The Belgium Portal

The Kingdom of Belgium (Dutch: Koninkrijk België; French: Royaume de Belgique; German: Königreich Belgien) is a country in northwest Europe bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France and is one of the founding and core members of the European Union. Belgium has a population of over ten million people, in an area of around 30,000 square kilometres (11,700 square miles).

Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Romance Europe, it is linguistically divided. Mainly two languages are spoken in Belgium: Dutch is spoken by the 6 million people in Flanders to the north, French by the 3.3 million Walloons in the south. The capital, Brussels, is officially bilingual, while the majority of its residents speak French. Around 70,000 people live in the German-speaking Community in the east of the country. This linguistic diversity often leads to political and cultural conflict and is reflected in Belgium's complex system of government and political history.

Belgium news

• December 10: 2009–10 UEFA Champions League: Round of 16 field set
• November 19: Herman Van Rompuy named as first permanent EU President
• September 1: Kimi Räikkönen wins 2009 Belgian Grand Prix
• July 22: UEFA Euro 2008: March 24th qualification game roundup
• July 22: Euro 2008 Qualification: Poland vs. Belgium

Did you know...

• ...that Belgium is ranked as the best country to do academic research by The Scientist in 2007?
• ...that the 2007 government formation was the longest government formation in Belgian history?
• ...that the Belgians formed the third largest non-Commonwealth contingent in the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain?

Things you can do

• Visit the Wikiproject Belgium page and help to write, expand and improve Belgium-related articles
• List newly created articles at the announcement page
• Update News and Did You Know
• Suggest Selected article and Selected picture on the Portal talk page
• Help to expand the Belgium stubs

Related portals

Anniversaries for December 17

• 693: death of Begga, saint, daughter of Pippin of Landen and mother of Pippin of Herstal
• 1195: death of Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut
• 1554: birth of Ernest of Bavaria, prince-bishop of Liège
• 1909: death of King Leopold II of Belgium
• 1919: foundation of Girl Guides of Belgium
• 1937: birth of Franz De Mulder, cyclist, winner of the 1960 Vuelta a España
• 1944: the Malmedy massacre: German Waffen-SS troops allegedly kill more than 70 American prisoners of war
• 1987; death of Marguerite Yourcenar, author

Categories

Belgium

• Geography
  • Regions (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels)
  • Provinces (Flemish provinces, Walloon provinces)
  • Municipalities (Municipalities of Antwerp, Municipalities of Liège, ...)
• History (Belgian Revolution, ...)
• Culture (Arts, Languages, Literature, ...)
• Health (Healthcare, Hospitals Surgeons, ...)
• Economy - Organizations - Education
• Science and technology - Sport - Tourism
• People
• ...