges) - West-Vlaanderen (Brugge)
  • Flanders-Eastern (Ghent) - Oost-Vlaanderen (Race)
  • Limbourg (Hasselt) - Limburg (Hasselt)

Walloon provinces in French and Dutch (with chief towns between brackets):

  • Brabant-Walloon (Wavre) - Waals the Brabant (Waver)
  • Hainaut (Mons) - Henegouwen (Bergen)
  • Liege (Liege) - Luik (Luik)
  • Luxembourg (Arlon) - Luxemburg (Aarlen)
  • Namur (Namur) - Namen (Namen)

List Belgian provinces (and local governments)

Internal bond

List of leaders: areas and communities of Belgium

External bonds

  • Villesvirtuelles.be : Visit cities, trade and tourist curiosities in panoramas 360°

Demography

See also: Demography of Belgium

Population: : 10392226 inhabitants (2007). 0-14 years: 16,5%; 15-64 years: 66,1%; + 65 years: 17,4%
Density: 342 hab. /km ²
La population density is the more important third of the European Union, after that of Malta and of the Netherlands and before the the United Kingdom and the Germany.
Life expectancy of the men: 76 years (in 2007)
Life expectancy of the women: 82 years (in 2007)
Growth rate of the population: 0,12% (in 2007)
Birth rate: 10,29 ‰ (in 2007)
Death rate: 10,32 ‰ (in 2007)
infantile Death rate: 4,6 ‰ (in 2007)
Fertility rate: 1,6 child/woman (in 2007)
Rate of migration: 1,22 ‰ (in 2007)
Intermediate size of the men: 1m76

Culture

See also: Culture of Belgium

The Belgian cultural life tended to develop in each community. The intercommunity elements are fewer, partly because of the bilingual absence of university, with share the royal Academy, not of common media, nor of cultural or scientific organizations significant where all the communities are represented. These specified elements, Belgium as such is culturally known for its refined art and its architecture. It is necessary to notice that the Internet is also a Community element of fracture insofar as the two communities practically do not take part in any communication in common trunk that it is on the cultural, scientific, technical plan or even the hobbies, the French-speaking people rather attending the French circles and the Flemings organizing itself between them.

The area corresponding today to Belgium was the cradle of major artistic movements which had an important influence on European art. The Art mosan, the Flemish painting of the Rebirth, painting Baroque, architectures Romance, Gothic, Rebirth and Baroque as well as the classical music of the Rebirth is major elements of the history of Article.

Festivals and bank holidays

Religion

The freedom of religion is registered in the Constitution. Most widespread , others is the catholic religion, such as the Islam, the Protestantisme, the Judaïsme and orthodoxe Christianisme is practiced in Belgium.

Belgium subsidizes the churches and the organizations philosophical nondenominational recognized on its territory. This characteristic is registered in article 181 of the Belgian Constitution: The salaries and pensions ministers of religion are with load of the State; the sums necessary to face there are annually carried to the budget. (…)

For this reason, the Belgian State spent in 2003:

  • worship roman catholic: 458,62 million euros
  • secularity: 75,36 million euros
  • Islamic worship: 20,33 million euros
  • worship protesting evangelic: 18,80 million euros
  • worship Jew: 3,21 million euros
  • orthodoxe worship: 2,36 million euros
  • worship Anglican: 0,46 million euros

One 7th worship could be recognized: the Buddhism. This one is strong of: 30000 with: 50000 followers.

Teaching

Economy

See also: Economy of Belgium, List of Belgian companies

detailed Article: Economy of Belgium on Wikinations.be -->

Justice

See also: the legal organization in Belgium

Army

See also: Belgian Army

The Belgian Army counts, in 2005: 26400 men in the Army: 8600 in aviation: 2400 in the marine and: 2000 at the medical department, are a total of: 39400 men. Recruitment is primarily based there on the voluntariate of career since the suspension of the Military service (on March 1st, 1995). To that are added the principles of voluntary reserve (military career or civilian having signed an engagement) and obligatory, only for the members of the framework and this, during one limited duration.

Others

  • Telephone lines fixed: : 5073760 (in 2006); source INS (statbel.fgov.be)

  • Mobile phones: : 8712269 (in 2003); source INS (statbel.fgov.be)
  • Radios: 8,075 million (in 1997)
  • Television stations: : 3556235 (in 2001); source INS (statbel.fgov.be)
  • Users of Internet: 4,5 million (in 2006); source INS (statbel.fgov.be)
  • Many suppliers of access Internet: 61 (in 2000)
  • Roads: : 151372 km (in 2006) distributed as follows:
    • Area-Brussels-Capital: : 1881 km
    • Walloon region: : 79708 km
    • Flemish Area: : 69783 km;
  • Railways: : 3521 km (in 2005)
  • inland Waterways: : 2043 km
  • Many airports: 43 (including 25 with tarred tracks) (in 2006)

Some celebrities

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