cybersteffan
New member
For those who think it's a city in the US 
...
OFFICIAL NAME: Kingdom of Belgium
CAPITAL: Brussels
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT: Constitutional Monarchy
AREA: 30,540 Sq Km (11,792 Sq Mi)
ESTIMATED 2000 POPULATION 10,145,600
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LOCATION & GEOGRAPHY: Belgium is located in North West Europe. It is bound by the Netherlands to the north, France to the south, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast and the North Sea to the northwest. The country's topography is that of a great fertile low lying plain which constitutes the north and west. South of central Belgium the terrain consists of rolling undulating hills and valleys which rise gradually to the east. Further south and to the east the hills give way to the mountainous Ardennes forests. The principal river in the southern Wallonia region is the Meuse with its tributaries the Semois, Sambre and Ourthe while the Scheldt with its tributaries is the principal river for the northern Flanders region. Major Cities (pop. est.); Brussels 136,000, Antwerp 473,000, Ghent 231,000, Charleroi 208,000, Liege 199,000 (1991). Land Use; forested 21%, pastures 21%, agricultural-cultivated 24%, other 34% (1992).
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CLIMATE: Belgium has a cool and temperate climate with strong maritime influences. The lowland areas are characterized by changing winds, summer thunderstorms with drizzle and an overcast sky. The northwest area is characterized by a mild climate with fog. The interior experiences more extreme summers while winters in the upland regions are colder and have greater frost and rain. Average annual precipitation varies from 510 to 760 mm (20 to 30 inches) to 1,200 mm (47 inches) in the hills of the south. Average temperature ranges in Brussels are from -1 to 4 degrees Celsius (30 to 39 degrees Fahrenheit) in January to 12 to 23 degrees Celsius (54 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit) in July.
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PEOPLE: Originally the people of Belgium were of Celtic origin, although most were wiped out during the Christian era. Belgium is now comprised of Celtic, Roman, German, French, Dutch, Spanish and Austrian descendants. Today Belgium is divided linguistically with two main groups (1.) the Dutch speakers called Flemings and (2.) the French speakers called Walloons. Other ethnic minorities include immigrants from Italy, Morocco, Turkey, Spain, Algeria, Portugal and Zaire.
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LANGUAGES: The official languages are Flemish (Dutch), French and German. With approximately 56% of the population speaking Dutch while 32% speak French and 1% speak German. Various dialects are spoken by the Flemish and Walloons, although it is less common in public or formal situations and is more common in rural areas and informal situations.
...OFFICIAL NAME: Kingdom of Belgium
CAPITAL: Brussels
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT: Constitutional Monarchy
AREA: 30,540 Sq Km (11,792 Sq Mi)
ESTIMATED 2000 POPULATION 10,145,600
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LOCATION & GEOGRAPHY: Belgium is located in North West Europe. It is bound by the Netherlands to the north, France to the south, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast and the North Sea to the northwest. The country's topography is that of a great fertile low lying plain which constitutes the north and west. South of central Belgium the terrain consists of rolling undulating hills and valleys which rise gradually to the east. Further south and to the east the hills give way to the mountainous Ardennes forests. The principal river in the southern Wallonia region is the Meuse with its tributaries the Semois, Sambre and Ourthe while the Scheldt with its tributaries is the principal river for the northern Flanders region. Major Cities (pop. est.); Brussels 136,000, Antwerp 473,000, Ghent 231,000, Charleroi 208,000, Liege 199,000 (1991). Land Use; forested 21%, pastures 21%, agricultural-cultivated 24%, other 34% (1992).
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CLIMATE: Belgium has a cool and temperate climate with strong maritime influences. The lowland areas are characterized by changing winds, summer thunderstorms with drizzle and an overcast sky. The northwest area is characterized by a mild climate with fog. The interior experiences more extreme summers while winters in the upland regions are colder and have greater frost and rain. Average annual precipitation varies from 510 to 760 mm (20 to 30 inches) to 1,200 mm (47 inches) in the hills of the south. Average temperature ranges in Brussels are from -1 to 4 degrees Celsius (30 to 39 degrees Fahrenheit) in January to 12 to 23 degrees Celsius (54 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit) in July.
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PEOPLE: Originally the people of Belgium were of Celtic origin, although most were wiped out during the Christian era. Belgium is now comprised of Celtic, Roman, German, French, Dutch, Spanish and Austrian descendants. Today Belgium is divided linguistically with two main groups (1.) the Dutch speakers called Flemings and (2.) the French speakers called Walloons. Other ethnic minorities include immigrants from Italy, Morocco, Turkey, Spain, Algeria, Portugal and Zaire.
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LANGUAGES: The official languages are Flemish (Dutch), French and German. With approximately 56% of the population speaking Dutch while 32% speak French and 1% speak German. Various dialects are spoken by the Flemish and Walloons, although it is less common in public or formal situations and is more common in rural areas and informal situations.
