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{{Infobox Country or territory
|native_name = ''Koninkrijk België''<br/>''Royaume de Belgique''<br/>''Königreich Belgien''
|conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Belgium
|common_name = Belgium
|image_flag = Flag of Belgium.svg
|image_coat = Belgium coat of arms large.png
|symbol_type = Coat of arms
|national_motto = ''Eendracht maakt macht''{{spaces|2}}<small>(])</small><br/>''L'union fait la force''{{spaces|2}}<small>(])</small><br/>''Einigkeit macht stark''{{spaces|2}}<small>(])<br/>"Strength through Unity"</small>
|image_map = EU location BEL.png
|map_caption = {{map_caption |region=on the ] |subregion=the ] |legend=EU location legend en.png}}
|national_anthem = "]"<br/><small>(The Song of Brabant)</small>
|official_languages = ], ], ]
|capital = ]&nbsp;]
|latd=50 |latm=54 |latNS=N |longd=4 |longm=32 |longEW=E
|largest_city = ] / ]<sup>1</sup>
|government_type = ]
|leader_title1 = ]
|leader_title2 = ]
|leader_name1 = ]
|leader_name2 = ]
|area = 30,528
|areami² = 11,787 <!--Do not remove per ]-->
|area_rank = 139th
|area_magnitude = 1 E10
|percent_water = 6.4
|population_estimate = 10,419,000 <!--UN estimate for mid-2005-->
|population_estimate_year = 2005
|population_estimate_rank = 76th
|population_census = 10,296,350
|population_census_year = 2001
|population_density = 339.50 (2005)<ref></ref>
|population_densitymi² = 886 <!--Do not remove ]-->
|population_density_rank = 29th
|GDP_PPP_year = 2004
|GDP_PPP = $316.2&nbsp;]
|GDP_PPP_rank = 30th
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $31,400
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 12th
|HDI_year = 2004
|HDI = {{steady}} 0.945
|HDI_rank = 13th
|HDI_category = <font color="#009900">high</font>
|sovereignty_type = ]
|sovereighty_note = from the ]
|established_event1 = Declared
|established_date1 = ] ]
|established_event2 = ]
|established_date2 = ], ]
|accessionEUdate = ], ]
|currency = ] (])<sup>2</sup>
|currency_code = EUR
|time_zone = ]
|utc_offset = +1
|time_zone_DST = ]
|utc_offset_DST = +2
|cctld = ]<sup>3</sup>
|calling_code = 32
|footnotes = <sup>1</sup> Brussels is the largest urban area, Antwerp is the largest city with legal status.<br/><sup>2</sup> Prior to 1999: ].<br/><sup>3</sup> The ] domain is also used, as it is shared with other ] member states.</sup>
}}

The '''Kingdom of Belgium''' ({{lang-nl|Koninkrijk België}}; {{lang-fr|Royaume de Belgique}}; {{lang-de|Königreich Belgien}}) is a country in ] bordered by ], ], ] and ] and is one of the founding and core members of the ]. Belgium has a population of over ten million people, in an area of around 30,000 ]s (11,700&nbsp;square miles).

Straddling the cultural boundary between ] and ] Europe, Belgium is linguistically divided. It has two main languages: 59% of its population, being 6.18 million people in the north, mainly in the region ], speak ] (while Belgians of both major languages often refer to it as ]); ] is spoken by 40%: 3.29 million in the southern region ] and an estimated 0.88 million in the officially bilingual ] or 85-90% of its residents – thus a minority there speaks Dutch, its local language till shortly before Belgium's independence. Less than 1% of the Belgians, around 70,000 live in the ] in the east of the ]. This linguistic diversity often leads to political and cultural conflict and is reflected in Belgium's complex ] and ].

Belgium derives its name from the ] name of the northernmost part of ], '']'', named after a group of mostly ]ic tribes, '']''. Historically, Belgium has been a part of the ], which also include the Netherlands and Luxembourg and used to cover a somewhat larger region than the current ] group of states. From the end of the ] until the seventeenth century, it was a prosperous centre of commerce and culture. From the sixteenth century until the Belgian revolution in 1830, the area at that time called the ], was the site of many battles between the European powers, and has been dubbed "the battlefield of Europe"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.diplomatie.be/en/belgium/belgiumdetail.asp?TEXTID=49019|title=Belgian economy|publisher=Belgian federal ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation}}</ref> or "the cockpit of Europe".<ref>]</ref> More recently, Belgium was a founding member of the ], hosting its headquarters, as well as those of many other major ]s, such as ].

==History==
{{main|History of Belgium}}
Over the past two millennia, the area that is now known as Belgium has seen significant demographic, political and cultural upheavals. The first well-documented population move was the conquest of the region by the ] in the 1st century ], followed in the 5th century by the ] ]. The Franks established the ] kingdom, which became the ] in the 8th century. During the Middle Ages, the Low Countries were split into many small ] states. Most of them were united in the course of the 14th and 15th centuries by the house of ] as the ]. These states gained a degree of autonomy in the 15th century and were thereafter named the ].
] (orange, brown and yellow areas) and the ] (green area). For a detailed description, see ].]]
The history of Belgium can be distinguished from that of the Low Countries from the 16th century. The ] (1568&ndash;1648), divided the Seventeen Provinces into the ] in the north and the ] in the south. The southern provinces were ruled successively by the ] and the ] ]s. Until independence, the Southern Netherlands were sought after by numerous French conquerors and were the theatre of most ] during the 17th and 18th centuries. Following the ], the Low Countries—including territories that were never under Habsburg rule, such as the ]—were overrun by France, ending Spanish-Austrian rule in the region. The reunification of the Low Countries as the ] occurred at the end of the ] in 1815.

] (1834), in the Ancient Art Museum, Brussels]]
The 1830 ] led to the establishment of an
], ] and neutral Belgium under a ] and a ]. Since the installation of ] as king in 1831, Belgium has been a ] and ]. Between independence and ], the democratic system evolved from an ] characterised by two main parties, the Catholics and the Liberals, to a ] system that has included a third party, the Labour Party, and a strong role for the ]s. Originally, French, which was the adopted language of the ] and the ], was the official language. The country has since developed a bilingual Dutch-French system.

The ] of 1885 agreed to hand over ] to ] as his private possession, called the ]. In 1908, it was ceded to Belgium as a colony, henceforth called the ]. Belgium's neutrality was violated in 1914, when Germany invaded Belgium as part of the ]. The former ] ]—now called ] and ]—were occupied by the Belgian Congo in 1916. They were mandated in 1924 to Belgium by the ]. Belgium was again invaded by Germany in ] during the ] offensive. The country was occupied until the winter of 1944-45 when it was liberated by Allied troops. The Belgian Congo gained its independence in ] during the ], and Ruanda-Urundi became independent in 1962.

After ], Belgium joined NATO and, together with the Netherlands and Luxembourg, formed the ] group of nations. Belgium is also one of the six founding members of the 1951 established ], and the 1957 established ] and ]. Belgium hosts the headquarters of NATO and a major part of the ]'s institutions and administrations, including the ], the ] and the extraordinary and committee sessions of the ], as well as parts of its administration.

During the 20th century, and in particular since World War II, the history of Belgium has been increasingly dominated by the autonomy of its two main communities. This period saw a rise in intercommunal tensions, and the unity of the Belgian state has come under scrutiny.<ref></ref> Through constitutional reforms in the 1970s and 1980s, ] of the unitary state had led to the establishment of a three-tiered system of ], linguistic-community and regional governments, a compromise designed to minimise linguistic tensions. Nowadays, these federal entities uphold more legislative power than the national bicameral parliament, whereas national government still controls nearly all taxation, over 80% of the finances of the community and region governments, and 100% of the social security.

==Government and politics==
<!--Please add new information into relevant articles of the series-->
{{morepolitics|country=Belgium}}
], Prime Minister since July 1999]]

Belgium is a ] ] and ] that evolved after World War II from a ] to a ]. The ] ] is composed of a ] and a ]. The former is a mix of directly elected senior politicians and representatives of the communities and regions; while the latter represents all Belgians over the age of eighteen in a ] system. Belgium is one of the few countries that has ], thus having one of the highest rates of ] in the world.<ref>] in national lower house elections from 1960 to 1995, numbers from Mark N. Franklin's "Electoral Participation".</ref>

The federal government, formally nominated by the king, must have the confidence of the Chamber of Representatives. It is led by the ]. The numbers of Dutch- and French-speaking ministers are equal as prescribed by the Constitution.<ref> Art. 99</ref> The King or Queen is the ], though with limited ]. Actual power is vested in the Prime Minister and the ], who govern the country. The judicial system is based on ] and originates from the ]. The ] is one level below the ], an institution based on the ].

Belgium's political institutions are complex; most political power is organized around the need to represent the main language communities. Since around 1970, the significant national Belgian ] have split into distinct components that mainly represent the interests of these communities. The major parties in each community, though close to the ], belong to three main political families: the ] ], the ] ], and the ] as ]. Other important younger parties are the ] and, especially in Flanders, the ] and ], ] party. Politics is influenced by lobby groups, such as ]s and business interests in the form of the ].

<!-- Unsourced image removed: ], King of the Belgians]] -->
The current king, ], succeeded King ] (''Boudewijn'' in Dutch) in 1993. Since 1999, Prime Minister ] from the ] has led a six-party Liberal-Social Democrat-Greens ], often referred to as 'the rainbow government'. This was the first government without the Christian Democrats since 1958.<ref></ref> In the ], Verhofstadt won a second term in office and has led a Liberal-Social Democrat coalition of four parties.<ref></ref> In recent years, there has also been a steady rise of the Flemish far right nationalist ] party ], meanwhile superseded by ] amidst allegations of racism promoted by the party.<ref></ref>

A significant achievement of the two successive Verhofstadt governments has been the achievement of a balanced budget; Belgium is one of the few member-states of the EU to have done so. This policy was applied by the successive governments during the 1990s under pressure from the ]. The fall of the previous government was mainly because of the ] crisis,<ref></ref> a major food intoxication scandal in 1999 that led to the establishment of the Belgian Food Agency.<ref></ref> This event resulted in an atypically large representation by the Greens in parliament, and a greater emphasis on environmental politics during the first Verhofstadt government. One Green policy, for example, resulted in ] legislation, which has been modified by the current government. The absence of Christian Democrats from the ranks of the government has enabled Verhofstadt to tackle social issues from a more ] point of view and to develop new legislation on the use of ]s, ] and ]. During the two most recent parliaments, the government has promoted active diplomacy in Africa,<ref> shows an example of Belgium's recent African policies.</ref> opposed a military intervention during the ], and has passed legislation concerning ]. Both of Verhofstadt's terms have been marked by disputes between the Belgian communities. The major points of contention are the nocturnal air traffic routes at ] and the status of the electoral district of ].

{{seealso|list of Belgian monarchs|Belgian federal parliament|Belgian federal government|list of Belgian Prime Ministers|Political parties in Belgium}}

==Administrative divisions==
{{main|Communities and regions of Belgium}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" align="right" style="vertical-align:top;"
|+ '''Belgium is divided into three communities and into three regions.'''
||]<br/>''']'''
('''] speaking''')
||]<br/>''']'''
('''] speaking''')
||]<br/>''']'''
|-
||]<br/>]
||]<br/>]
||]<br/>]
|}

The country's ] was revised on ] ] to create a unique federal state, based on three levels:
#The federal ], based in Brussels.
#The three language communities:
#* the ];
#* the ];
#* the ].
# The three regions (which differ from the language communities with respect to the German-speaking community and the Brussels region):
#* the ];
#* the ]; and
#* the ].
Conflicts between the bodies are resolved by the ]. The setup allows a compromise so distinctly different cultures can live together peacefully.

The Flemish Community absorbed the Flemish Region in 1980 to form the government of ].<ref></ref> The overlapping boundaries of the Regions and Communities have created two notable peculiarities: the territory of the Brussels-Capital Region is included in both Flemish and French Communities, and the territory of the German-speaking Community lies wholly within the Walloon Region. Flemish and Walloon regions are furthermore subdivided in administrative entities, the ].

At the highest level of this three-tiered setup is the ] which manages ], ], ], ], police, economic management, ], ] transport, energy, telecommunications, and scientific research, limited competencies in education and culture, and the supervision of taxation by regional authorities. The federal government controls more than 90 per cent of all taxation. The community governments are responsible for the promotion of language, culture and education in mostly schools, libraries and theatres. The third tier is the Regional governments, who manage mostly land and property based issues such as housing, transportation etc. For example, the building permit for a school building in Brussels belonging to the public school system would be regulated by the regional government of Brussels. However, the school as an institution would fall under the regulations of the Flemish government if the primary language of teaching is Dutch, but under the French Community government if the primary language is French.

==Geography, climate, and environment==
{{main|Geography of Belgium}}
], ] (Antwerpen), ] (Gent), ], ], ] (Brugge) and ] are the seven largest cities of Belgium, with populations above 100,000]]

Belgium, with a land area of 30&nbsp;528 ]s (33,990 km² in total), has three main geographical regions: the coastal plain in the north-west, the central plateau, and the ] uplands in the south-east. The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes and ]s. Polders are areas of land, close to or below sea level that have been reclaimed from the sea, from which they are protected by ] or, further inland, by fields that have been drained with canals. The second geographical region, the central plateau, lies further inland. This is a smooth, slowly rising area that has many fertile valleys and is irrigated by many waterways. Here one can also find rougher land, including caves and small ]s.Belgium shares borders with ] 620 km, ] 167 km, ] 148 km and ] 450 km.

], in the Ardennes]]

The third geographical region, called the Ardennes, is more rugged than the first two. It is a thickly forested plateau, very rocky and not very good for farming, which extends into northern France and in Germany where it is named ]. This is where much of Belgium's wildlife can be found. Belgium's highest point, the ] is located in this region at only 694&nbsp;]s (2,277&nbsp;]).

The climate is maritime ], with significant precipitation in all seasons (]: ''Cfb''; the average temperature is 3&nbsp;°C (37°F) in January, and 18°&nbsp;] (64&nbsp;°]) in July; the average precipitation is 65&nbsp;]s (2.6&nbsp;]) in January, and 78&nbsp;millimetres (3.1&nbsp;in) in July).<ref></ref>

Because of its high population density and location in the centre of Western Europe, Belgium faces serious ]. A 2003 report<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3458
|title=Sewage-laden Belgian water worst in world
|date=]
|accessdate=2006-05-09
|last=Pearce
|first=Fred
|publisher=New Scientist}}</ref> suggested that the water in Belgium's rivers was of the lowest quality in Europe, and bottom of the 122 countries studied.

==Economy==
{{main|Economy of Belgium}}
Densely populated, Belgium is located at the heart of one of the world's most highly industrialised regions. Currently, the Belgium economy is heavily service-oriented and shows a dual nature with a dynamic ] part and ] as its main multilingual and multi-ethnic centre and a GNP/person which is one of the highest in the ], and a ] economy that lags roughly one quarter behind (in GNP/person).

] at ], near ].]]
Belgium was the first continental European country to undergo the ], in the early 1800s. ] and ] rapidly developed mining and steelmaking, which flourished until the mid-20th century. However, by the 1840s the textile industry of Flanders was in severe crisis and there was famine in Flanders (1846&ndash;50). After World War II, ] and ] experienced a fast expansion of the ] and ] industries. The ] and ] sent the economy into a prolonged recession. The Belgian steel industry has since experienced serious decline. This has been responsible for inhibiting the economic development of ].<ref name="state.gov"></ref> In the 1980s and 90s, the economic centre of the country continued to shift northwards to Flanders. Nowadays, industry is concentrated in the populous Flemish area in the north.

By the end of the 1980s, Belgian macroeconomic policies had resulted in a cumulative government debt of about 120% of ]. Currently, budget is in balance and public debt is equal to 87.53% of GDP (2006).<ref>.</ref> In 2005, the real growth rate of GDP was estimated at 1.5% while ]'s prognose for 2006 is 2.9%.<ref></ref>

Belgium has a particularly ]. It has developed an excellent ] of ports, canals, ] and highways to integrate its industry with that of its neighbours. Antwerp is the second-largest European port. One of the founding members of the European Union, Belgium strongly supports the extension of the powers of EU institutions to integrate the member economies. In 1999, Belgium adopted the ], the single European currency, which replaced the ] in 2002. The Belgian economy is strongly oriented towards foreign trade, in particular of high value-added goods. The main imports are food products, machinery, rough diamonds, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, clothing and accessories, and textiles. The main exports are automobiles, food and food products, iron and steel, finished diamonds, textiles, plastics, petroleum products, and nonferrous metals. Since 1922, Belgium and ] have been a single trade market within a ] and ]—the ]. Its main trading partners are Germany, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States and Spain. Belgium ranks thirteenth on the 2006 ] ].

==Demographics==
], ] is the National ] of Belgium. It stands as a symbol of the historical link between the ] and the ].]]
{{main|Demographics of Belgium}}
The ] (342 per km² or 886 per sq.&nbsp;mi) of Belgium is one of the highest in Europe, after that of the Netherlands and some microstates such as ]. The areas with the highest population density are around the Brussels-]-]-] agglomerations, also known as the ], as well as other important urban centres as ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. The Ardennes have the lowest density. As of 2005, the Flemish Region has a population of about 6,043,161, Wallonia 3,395,942 and Brussels 1,006,749.<ref name="statbel"></ref> Almost all of the population is urban (97.3% in 1999<ref></ref>). The main cities and their populations are Brussels (1,006,749), Antwerp (457,749), Ghent (230,951), Charleroi (201,373), and Liège (185,574).<ref name="statbel"/>

Both the ] spoken in Belgium and the ] have minor differences in ] and ] nuances from the varieties spoken in the Netherlands and France. Many people can still speak ] of ], but the ] that was once the main dialect of ] is now only understood and spoken occasionally, mostly by elderly people. These dialects, along with some other ones like ] or ],<ref name="ethnologue"> published by ]</ref> are not used in public life.

About 86 percent of the Belgian population has the Belgian nationality; 9 percent are either (in order of their numbers) ], ], ], ] or ] and 5% has one of various other nationalities.<ref></ref>

Since independence, Catholicism, counterbalanced by strong ] movements, has had an important role in Belgium's politics. The '']'' ] provides for freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this right in practice. According to the ''2001 Survey and Study of Religion'',<ref></ref> about 47 percent of the population identify themselves as belonging to the Catholic Church while Islam is the second-largest religion at 3.5 percent. A 2006 inquiry in Flanders, considered more religious than Wallonia, showed 55% to call themselves religious, 36% believe that God created the world.<ref>Inquiry by 'Vepec', 'Vereniging voor Promotie en Communicatie' (Organisation for Promotion and Communication), published in Knack magazine ]] p.14 ] sense, and/or in some ]].</ref> (See also ].)

An estimated 98 percent of the adult population is ].<ref name="ethnologue"/> Education is compulsory from the ages of six to 18, but many Belgians continue to study until the age of about 23. Among the ] countries in 1999, Belgium had the third-highest proportion of 18–21-year-olds enrolled in ], at 42 percent.<ref></ref> Nevertheless, in recent years, concern is rising over ]. In the period 1994–1998, 18.4 percent of the population lacked functional literacy skills.<ref></ref> Mirroring the historical political conflicts between the freethought and Catholic segments of the population, the Belgian educational system in each communities is split into a ''laïque'' branch controlled by the communities, the provinces, or the municipalities, and a ] religious – mostly Catholic – branch controlled by both the communities and the religious authorities – usually the ]s though the religious authorities within ]s have limited power.

==Culture==
{{main|Culture of Belgium}}
Belgian cultural life has tended to concentrate within each community. The shared element is less important, because there are no bilingual universities, except the royal military academy, no common media, and no single, common large cultural or scientific organisation where both main communities are represented.

]'', by ], (]) oil on board, now found in ]'s ]]]
Belgium is well-known for its fine art and architecture. The region corresponding to today's Belgium has seen the flourishing of major artistic movements that have had tremendous influence over European art. The ], the ], the Flemish ] and ] painting, and major examples of ], ], ] and ], and the Renaissance ] of the ] developed in the southern part of the Low Countries, are milestones in the history of art. Famous names in this classic tradition are ], ], ] and ]. This rich artistic production, often referred to as a whole as ], gradually declined during the second half of the 17th century. However, in the 19th and 20th centuries, many original artists appeared. Belgium has produced famous ], ] and ] painters; these include ], ], ] and ]. Belgium has a thriving contemporary art scene, with internationally renowned artists such as ] and the painter ].

In music, ] invented the ] in 1846. ], ] and ] were major 19th- and 20th-century violinists. Perhaps the most famous Belgian composer of this time was ]. The first Belgian singer to successfully pursue an international career is the pioneer of varieté and pop music ]. Jazz musician ] is world famous, so is singer ]. In rock/pop music, ], ], ] and ] are well known (See also ]).

In architecture, ] was a major initiator of the ] style.

In literature, Belgium has produced several well-known authors, such as the poets ] and novelists ], ] and ]. The poet and playwright ] won the ] in 1911. The best known ] are '']'' by ] but many other major authors of comics have been Belgian, including ] (]), ], ] and ].

More recently, notable ] directors have emerged, most of them strongly influenced by ]. The absence of a major Belgian cinema company has forced them to emigrate or participate in low-budget productions. Belgian directors include ], ], ] and ]; actors include ], ]; and films include '']'' and '']''. In the 1980s, Antwerp's ] produced the important fashion trendsetters, the ].

Belgium has also contributed to the development of science and technology. ] ], ] ] and ] ] are among the most influential scientists from the beginning of the ] Age in the Low Countries. More recently, at the end of the 19th century, in ], the ] ] and the ] ] have given their names to the ] and the ]. ] is a famous Belgian ] credited with proposing the ] theory of the origin of the universe in 1927. Three ] have been awarded to Belgians: ] in 1919, ] in 1938, and ] and ] in 1974. ] was awarded the ] in 1977.

On ], ], ] was chosen as the Greatest Belgian of all time by the Flemish ], whereas the ] chose ].

One cannot understand Belgian cultural life without considering the folk festivals, which play a major role in the country's cultural life. Examples are the Carnival of ] and ], the Ducasse of ], the procession of the Holy Blood in Bruges, the 15th-of-August festival in Liège, and the Walloon festival in Namur. A major non-official holiday is the ], which commemorates the festival of the children and, in Liège, of the students.

] and ] are especially popular. Among the well known cyclists, ] won five ] and is considered one of the best cyclists ever because of his numerous victories in the ''Tour'' as well as other bicycle races. Belgium has two current female tennis champions: ] and ]. The ] motor-racing circuit is considered one of the most challenging in the world and is home to the ] (a ] World Championship race) and a 24 hour ] race. Belgium's most notable racing driver is Jacky Ickx, winner of 8 Grands Prix and a (then) record 6 Le Mans 24hr races. (The record for most wins on Le Mans is now held by Tom Kristensen with 7 victories. The record was set in 2005)

Belgium is well known for its ]. Many highly ranked restaurants can be found in the high-impact gastronomic guides, such as the ]. Brands of Belgian chocolate, like ], and Godiva, are world renowned and widely sold (the less famous but high quality exclusive chocolates include names such as Wittamer and Marcolini). Even the cheapest and most popular brand, ], has earned a reputation for its quality. Belgium produces over 500 varieties of beer (see ]). The biggest brewery in the world by volume is ] based in Belgium (company previously known as Interbrew and makers of such beers as ] and ], merged with the ] brewery ] to become the world's biggest). Belgians have a reputation for loving ] and ] (both originate from Belgium). The national food is ] (or ]s) with french fries and ].

==See also==
{{portal|Belgium|Flag of Belgium.svg}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]

== Notes ==
=== References ===

{{reflist|2}}

=== Sources ===

{{sourcesstart}}
*
*
*
* in French by Jacques Leclerc, ], ]
*
*{{CIA_World_Factbook_link|be|Belgium}}
*
*
{{sourcesend}}

==Bibliography==

* Paul Arblaster. ''A History of the Low Countries''. Palgrave Essential Histories Series New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. 298 pp. ISBN 1-4039-4828-3.
* J. C. H. Blom and E. Lamberts, eds. ''History of the Low Countries'' (1999)
* Émile Cammaerts. ''A History of Belgium from the Roman Invasion to the Present Day'' (1921). 357 pages
* Demetrius Charles de Kavanagh Boulger. ''The History of Belgium: Part 1. Cæsar to Waterloo'' (2006 edition); Part 2. 1815-1865. Waterloo to the Death of Leopold (2001)
* B. A. Cook. ''Belgium: A History'' (2002)
* J. A. Kossmann-Putto and E. H. Kossmann. ''The Low Countries: History of the Northern and Southern Netherlands'' (1987)

==External links==
{{sisterlinks|Belgium}}
{{wikiatlas|Belgium}}
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* {{wikitravel}}
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Revision as of 13:11, 7 March 2007

                          THIS PAGE DOESN'T REALLY EXIST