Portal:Belgium

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Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the south, and the North Sea to the west. Belgium covers an area of 30,689 km² (11,849 sq mi) and has a population of more than 11.8 million; its population density of 383/km² (990/sq mi) ranks 22nd in the world and sixth in Europe. The capital and largest metropolitan region is Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges, Namur, and Leuven.

Belgium is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a complex federal system structured on regional and linguistic grounds. The country is divided into three highly autonomous regions: the Flemish Region (Flanders) in the north, the Walloon Region (Wallonia) in the south, and the Brussels-Capital Region in the middle. Belgium is also home to two main linguistic communities: the Dutch-speaking Flemish Community, which constitutes about 60 percent of the population, and the French-speaking French Community, which constitutes about 40 percent of the population; a small German-speaking Community, comprising around one percent of the population, exists in the East Cantons. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in its complex system of governance, made up of six different governments. Belgium is a developed country with an advanced high-income economy. It is one of the six founding members of the European Union, with its capital of Brussels serving as the de facto capital of the EU, hosting the official seats of the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European Council, and one of two seats of the European Parliament (the other being Strasbourg). Brussels also hosts the headquarters of many major international organizations, such as NATO.

In antiquity, present-day Belgium was dominated by the Belgae before being annexed into the Roman Empire in the mid first century BC. During the Middle Ages, Belgium's central location kept it relatively prosperous and connected both commercially and politically to its larger neighbours; it was part of the Carolingian Empire, the succeeding Holy Roman Empire, and subsequently the Burgundian Netherlands. Following rule by Habsburg Spain (1556–1714), the Austrian Habsburgs (1714–1794), and Revolutionary France (1794–1815), most of modern-day Belgium was incorporated into the United Kingdom of the Netherlands after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Centuries of being contested and controlled by various European powers earned Belgium the moniker "the Battlefield of Europe", a reputation reinforced in the 20th century by both world wars. (Full article...)

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Belgium sent a delegation to compete at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan from 7–22 February 1998. The nation was represented by only one athlete, speed skater Bart Veldkamp. He won a bronze medal in the men's 5,000 metres race. With that bronze medal, Belgium finished in joint 22nd place on the medal table. (Full article...)

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More Did you know

Saint Lutgardis as rendered by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes

...that Lutgardis (pictured) is reported as having levitated and dripped blood from her forehead when entranced?
...that the Renaissance composer Cornelis Verdonck wrote the only known motet written to be performed on the back of an elephant?
...that one of the patrons of The Ypres League was Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, whose son, Prince Maurice of Battenberg, had died in World War I at the First Battle of Ypres?

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Featured pictures -

Featured pictures are displayed here, which represent the finest images on English Wikipedia.

Image 1
Dogcart
Image credit: Detroit Publishing Co.
A photochrom from the late 19th century showing two peddlers selling milk from a dogcart near Brussels, Belgium. Dog-drawn carts were prohibited in Great Britain in the early 1900s on animal welfare grounds, but some still exist in France and Belgium. The modern-day sport of carting involves large dogs pulling carts.
Image 2
Flat-four engine
Photograph: ULPower Aero Engines
The ULPower UL260i, a flat-four engine produced by ULPower Aero Engines of Belgium. Flat-four engines are flat engines with four cylinders arranged horizontally in two banks of two cylinders on each side of a central crankcase; they can be used in cars, motorcycles, or aircraft. This type of engine tends to be well-balanced and have efficient cooling, but is expensive to manufacture and considerably wider than other engines.
Image 3
Belgian franc
Coin design credit: Kingdom of Belgium; photographed by the National Numismatic Collection
The Belgian franc was the currency of the Kingdom of Belgium from 1832 until 2002, when the euro was introduced. The Belgian mint was innovative, and in 1860, the country became the first to introduce coins made of cupronickel. A few years later, in 1865, Belgium formed the Latin Monetary Union with France, Switzerland and Italy (Greece joined the system later), which facilitated trade between the countries by setting standards by which gold and silver currency could be minted and exchanged.

This 40-franc gold coin was minted in 1835, and depicts Leopold I, the first king of the Belgians following the country's independence in 1830, on the obverse. The coin is now part of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.
Image 4
Portrait of Henriette Mayer van den Bergh
Painting: Jozef Van Lerius
Portrait of Henriette Mayer van den Bergh, an oil painting on canvas completed by the Belgian painter Jozef Van Lerius (1823–1876) in 1857. Van Lerius, a student of Gustaf Wappers, was a teacher at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp from age 31. He was known primarily for his mythological and biblical scenes, as well as his portraits and genre pictures. The subject, Henriette Mayer van den Bergh, was the mother of the art collector Fritz Mayer van den Bergh; after his death, she founded the Museum Mayer van den Bergh in Antwerp to house his collection.
Image 5
Averbode Abbey
Photograph credit: Marc Ryckaert
Averbode Abbey is a Premonstratensian abbey in Averbode, in the municipality of Scherpenheuvel-Zichem, Belgium. The abbey was founded about 1134, suppressed in 1797, and re-established in 1834. The church is a synthesis of Baroque and Gothic architecture, with Renaissance ornamental details, and dominates the monastery complex; it was built between 1664 and 1672, to a design by the Antwerp architect Jan Van den Eynde II. This view of the church's interior shows the chancel, with the choir in the foreground and the sanctuary in the background.
Image 6
Averbode Abbey
Photograph: JH-man
Averbode Abbey, founded about 1134–35 by Count Arnold II of Loon, is a Premonstratensian monastery situated in the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels in Belgium. The abbey reached its peak in the 16th and 17th centuries, though over the past hundred years it has been in a state of decline.
Image 7
Stunt performer
Photo credit: Luc Viatour
Pyrotechnics stunt exhibition by "Giant Auto Rodéo", a Belgian stunt performer group. Stunt performers typically perform stunts for films or television programs. Stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be.
Image 8
SNCB Class 77
Photograph: Marc Ryckaert
The SNCB Class 77 is a class of 4-axle B'B' diesel-hydraulic locomotive designed for shunting and freight work. It was manufactured at the beginning of the 2000s by Siemens Schienenfahrzeugtechnik, and later by Vossloh at the Maschinenbau Kiel plant in Kiel, Germany, for the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB/NMBS).
Image 9
Limburger cheese
Photo credit: Jon Sullivan/Pharaoh Hound
A plate of Limburger cheese and pumpernickel bread. Limburger originated from Limburg, Belgium, and is known for its strong odor, which is due in part to being fermented with the same bacteria partially responsible for human body odor.
Image 10
Thorntonbank Wind Farm
Photo credit: Hans Hillewaert
Wind turbines belonging to the Thorntonbank Wind Farm located in the North Sea, 28 km (17 mi) off the coast of Belgium. Electricity generation started in early 2009, with an initial capacity of 30 MW, and that number is expected to rise to 300 MW by 2015. A 37 km (23 mi) 150 kV undersea cable connects the wind farm to the shore.
Image 11
V-2 rocket attack
Photo credit: Ingeldew, T3c, U.S. Army
The smouldering body of a boy killed by a V-2 rocket attack on the main intersection in Antwerp, Belgium, November 27, 1944, on the main Allied supply line to the Netherlands. The V-2, one of the German Vergeltungswaffen, was the first ballistic missile and first man-made object to achieve sub-orbital spaceflight. Over 3,000 V-2s were launched as military rockets by the Wehrmacht against Allied targets in World War II.
Image 12
Ghent
Photograph: Joaquim Alves Gaspar
The Graslei harbour is a popular destination in the Belgian city of Ghent. It is found in the city centre.
Image 13
Stained glass windows by Jean-Baptiste Capronnier
Windows: Jean-Baptiste Capronnier; photograph: Joaquim Alves Gaspar
Three scenes of the legend of the Miraculous Sacrament in stained glass windows in the Cathédrale Saints-Michel-et-Gudule of Brussels by Jean-Baptiste Capronnier (c. 1870). The contributions of Capronnier (1814–1891) helped lead to a revival in glass painting.
Image 14
Hélène Dutrieu
Photo credit: Bain News Service
Hélène Dutrieu, shown here in her aeroplane ca. 1911, was the fourth woman in the world (the first from Belgium) to earn a pilot's license and reputedly the first woman to carry passengers and to fly a seaplane. Besides being a pilot, she was a cycling world champion, stunt cyclist, stunt motorcyclist, automobile racer, wartime ambulance driver, and director of a military hospital.
Image 15
Poeke Castle
Photo: Marc Ryckaert
Poeke Castle is a castle near Poeke, Belgium. Standing on 56 hectares of park, the castle is surrounded by water and is accessible through bridges at the front and rear of the building.

Did you know (auto-generated)

... that Belgian hardcore DJ Liza 'N' Eliaz was named a "spiritual leader" in France's free party movement?
... that Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja called King Leopold II's atrocities in the Congo Free State the "Congo holocaust"?
... that François Glorieux was a Belgian pianist and improvisor, conductor of the BBC Radio Orchestra and Stan Kenton's band, and arranger for Michael Jackson?
... that the electoral victory of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress in 2018 led to DR Congo's first peaceful transition of power since its independence from Belgium in 1960?
... that an exhibition hall for the 1939 New York World's Fair later hosted athletic events at a historically Black university in Virginia?
... that the Belgian far-right activist Robert Steuckers is critical of the French New Right for their lack of proficiency in German?

Anniversaries for August 20

1827: birth of Charles De Coster, author, best known for The Legend of Thyl Ulenspiegel and Lamme Goedzak
1959: death of Jean-Baptiste Sipido, who attempted to assassinate Edward VII, the Prince of Wales, in 1900
1970: birth of Els Callens, tennis player, bronze medalist at the Summer Olympics of 2000 in Sydney
1979: death of Christian Dotremont, painter and poet, member of COBRA
2003: birth of Prince Gabriel of Belgium, second child of Prince Philippe of Belgium, Duke of Brabant, the heir apparent to the throne of Belgium, and his wife Princess Mathilde

More August anniversaries

General images -

The following are images from various Belgium-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1A 1906 British Punch cartoon depicting Leopold II as a rubber vine entangling a Congolese man (from History of Belgium)
Image 2Map of Belgian regions and provinces. (from Geography of Belgium)
Image 3Charles Michel, the Prime Minister of Belgium from 2014 until 2019 (from History of Belgium)
Image 4German soldiers examine an abandoned Belgian T13 Tank, 1940 (from History of Belgium)
Image 5Belgian soldier taking cover by the corpses of dead hostages, November 1964 in Stanleyville during Operation Dragon Rouge (from History of Belgium)
Image 6Extreme points of Belgium (from Geography of Belgium)
Image 7Equestrian Statue of Leopold II, Place du Trône/Troonplein, Brussels (from History of Belgium)
Image 8The "Fusilade of Mons" during the 1893 strike as the Borains are fired on by the Garde Civique during the protests for universal suffrage. (from History of Belgium)
Image 9The flag of the francophone pro-Nazi Rexist party (from History of Belgium)
Image 10A historic street in Belgium (from History of Belgium)
Image 11French soldiers fight at Fleurus in Belgium during the Revolutionary Wars, 1794 (from History of Belgium)
Image 12The flag of Flanders incorporating the Flemish lion, also used by the Flemish Movement. (from History of Belgium)
Image 13Paul-Henri Spaak, three-times Prime Minister and author of the Spaak Report, was a staunch believer in international bodies, including the ECSC and EEC (from History of Belgium)
Image 14Site of the massacre of Belgian UN personnel in Kigali, Rwanda. (from History of Belgium)
Image 15Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830, Egide Charles Gustave Wappers (1834), in the Musée d'Art Ancien, Brussels (from History of Belgium)
Image 16The Seventeen Provinces, and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège in green (from History of Belgium)
Image 17The natural regions of Belgium. (from Geography of Belgium)
Image 18Saint Servatius, bishop of Tongeren and one of the first known Christian figures in the region. 16th century reliquary. (from History of Belgium)
Image 19A Belgian machine gunner at the front lines in 1918, firing a Chauchat machine gun. (from History of Belgium)
Image 20The Siege of Maastricht (1579) by an anonymous painter (from History of Belgium)
Image 21Commemorative Medal awarded to Belgian soldiers who had served during the Franco-Prussian War. (from History of Belgium)
Image 22Walloon workers demonstration in Brussels in the winter of 1960 (from History of Belgium)
Image 23Painting of steel production in Ougrée by Constantin Meunier (1885) (from History of Belgium)
Image 24The first Belgian-produced steam locomotive, "The Belgian" ("Le Belge") built in 1835 (from History of Belgium)
Image 25Belgian-Congolese Force Publique soldiers, 1943 (from History of Belgium)
Image 26Surviving Roman city walls in Tongeren, the former city of Atuatuca Tongrorum (from History of Belgium)
Image 27Flint knives discovered in Belgian caves (from History of Belgium)
Image 2814th-century illustration of the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302 where forces from the County of Flanders defeated their nominal overlords of the Kingdom of France. (from History of Belgium)
Image 29Poster for the 1920 Summer Olympics, held at Antwerp (from History of Belgium)
Image 30Cartoon of "The Rape of Belgium" showing giant hairy fist with Prussian eagle grasping maiden in flowing robes. (from History of Belgium)
Image 31Map showing the area of West Germany occupied by Belgian forces after the Second World War, known as FBA-BSD (from History of Belgium)
Image 32Southern part of the Low Countries with bishopry towns and abbeys c. 7th century. Abbeys were the onset to larger villages and even some towns to reshape the landscape. (from History of Belgium)
Image 33The Roman province of Gallia Belgica in around 120 AD (from History of Belgium)
Image 34The gallows at Breendonk Concentration Camp, near Mechelen (from History of Belgium)
Image 35The Battle of Nieuwpoort (1600) (from History of Belgium)
Image 36Elio Di Rupo, the Prime Minister of Belgium from 2011 until 2014 (from History of Belgium)
Image 37Belgian F-16 conducts a combat patrol over Afghanistan, 2008 (from History of Belgium)
Image 38The Sack of Antwerp in 1576, in which 17,000 people died. (from History of Belgium)
Image 39The Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark memorial arcade, built in 1905 (from History of Belgium)
Image 40Map showing the division of Brabant into Flemish Brabant (yellow), Walloon Brabant (red) and the Brussels-Capital Region (orange) in 1995 (from History of Belgium)