Capital : Brussels

Major Airports : Brussels (BRU), Charleroi (CRL), Antwerp (ANR), Ostend (OST)

Approx Population : 10 million +

Major Languages : Dutch, French

Climate Guide : Low and temperate with relatively mild winters and moderate summers. Rain and cloud not uncommon

Areas Featured : None currently

Belgium, once part of the Netherlands and the Low Countries, has been an independent, constitutional monarchy since 1831 when Leopold 1 was installed as king. Today, King Albert II sits upon the throne. Occupied by Germany in both World Wars it has, in the last 60 years, become a modern and technologically advanced country and a member of both NATO and the EU. Cultural differences between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the South created some tension in the past which resulted in constitutional ammendments granting the 2 regions formal recognition and self-govenment. Brussels, the Belgian capital city, is host to both NATO and the EU in addition to other important organisations.

It is a country with a North Sea coastline and shared borders with Germany, Holland, France and Luxembourg. It has a temperate climate with mild winters and cool summers. The population, of almost 10,500,000 people, live in an area of just over 30,000 square kms. Currency is the Euro. Dutch, French and German are the official languages and English is frequently heard.

From the Late Middle ages until the late 17th century Belgium was an important and prosperous centre of trade and culture but it was also the location for a number of power struggles and battles between the various European countries.

Belgium has been the home of many famous artists and musicians who have been of tremendous influence in the development of painting in the Middle Ages, art in general, and music. Two of her more popular modern sons are the artist Rene Magritte and the writer Georges Simenon; and also, of course, Herge, who createdThe Adventures of Tintin! In 1911 the Belgian poet and playwright Maurice Maeterlinck won the Nobel Prize for literature.

The visitor to Belgium will find mediaeval cities, fascinating towns, old cathedrals and castles, plus, of course, modern, cosmopolitan Brussels; in fact, something of interest to everyone. The Belgian beer and chocolates are internationally renowned! Flanders, in the north, is a flat land of canals; the place where Antwerp, Bruges and Ghent can be found and where art flourished in the late Middle Ages. In Wallonia, to the south, can be found the Ardennes uplands (a thickly forested and rocky plateau), and the cities of Liege, Charleroi, Namur and Tournai. Religious and folk festivals are a regular feature in a number of towns throughout the country. Some of the more important being the Procession of the Holy Blood in Bruges, The Carnival of Binche, The Ducasse of Ath, 15th-of-August festival in Liège and the Walloon festival in Namur.