| Country | Belgium |
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| Flag |  |
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| Capital | name: Brussels geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
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| Population | 10,392,226 (July 2007 est.) |
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| GMT | +1 |
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| Location | Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands
see map |
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| Area | total: 30,528 sq km land: 30,278 sq km water: 250 sq km |
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| Ethnic groups | Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11% |
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| Religions | Roman Catholic 75%, other (includes Protestant) 25% |
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| Languages | Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French) |
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| Government type | federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy |
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| National holiday | 21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King Leopold I |
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| Constitution | 7 February 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993 to create a federal state |
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| Legal system | civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
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| Background | Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy. |
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Internet country code | .be |
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