欧洲:
英国 United Kingdom 爱尔兰 Ireland 比利时 Belgium 荷兰 Netherlands 法国 France 西班牙 Spain 葡萄牙 Portugal 意大利 Italy 希腊 Greece 奥地利 Austria 匈牙利 Hungary 德国 Germany 瑞士 Switzerland 罗马尼亚 Romania 俄罗斯 Russia 波兰 Poland 克罗地亚 Croatia (Hrvatska) 捷克 Czech 芬兰 Finland 瑞典 Sweden 挪威 Norway 冰岛 Iceland 土耳其 Turkey 丹麦 Denmark 阿尔巴尼亚 Albania 爱沙尼亚 Republic of Estonia 安道尔 Andorra 白俄罗斯 Belarus 保加利亚 The Republic of Bulgaria 波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那 Bosnia and Herzegovina 梵蒂冈 Vatican City State (Holy See) 黑山 The Republic of Montenegro 拉脱维亚 Latvia 立陶宛 Republic of Lithuania 列支敦士登 Liechtenstein 卢森堡 Luxembourg 马耳他 Republic of Malta 马其顿 The Republic of Macedonia 摩尔多瓦 The Republic of Moldova 摩纳哥 Monaco 塞尔维亚 the Republic of Serbia 斯洛伐克 The Slovak Republic 斯洛文尼亚 the Republic of Slovenia 圣马力诺 San Marino 乌克兰 Ukraine |
| 比利时 Belgium 首都:布鲁塞尔 国家代码: be |
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国名：比利时王国(The Kingdom of Belgium ，Le Royaume de Belgique) 代码BE
独立日：１０月４日（１８３０年） 国庆日：７月２１日（１８３１年前国王利奥波德一世登基日） 国旗：呈长方形，长与宽之比为１５∶１３。旗面从左到右由黑、黄、红三个平行相等的竖长方形相连构成。黑色是庄重而具有纪念意义的色彩，表示悼念在１８３０年独立战争中牺牲的英雄；黄色象征国家的财富和畜牧业与农业的丰收；红色象征爱国者的生命和热血，还象征独立战争取得的伟大胜利。比利时是世袭君主立宪制国家。国王乘坐的汽车悬挂王旗，王旗与国旗不同，为四方形，旗地近似咖啡色，旗中间有比利时国徽，旗地四角处各有一顶王冠和在位国王名字的第一个字母。 国徽： 为斗篷式。整个图案中心为盾面上一只直立的狮子，其后为交叉的君王节杖，象征王权。盾形图案由利奥波德勋章饰带环绕，两侧各有一只举着国旗的狮子，上端为一顶王冠，饰环之下悬挂着一枚利奥波德（比利时第一代君主）勋章，底部的饰带上写着“团结就是力量”。斗篷上端装饰着王冠和代表比利时九个省的九面旗帜。 国歌：《布位班人之歌》 国花：虞美人 国鸟：红隼 国家政要：国王阿尔贝二世 (Albert II) ，１９９３年８月９日登基；首相莱特姆，２００８年３月任职。 官方语言：荷兰语（1980年荷兰语联盟建立之前称弗拉芒语）、法语 货币： 欧元、比法郎(BEF) 民族： 弗拉芒族占59.3%；瓦隆族占40.1%；日耳曼族占0.6% 宗教： 90%的居民信奉天主教 同北京时差： -7 国际电话码： 32 语种分布 官方法语和荷兰语为主,大多数居民讲法语,沿海港口城市则同时流通西班牙语和葡萄牙语,这和比利时人民饱受战争侵略是有重要关系的.稍微懂点历史的朋友都能了解. 国家地理 行政区划 全国地方分为10个省和589个市镇。10个省：安特卫普、西弗兰德、东弗兰德、林堡、北布拉邦、南布拉邦、列日、埃诺、那慕尔和卢森堡。 自然地理：面积为３．０５万平方公里，位于欧洲西北部，东与德国接壤，北与荷兰比邻，南与法国交界，西临北海。海岸线长６６.５公里。全国面积２／３为丘陵和平坦低地，最低处略低于海平面。 比利时王子洛朗和新娘克莱尔·库姆斯在布鲁塞尔市政厅阳台上接受人们的新婚祝贺。 全境分为西北部沿海佛兰德伦平原、中部丘陵、东南部阿登高原三部分。最高点海拔６９４米。主要河流有马斯河和埃斯考河。属海洋性温带阔叶林气候。 人口：１０３５.６万（２００３年），其中讲弗拉芒语的弗拉芒大区５９９.６万，讲法语的瓦隆大区３３６.８万（包括讲德语的约７.１万），使用弗法两种语言的布鲁塞尔首都大区９９.２万。官方语言为法语和弗拉芒语。9０%的居民信奉天主教。 首都：布鲁塞尔 (Bruxelles) ，有人口９９. ２万（２００３年）。有“欧洲首都”之称，是欧洲联盟、北大西洋公约组织等多个国际组织的总部所在地，每年有众多国际会议在此召开，另有２００多个国际行政中心和超过１０００个官方团体在此设有办事处。 交通：以公路为主。1989年交通运输情况大致如下：铁路总长3513千米；公路总长1.61万千米，其中高速公路1631千米；内河航道总长1559.5千米；有3个海港，最大的安特卫普港年吞吐能力约1亿吨。有各种类型运输飞机793架，运输网络联系49个国家的74个城市；布鲁塞尔国际机场可停63家外航班机。 天然的地理优势使比利时成为西欧的“十字路口”。历届政府因地制宜，大力发展交通和航运，并以此带动商业和外贸的繁荣，为国家经济的发展奠定了坚实的基础。比利时是世界上第一个在全部高速公路设置照明路灯的国家。比利时铁路网的密度在世界上首屈一指，而且早在十多年前就已全部实现电气化。 比利时是世界十大商品进出口国之一，按人均出口量计算排名世界第一。比利时５０％以上的工业产品供出口，其中金属丝线、平板玻璃、梳洗毛线、钻石等的出口量均列世界前茅。 2003年9月28日，在比利时格雷杜瓦索举行的布拉邦特民间艺术节上，真假稻草人在街头游行。比利时的布拉邦特人自14世纪以来，每年9月底都举行自己的民间艺术节 大力吸引外国资本的政策为比利时经济带来了活力，也带来了新技术和新兴工业。１９９８年５月，欧盟首脑会议确定比利时为首批加入欧元区国家。２００２年，比利时国内生产总值为２６３６．５亿欧元，人均国民收入２．６３万欧元。 比利时根特国际花卉博览会 比利时各旅游景点 蒙斯市/MONS 在中世纪埃诺公爵的土地上，城市都要面临从其首府蒙斯开始的多次围攻及入侵……因此中世纪的遗产就很稀少，只存在一些11和13世纪围墙的遗迹，一些单人囚室，地道及一些伯爵城堡的断瓦残垣。 城市的确遭受了路易十四的轰炸，就如同布鲁塞尔一样。它的市政府大厦斯德乌特教务会还有百分之百巴罗克风格的钟楼，使这座城市成为一个保存完好的珍宝。然而，对于那些曾打算把牧场的绿荫大道丢给公共工程的工程师们的人，你会看到他们很值得挨一耳光。 博物馆，建筑物和景点 大广场的益处表现在其建筑风格和市政府大厦上。人们也能观察到并赞叹颜色之精美。在这里，自从70年代城市不幸地被损坏后，人们就立刻给一些特殊房子的正面重新涂上鲜艳的色彩。在一些纸报及一些过去草图的基础上，蒙特尔人重新找到了以前曾使用的色调及灰浆。每个城市都有它的色调。在十八世纪末法国兼并主义盛行的时代，好几个城市都被迫将建筑物的下面刷白并除去大量的巴罗克风格的装饰，否则就有反共和主义的嫌疑？ 沙勒罗瓦 是美与丑的绝妙混合，它拥有许多美丽的建筑物却任其自然风化，破旧的建筑让人们忘记了往昔的美丽。同时兼有建筑艺术的崭新和破落之美，对此黑村的人们并没有给予应有的重视。您只能自己去发现(或者成为这些房屋的主人……还可以做生意)。这也是黑村人热情好客的一种方式。 查理二世广场/Place Charles II 位于上城的这个广场保留了最初的格局，并依原样再造了外观。这是星状的军事建筑遗迹。最初的布局出自于西班牙时代工程师万艾斯和德让·布郎依之手。(后者是比利时军事工程师，不仅将这种格局用于沙勒罗瓦，还用于奥斯唐德欧德那德和柯斯)。其后，乌邦也采用了上法。 市政府，查理二世广场这是30年代的杰作，上面落了一层厚厚的黑尘。市政府大楼为梯形，高贵典雅、精雕细琢。主建筑表面形状抽象，凝结了大量劳动。相对而言，沙勒罗瓦是一个年轻的城市，并未经历过钟楼时代。因此高明的建筑师斯扎尔，添加了一个钟楼，中心偏移，从而留有余地，主建筑外观对称。 您一定会流连于建筑的内部。浅浮雕风格一致。除非这座美丽的建筑被摧毁，否则它以后肯定有价值。现在各种塔楼，停车场、商业画廊正在取代它的位置。 公共博物馆和宏伟的戏剧厅为城市旅馆的附属建筑。 艺术成就 拉桑波尔桥和龚斯坦·莫尼耶的雕像（面向下城的南部火车站），栏杆和雕刻同样有吸引力。 然而遗憾的是，古老的装饰艺术照明装置已经被取代。 新艺术成就 -上城/La ville haute那乌街（电影宫）和滑铁卢大道有一些非常有趣的建筑。它们中的一部分受到维也纳新艺术几河化的强烈影响。 ·德封丹大道，"黄金宫"值得一看。粗刻点缀着具有新艺术模糊回忆的折中派建筑。 ·医学大楼（里荣.拜吕斯街40号）是那个时代沙勒罗瓦的优美建筑之一。它建于1908年，当时比利时的新艺术活动已经销声匿迹，因此现在呈现出的外观是一个较好的综合体：植物风格，鞭状的铸铁，浅浮雕让人联想起哥特建筑、柱子、窗户和假对称前脸。 ·昂利商店，大山街38号：保尔·古西的精妙粗刻，可同时看看同一侧其他的房屋。 在上城的那乌街尽头保尔·让松大道十字路口，都可以看到保尔古西和克尔拜的其他粗刻作品。 ·拉夫勒宫，苏勒白大道7号，离艺术宫两步远。 新艺术综合了昂卡尔风格和维也纳分离派。附件和栅栏都是由BD当代的画家弗朗斯瓦.斯于当完成的。（撒马瑞斯，布鲁塞尔的城墙），拉夫勒宫不是建筑师的作品，是一个坠入爱河的人的作品。 ·布蒙路，保尔，巴斯特大道164～174号，离相片博物馆不远，有五个砖屋是重新涂漆和装饰过的，它们使整个街道大放光彩。它们并不著名。您可向行人介绍其可爱之处（座站在另一侧以便观赏整个场景和手绘陶器画）。 新式下城的成就 下城是沙勒瓦罗的商业区，位于万艾斯的防御工事旁（17世纪）。 沙勒瓦罗是比利时最年轻的城市。卢旺，拉，那乌和拉鲁韦耶并不是历史名城。前者是奥弟尼的一个郊区、它既无旅馆，也没有独立的行政。至于后者，是产业革命后产生的一个城市中心点，因其人口和规模而取得了城市的地位。 下城广场和大邮局/La Place de la ville basse et Grand-Poste， 阿贝尔一世广场，大邮局带有世纪初漂亮的木偶戏小剧院的特点，蓝白色石头相间。灵感来自哥特和复兴式风格。 交易所通道和大学街/Le Passage de la Bourse et la rue du College（19世纪末） 毫无疑问这是全城最美的一组建筑。大学街上带叶瓣饰，齿轮饰或法国式阁楼的房屋以迷人的节奏交替出现。而交易所通道的前脸是新古典式的，豪华壮丽。 在这组建筑里，不要忘记还有圣·安托尼奥教堂，这个长方形大教堂看上去很笨重，但是新古典式拱廊很有意思。 玻璃博物馆/Musee du Verre，德枫丹大街10号/Boulevard Defontaine，电话071/310838，沙勒罗瓦曾是世界玻璃制品中心，所以这个博物馆有可能是最漂亮最有趣的。大量的装饰艺术风格作品，玻璃阶梯，5000年的熔沙…… 摄影博物馆/Musee de la Photographie 保罗.帕斯图尔大街，11号/Avenue Paul Pastur，马奇安峰/Mont-sur-Marchienne，电话071/435810周二～周日，10点～18点，比利时唯一专专供摄影展的地方，从摄影发明到最新摄影技术展示了摄影发展的全部历史，经常展出初步摄影尝试，老摄影设备。临时展览登在布鲁塞尔报纸上登出。 最后的建议 给现代建筑爱好者，在马西拿尔有一个用钢铁制成的实验居民区-R3出口，户布林布（墓地后面），经由那林路。 煤矿博物馆/Musee de la Mine 在主教枫丹城堡地下，城堡和几座老房子（蒙斯路）值得看看。 工业博物馆（天命）/Providence 在马西安桥（蒙斯方向）。 还有帝.勒城堡，伯尔赛，哈姆和蒙梭等地的一些城堡。 国家历史 简史：公元前克尔特族的比利其人在此居住。公元前５７年起长期为罗马人、高卢人、日耳曼人分割统治。９—１４世纪被各诸侯国割据。１４─１５世纪建立了勃艮第王朝。随后又先后被西班牙、奥地利、法国统治。１８１５年维也纳会议将比利时并入荷兰。１８３０年１０月４日独立，定为世袭君主立宪王国，并选择了一个德国人、萨克森－科堡－哥达公国的王子利奥波尔德作比利时第一任国王。翌年，伦敦会议确定其中立地位。两次世界大战中均被德国占领。二战后加入北约。１９５８年加入欧洲共同体，并与荷兰、卢森堡结成经济联盟。１９９３年完成国家体制改革，正式实行联邦制。比利时是北大西洋公约组织创始国，也是欧洲联盟的成员国。２００５年５月，比利时众议院批准《欧盟宪法条约》，这样比利时成为欧盟２５个成员国中第１０个批准该条约的国家。 国家政治 政治：１９９４年２月１７日，比利时国王阿尔贝二世正式签署了新宪法文本。 宪法规定，比利时实行世袭君主立宪的联邦制。国王为国家元首，三军最高统帅。国王和议会共同行使立法权，和政府共同行使行政权，实权在政府，政府对议会负责。 议会实行两院制，众议院行使立法权，参议院仅有立法建议和咨询权，只在修宪和国家体制改革方面仍与众议院享受同等权力。同时扩大地区政府的内政和外交权力。议员经普选产生，任期４年。新宪法首次承认女性王室成员的王位继承权。 【宪法】 1994年2月17日，比利时众参两院通过比体制改革后的新宪法。这是1831年以来比利时第一次对宪法进行重大修改。新宪法从原来的140条增至198条，保留了原宪法有关基本自由、权力分享和国家民主的2/3条款。宪法规定比实行世袭君主立宪的联邦制。国王为国家元首、三军最高统帅。国王和议会共同行使立法权，和政府共同行使行政权，实权在政府，政府对议会负责。议会实行两院制，众议院行使立法权，参议院仅有立法建议和咨询权，只在修宪和国家体制改革方面仍与众议院享受同等权力。同时扩大地区政府的内政和外交权力。 新宪法首次承认女性王室成员的王位继承权。 【议会】 联邦议会由150名众议员和71名参议员组成，任期4年。众议员由全国20选区直选产生。在71名参议员中，地区直接选举40名，语言区议会指派21名，另外遴选10名，国王成年子女是法定参议员。新一届比利时联邦议会于2003年5月18日选举产生。 众议院议长赫尔曼?德克罗（Herman De Croo，荷语自民党，1999年7月就任，2003年5月连任）。参议院议长阿尔芒?德戴克尔（Armand De Decker，法语革新运动党，1999年7月就任，2003年5月连任）。 【政府】 本届政府于2003年7月12日组成，除首相外共有14名大臣，6名国务秘书。主要成员：首相伏思达（原译居伊?韦尔霍夫斯达特，Guy Verhofstadt），副首相兼司法大臣洛蕾特?翁凯兰（Laurette Onkelinx），副首相兼预算、社会一体化及社会经济大臣约翰?范德拉诺特（Johan Vande Lanotte），副首相兼外交大臣路易?米歇尔（Louis Michel），副首相兼内政大臣帕特里克?德瓦尔（Patrick Dewael）,国防大臣安德烈?弗拉奥（Andre Flahaut），财政大臣迪迪埃?雷恩代尔（Didier Reynders）。 【司法机构】 全国设222个治安审理所，26个初审法院，5个上诉法院，1个最高法院。10省各设1个重罪法庭。三级法院均有相应的检察机构。各级法院的法官均由国王直接或根据同级议会的提名任免，终身任职。各级检察长由国王根据政府提名任免。最高法院院长拉乌斯（M. Lahousse）。最高检察院检察长亚丁（Jean du Jardin）。 【政党】 主要有9个政党： （1）荷语自由民主党（Vlaams Liberalen en Democraten，VLD.）：执政党，1992年11月成立，前身为1972年从自由党分裂成立的荷语自由进步党（Partij voor Vrijheid en Vooruitgang，PVV），党员9万（2003年）。2004年2月，原党主席卡雷尔?德?古赫特（Karel De Gucht）因言论不当遭致批评被免职，新任党主席是迪克?斯戴克斯（Dirk Sterckx）。 （2）法语社会党（Parti Socialiste，PS）：执政党，党员约10万（2003年）。前身是1885年成立的比利时工人党。1945年改称比利时社会党，1978年因民族和语区矛盾分裂为法语社会党和荷语社会党。1999年10月11日，该党召开代表大会，埃利奥?迪吕波（Elio Di Rupo）当选为主席。 （3）法语革新运动党（Mouvement Réformateur，MR）：执政党。前身是1846年成立的自由党。1972年自由党分裂为荷语自民党和法语革新自由党（PRL），2002年3月24日法语革新自由党与法语民主阵线（FDF）、国民革新运动（MCC）合并组成法语革新运动党。2004年2月，原党主席、布鲁塞尔首都大区首席大臣杜卡姆因逃税风波辞职，现任主席是安托尼?迪凯纳（Antoine Duquesne）。 （4）荷语社会党（Sociaal Progressief Alternatief，SP.A）：执政党，党员约6.8万（2003年）。1978年由比利时社会党分裂而成，原名Socialistische Partij（SP），2001年改现名。现任党主席是斯蒂夫?斯特瓦特（Steve Stevaert）。2002年7月该党与荷语社会自由党（SPIRIT）组成2003年竞选联盟。 （5）荷语社会自由党（SPIRIT）：党名为社会、进步、国际、区域、完全民主、面向未来的外文所写，执政党，党员约3000（2003年）。于2001年由1954年成立的人民联盟（Volksunie）分裂而成。党主席是范维特（Els van Weert）。 （6）荷语基民党（CDV）：在野党，党员约14万（2003年）。前身是1815年成立的基督教社会党。1846～1936年称天主教联盟，1945年改称基督教社会党。1968年因民族矛盾分裂为荷语基督教人民党（CVP）和法语基督教社会党。2000年荷语基督教人民党更名为荷语基督教民主党（CDV）。 （7）法语人道主义民主中心党（CDH）：在野党，党员4.6万（1999年）。1968年由基督教社会党分裂而成法语基督教社会党（PSC），2002年更现名。1999年10月23日，该党召开代表大会，饶爱乐?米勒盖（女，Joelle Milquet）当选为主席。 （8）弗拉芒绿党（Groen）：在野党，党员6559人（2003年）。前身为1982年成立的荷语生态党（Agalev），2003年更现名。党主席维拉?杜阿（Vera Dua）。 （9）法语生态党：在野党，党员4116人（2003年）。成立于1980年。该党实现集体领导。 此外还有弗拉芒集团、比利时劳动党、比利时进步团结共产党（前比马列共）等小党。 国家经济 经济：发达的资本主义工业国家，经济高度对外依赖，８０％的原料靠进口，５０％以上的工业产品供出口。据估测，煤蕴藏量为３７亿吨，其中有开采价值的１８亿吨，瓦隆地区的煤层已开采殆尽。此外尚有少量铁、锌、铅、铜等。核电站７座，占总发电量的６５%。森林及绿地面积６０７０平方公里（２００２年）。主要工业部门有钢铁、机械、有色金属、化工、纺织、玻璃、煤炭等行业。 外贸为比利时经济命脉。主要贸易伙伴为欧共体成员国，其次为其他欧洲国家及北美、亚洲和非洲国家。 对外投资主要在远东地区，其次是扎伊尔、布隆迪、卢旺达、欧洲、拉美和北美。主要投资部门为冶金、建筑材料和服务业。每年对外援助总额约250亿比法郎（约合6.7亿美元），受援国达100余个，非洲国家占75％。贷款援助中的50％用于亚洲国家。 文化教育 新闻出版：１９９８年有日报３０种，周报千余种，其他期刊５０００余种，主要用弗拉芒文和法文出版，极少数用德文出版。主要报刊有：《标准报》（弗拉芒语）、《自由比利时报》（法语）、《最新消息报》（法语）、《晚报》（法语）。《标准报》发行量３０余万份，居首位，其余１０～３０万份。 比利时通讯社于１９３６年创建。国家广播局建于１９３０年，１９６０年分为两个独立的广播电视台，分别用法语、弗拉芒语播送广播、电视节目，隶属地区政府领导。 文化教育： 实行6～18岁免费义务教育制。教育由地区政府管理。有卢汶大学等19所大专院校；每年招收的外国学生约占在校大学生总数的12％。主要报刊有《标准报》(荷文)、《自由比利时报》（法文）、《最新消息报》(法文)、《晚报》（法文）等。比利时通讯社建于1936年。国家广播局建于1930年；1960年分设2个独立的广播电视台。 对外关系 外交：推行积极的欧洲政策，主张加快欧洲一体化建设步伐；支持和参与联合国维和行动与人道主义援助；重视与美国的关系；主张加强与独联体和东欧国家的交往；在积极推动发展中国家民主化进程的同时，注意缓和与它们的关系。 与中国关系：１９７１年１０月２５日，中比两国建交。几十年来，两国关系发展顺利。１９９８年底，比利时首相德阿纳访华。２０００年，比利时王储菲利普亲王率领２００多人的大型经贸代表团访华。２００２年，比利时首相伏思达访华。２００４年５月，温家宝总理对比利时进行正式访问，中比签署关于加强政治对话的联合声明。２００５年６月，比利时国王阿尔贝二世对中国进行国事访问。 Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Latin Europe, Belgium's two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north, with 58% of the population, and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia, inhabited by 32%. The Brussels-Capital Region, although officially bilingual, is a mostly French-speaking enclave within the Flemish Region and near the Walloon Region, and has 10% of the population. A small German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the political history and a complex system of government. The name 'Belgium' is derived from Gallia Belgica, a Roman province in the northernmost part of Gaul that was inhabited by the Belgae, a mix of Celtic and Germanic peoples. Historically, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg were known as the Low Countries, which used to cover a somewhat larger area than the current Benelux group of states. From the end of the Middle Ages until the 17th century, it was a prosperous centre of commerce and culture. From the 16th century until the Belgian revolution in 1830, many battles between European powers were fought in the area of Belgium, causing it to be dubbed "the battlefield of Europe" and "the cockpit of Europe" — a reputation strengthened by both World Wars. Upon its independence, Belgium eagerly participated in the Industrial Revolution, generating wealth and also a demand for raw materials; the latter was a factor during the era of its African colonies. The area of present-day Belgium has seen significant demographic, political and cultural upheavals over the course of two millennia. In the first century, the Romans, after defeating the local tribes, created the province of Gallia Belgica. A gradual immigration by Germanic Frankish tribes during the 5th century, brought the area under the rule of the Merovingian kingdom, which evolved into the Carolingian Empire in the 8th century. During the Middle Ages small feudal states emerged, many of which rejoined as the Burgundian Netherlands in the 14th and 15th centuries. Emperor Charles V completed the union of the Seventeen Provinces in the 1540s, and unofficially also controlled the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. The Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) divided the area into the northern United Provinces ('federate' Belgica Foederata in Latin) and the Southern Netherlands ('royal' Belgica Regia). The latter were ruled successively by the Spanish and the Austrian Habsburgs and comprised most of modern Belgium. Until independence the area was sought after by numerous French conquerors and was the theatre of most Franco-Spanish and Franco-Austrian wars during the 17th and 18th centuries. Following the campaigns of 1794 in the French Revolutionary Wars, the Low Countries — including territories that were never nominally under Habsburg rule, such as the Prince-Bishopric of Liège — were annexed by the French First Republic, ending Spanish-Austrian rule in the region. The reunification of the Low Countries as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands occurred at the dissolution of the First French Empire in 1815. The 1830 Belgian Revolution led to the establishment of an independent, Catholic, and neutral Belgium under a provisional government and a national congress. Since the installation of Leopold I as king in 1831, Belgium has been a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. Initially an oligarchy ruled mainly by the Catholic Party and the Liberals, the country had evolved towards universal suffrage by World War II with the rise of the Belgian Labour Party and trade unions playing a strong role. French, once the single official language and adopted by the nobility and the bourgeoisie, had by then lost its overall importance as Dutch, the language of the majority of the population, had become recognized as well, be it only in 1898. However, it was not until 1967 that an official Dutch version of the Constitution was accepted. Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830 (1834) by Egide Charles Gustave Wappers, in the Ancient Art Museum, Brussels.The Berlin Conference of 1885 gave the Congo Free State to King Leopold II as his private possession. In 1908, it was ceded to Belgium as a colony, henceforth called the Belgian Congo. Belgian control of the Congolese population, particularly under Leopold II, was savage, and the country was plundered of resources such as ivory and rubber. Germany invaded Belgium in 1914 as part of the Schlieffen Plan, and much of the Western Front fighting of World War I occurred in western parts of the country. Belgium took over the German colonies of Ruanda-Urundi (modern day Rwanda and Burundi) during the war, and they were mandated to Belgium in 1924 by the League of Nations, of which it was a founding member. The Treaty of Versailles had subjected several German border towns, most notably Eupen and Malmedy, to a controversial plebiscite, which led to their annexation by Belgium in 1925, thereby causing the presence of a small German community. Belgium was again invaded by Germany in 1940 during the Blitzkrieg offensive, and occupied until its liberation by Allied troops in the winter of 1944–1945. The Belgian Congo gained independence in 1960 during the Congo Crisis; Ruanda-Urundi followed two years later. After World War II, Belgium joined NATO as a founder member, headquartered at Brussels, and formed the Benelux group of nations with the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Belgium became one of the six founding members of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951,and of the 1957 established European Atomic Energy Community and European Economic Community. The latter is now the European Union, for which Belgium hosts major administrations and institutions, including the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, and the extraordinary and committee sessions of the European Parliament. Government and politics Main article: Politics of Belgium See also: Belgian federal parliament, Belgian federal government, and Political parties in Belgium Further information: List of Belgian monarchs, List of Belgian Prime Ministers, Foreign relations of Belgium Belgium is a constitutional, popular monarchy and a parliamentary democracy. In the 19th century, the Francophile political and economic elite treated the Dutch-speaking population as second class citizens. At the end of the 19th century, and during much of the 20th century, the Flemish movement evolved to counter this situation. Following World War II, Belgian politics became increasingly dominated by the autonomy of its two main language communities. Intercommunal tensions rose and even the unity of the Belgian state became scrutinized. Through constitutional reforms in the 1970s and 1980s, regionalization of the unitary state led to a three-tiered federation: federal, regional, and community governments were created, a compromise designed to minimize linguistic, cultural, social and economic tensions. Prime Minister Yves LetermeThe federal bicameral parliament is composed of a Senate and a Chamber of Representatives. The former is made up of 40 directly elected politicians and 21 representatives appointed by the 3 community parliaments, 10 coopted senators and as senators by Right who in practice do not cast their vote, currently Prince Philippe, Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent, children of the King. The Chamber's 150 representatives are elected under a proportional voting system from 11 electoral districts. Belgium is one of the few countries that has compulsory voting, and thus holds one of the highest rates of voter turnout in the world. The King (currently Albert II) is the head of state, though with limited prerogatives. He appoints ministers, including a Prime Minister, that have the confidence of the Chamber of Representatives to form the federal government. The numbers of Dutch- and French-speaking ministers are equal as prescribed by the Constitution. The judicial system is based on civil law and originates from the Napoleonic code. The Court of Cassation is the court of last resort, with the Court of Appeal one level below. Belgium's political institutions are complex; most political power is organized around the need to represent the main cultural communities. Since around 1970, the significant national Belgian political parties have split into distinct components that mainly represent the political and linguistic interests of these communities. The major parties in each community, though close to the political centre, belong to three main groups: the right-wing Liberals, the socially conservative Christian Democrats, and the Socialists forming the left-wing. Further notable parties came into being well after the middle of last century, mainly around linguistic, nationalist, or environmental themes, and recently smaller ones of some specific liberal nature. A string of Christian Democrat coalition governments from 1958 was broken in 1999 after the first dioxin crisis, a major food contamination scandal that led to the establishment of the Belgian Food Agency. A 'rainbow coalition' emerged from six parties: the Flemish and the French-speaking Liberals, Social Democrats, Greens. Later, a 'purple coalition' of Liberals and Social Democrats formed after the Greens lost most of their seats in the 2003 election. The government led by Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt from 1999 to 2007 achieved a balanced budget, some tax-reforms, a labour-market reform, scheduled nuclear phase-out, and instigated legislation allowing more stringent war crime and more lenient soft drug usage prosecution. Restrictions on withholding euthanasia were reduced and same-sex marriage legalized. The government promoted active diplomacy in Africa and opposed the invasion of Iraq. Verhofstadt's coalition fared badly in the June 2007 elections. Since then the country has been experiencing a long-lasting political crisis. This crisis is such that many observers have speculated on a possible partition of Belgium. Since December 21, 2007 the Verhofstadt III Government has been in office. This coalition of the Flemish and Francophone Christian Democrats, the Flemish and Francophone Liberals together with the Francophone Social Democrats was an interim government until 20 March 2008. On that day a new government, led by Flemish Christian Democrat Yves Leterme, the actual winner of the federal elections of June 2007, was sworn in by the King. In its 2007 Worldwide Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Belgium (along with Finland and Sweden) 5th out of 169 countries. Communities and regions Flemish Community (Dutch-speaking) French Community (French-speaking) German-speaking Community Flemish Region Walloon Region Brussels-Capital Region Based on the four language areas defined in 1962–63, consecutive revisions of the country's constitution in 1970, 1980, 1988 and 1993 established a unique federal state with segregated political power into three levels: The federal government, based in Brussels. The three language communities: the Flemish Community (Dutch-speaking); the French (i.e., French-speaking) Community; the German-speaking Community. The three regions: the Flemish Region, subdivided into five provinces; the Walloon Region, subdivided into five provinces; the Brussels-Capital Region. The constitutional language areas determine the official languages in their municipalities, as well as the geographical limits of the empowered institutions for specific matters. By Law, inhabitants of 27 municipalities can ask limited services to be rendered in a neighbour language, forming 'facilities' for them. 'Facilities' exist only in specific municipalities along the borders of the Flemish Region and the Walloon Regions. Regions and provinces of Belgium (blue: Dutch language, yellow: French language)Although this would allow for seven parliaments and governments, when the Communities and Regions were created in 1980, Flemish politicians decided to merge both; thus in the Flemish Region a single institutional body of parliament and government is empowered for all except federal and specific municipal matters. The overlapping boundaries of the Regions and Communities have created two notable peculiarities: the territory of the Brussels-Capital Region (which came into existence nearly a decade after the other regions) is included in both the Flemish and French Communities, and the territory of the German-speaking Community lies wholly within the Walloon Region. Conflicts between the bodies are resolved by the Constitutional Court of Belgium. The structure is intended as a compromise to allow different cultures to live together peacefully. Political authority The Federal State retains a considerable "common heritage". This includes justice, defence, federal police, social security, nuclear energy, monetary policy and public debt, and other aspects of public finances. State-owned companies include the Post Office and Belgian Railways. The Federal Government is responsible for the obligations of Belgium and its federalized institutions towards the European Union and NATO. It controls substantial parts of public health, home affairs and foreign affairs. Communities exercise their authority only within linguistically determined geographical boundaries, originally oriented towards the individuals of a Community's language: culture (including audiovisual media), education, and the use of the relevant language. Extensions to personal matters less directly connected with language comprise health policy (curative and preventive medicine) and assistance to individuals (protection of youth, social welfare, aid to families, immigrant assistance services, etc.). Regions have authority in fields that can be broadly associated with their territory. These include economy, employment, agriculture, water policy, housing, public works, energy, transport, the environment, town and country planning, nature conservation, credit, and foreign trade. They supervise the provinces, municipalities, and intercommunal utility companies. In several fields, the different levels each have their own say on specifics. With education, for instance, the autonomy of the Communities neither includes decisions about the compulsory aspect nor allows for setting minimum requirements for awarding qualifications, which remain federal matters. Each level of government can be involved in scientific research and international relations associated with its powers. Geography, climate, and environment Main article: Geography of Belgium Belgium shares borders with France (620 km), Germany (167 km), Luxembourg (148 km) and the Netherlands (450 km). Its total area, including surface water area, is 33,990 square kilometres; land area alone is 30,528 km². Belgium has three main geographical regions: the coastal plain in the north-west and the central plateau both belong to the Anglo-Belgian Basin; the Ardennes uplands in the south-east are part of the Hercynian orogenic belt. The Paris Basin reaches a small fourth area at Belgium's southernmost tip, Belgian Lorraine. High Fens (Hautes Fagnes)The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes and polders. Further inland lies a smooth, slowly rising landscape irrigated by numerous waterways, with fertile valleys and the northeastern sandy plain of the Campine (Kempen). The thickly forested hills and plateaus of the Ardennes are more rugged and rocky with caves and small gorges, and offer much of Belgium's wildlife but little agricultural capability. Extending westward into France, this area is eastwardly connected to the Eifel in Germany by the High Fens plateau, on which the Signal de Botrange forms the country's highest point at 694 metres (2,277 ft). The climate is maritime temperate, with significant precipitation in all seasons (Köppen climate classification: Cfb). The average temperature is lowest in January at 3 °C (37 °F), and highest in July at 18 °C (64 °F). The average precipitation per month varies between 54 millimetres (2.1 in) in February or April, to 78 millimetres (3.1 in) in July. Averages for the years 2000 to 2006 show daily temperature minimums of 7 °C (45 °F) and maximums of 14 °C (57 °F), and monthly rainfall of 74 millimetres (2.9 in); these are about 1 degree Celsius and nearly 10 millimetres above last century's normal values, respectively. Because of its high population density, location in the centre of Western Europe, and inadequate political effort, Belgium faces serious environmental problems. A 2003 report suggested Belgian rivers to have the lowest water quality of the 122 countries studied. In the 2006 pilot Environmental Performance Index, Belgium scored 75.9% for overall environmental performance and was ranked lowest of the EU member countries , though it was only 39th of 133 countries. Economy Main article: Economy of Belgium Belgium's economy and its transportation infrastructure are integrated with the rest of Europe. Its location at the heart of a highly industrialized region helps make it one of the world's ten largest trading nations. The economy is characterized by a highly productive work force, high GNP, and high exports per capita. Belgium's main imports are food products, machinery, rough diamonds, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, clothing and accessories, and textiles. Its main exports are automobiles, food products, iron and steel, finished diamonds, textiles, plastics, petroleum products, and nonferrous metals. The Belgian economy is heavily service-oriented and shows a dual nature: a dynamic Flemish economy, with Brussels as its main multilingual and multi-ethnic centre, and a Walloon economy that lags behind. One of the founding members of the European Union, Belgium strongly supports an open economy and the extension of the powers of EU institutions to integrate member economies. In 1999, Belgium adopted the Euro, the single European currency, which fully replaced the Belgian franc in 2002. Since 1922, Belgium and Luxembourg have been a single trade market within a customs and currency union: the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union. Steelmaking along the Meuse River at Ougrée, near LiègeBelgium was the first continental European country to undergo the Industrial Revolution, in the early 1800s. Liège and Charleroi rapidly developed mining and steelmaking, which flourished until the mid-20th century in the Sambre-Meuse valley, the sillon industriel. However, by the 1840s the textile industry of Flanders was in severe crisis and the region experienced famine from 1846–50. After World War II, Ghent and Antwerp experienced a rapid expansion of the chemical and petroleum industries. The 1973 and 1979 oil crises sent the economy into a recession; it was particularly prolonged in Wallonia, where the steel industry had become less competitive and experienced serious decline. In the 1980s and 90s, the economic centre of the country continued to shift northwards and is now concentrated in the populous Flemish Diamond area. By the end of the 1980s, Belgian macroeconomic policies had resulted in a cumulative government debt of about 120% of GDP. As of 2006, the budget was balanced and public debt was equal to 90.30% of GDP. In 2005 and 2006, real GDP growth rates of 1.5% and 3.0%, respectively, were slightly above the average for the Euro area. Unemployment rates of 8.4% in 2005 and 8.2% in 2006 were close to the area average. Demographics Main article: Demographics of Belgium At the start of 2007 nearly 92% of the Belgian population were national citizens, and around 6% were citizens from other European Union member countries. The prevalent foreign nationals were Italian (171,918), French (125,061), Dutch (116,970), Moroccan (80,579), Spanish (42,765), Turkish (39,419), and German (37,621). Main areas and places in Belgium Urbanisation Almost all of the Belgian population is urban — 97% in 2004. The population density of Belgium is 342 per square kilometre (886 per square mile) — one of the highest in Europe, after that of the Netherlands and some microstates such as Monaco. The most densely inhabited area is the Flemish Diamond, outlined by the Antwerp-Leuven-Brussels-Ghent agglomerations. The Ardennes have the lowest density. As of 2006, the Flemish Region had a population of about 6,078,600, with Antwerp (457,749), Ghent (230,951) and Bruges (117,251) its most populous cities; Wallonia had 3,413,978, with Charleroi (201,373), Liège (185,574) and Namur (107.178) its most populous. Brussels houses 1,018,804 in the Capital Region's 19 municipalities, two of which have over 100,000 residents. Languages Main article: Languages of Belgium Both the Dutch spoken in Belgium and the Belgian French have minor differences in vocabulary and semantic nuances from the varieties spoken in the Netherlands and France. Many Flemish people still speak dialects of Dutch in their local environment. Walloon, once the main regional language of Wallonia, is now only understood and spoken occasionally, mostly by elderly people. Its dialects, along with those of Picard, are not used in public life. As no census exists, there are no official statistics on Belgium's three official languages or their dialects. Various criteria, including the language(s) of parents, of education, or the second-language status of foreign born, may affect suggested figures. An estimated 59% of the Belgian population speaks Dutch (often referred to as Flemish), and French is spoken by 40%. Total Dutch speakers are 6.23 million, concentrated in the northern Flanders region, while French speakers comprise 3.32 million in Wallonia and an estimated 0.87 million or 85% of the officially bilingual Brussels-Capital Region. The German-speaking Community is made up of 73,000 people in the east of the Walloon Region; around 10,000 German and 60,000 Belgian nationals are speakers of German. Roughly 23,000 more of German speakers live in municipalities near the official Community. Bilingual signs in Brussels.The Capital Region having bilingual status obliges its authorities to attend to people and organisations in French or Dutch language as these prefer, and to show street names in both languages on the plates, but does not allow a bilingual school as education belongs to either the French Community or the Flemish one. Geographically, it is an enclave in the Flemish Region though near Wallonia. Constitutionally, it is a politically distinct Region, while within its boundaries both the Flemish and French Communities exercise their authority. Until the end of the 19th century the majority of its inhabitants spoke local Brabantian dialects of the Dutch language. However a large-scale francization of Brussels started in the 19th century. As a result, by the 1910 census, the French language had overtaken the local Brabantian dialects in what is now the Capital Region. (source). Today Dutch is spoken by approximately 150,000 residents of the Brussels-Capital Region, or a 15% minority. Recent immigration has brought its population of foreign origin to 56%.[citation needed] The two largest foreign groups come from two francophone countries: France and Morocco. The first language of roughly half of the inhabitants is not an official one of the Capital Region.[citation needed] Nevertheless, about three out of four residents have the Belgian nationality. In general the population of Brussels is younger and the gap between rich and poor is wider. Brussels also has a large concentration of Muslims, mostly of Turkish and Moroccan ancestry, and mainly French-speaking black Africans. However, Belgium does not collect statistics by ethnic background, so exact figures are unknown. In 2006, the Université Catholique de Louvain, the country's largest French-speaking university, published a report with the introduction (here translated): "This issue of Regards économiques is devoted to the demand for knowledge of languages in Belgium and in its three regions (Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia). The surveys show that Flanders is clearly more multilingual, which is without doubt a well known fact, but the difference is considerable : whereas 59% and 53% of the Flemings know French or English respectively, only 19% and 17% of the Walloons know Dutch or English. The measures advocated by the Marshall Plan go towards the proper direction, but are without doubt very insufficient to fully overcome the lag." (This particular 2006–2009 'Marshall Plan' was devised in 2004 and published in 2005 to uplift the Walloon economy.) Within the report, professors in economics Ginsburgh and Weber further show that of the Brussels' residents, 95% declared they can speak French, 59% Dutch, and 41% know the non-local English. Economically significant for a further globalizing future, among people under the age of forty, in Flanders 59%, in Wallonia 10%, and in Brussels 28% can speak all three forementioned languages. In each region, Belgium's third official language, German, is notably less known than those. Education See also: Education in Belgium Education is compulsory from six to eighteen for Belgians, but many continue to study until about 23 years of age. Among OECD countries in 2002, Belgium had the third-highest proportion of 18–21-year-olds enrolled in postsecondary education, at 42%. Though an estimated 98% of the adult population is literate, concern is rising over functional illiteracy. The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, currently ranks Belgium's education as the 19th best in the world, being significantly higher than the OECD average. Highly politicized conflicts between freethought and Catholic segments of the population during the 1950s caused a split in educational organization. A secular branch of schooling is controlled by the Community, the province, or the municipality, while religious, mainly Catholic branch education, is organized by religious authorities, although subsidized and supervised by the Community. Religion See also: Religion in Belgium Since the country's independence, Roman Catholicism, counterbalanced by strong freethought movements, has had an important role in Belgium's politics. However Belgium is largely a secular country as the laicist constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this right in practice. Nevertheless, the monarchy has a reputation of deeply-rooted Catholicism. In 1990, for instance, as a King constitutionally obliged to sign a law legalizing abortion after it had been passed by both chambers, Baudouin asked the then Christian-Democrat Prime Minister Wilfried Martens to find a way out, causing the Parliament to declare him 'temporarily unfit to reign', with his consent. On the yearly national holiday, the King and Queen and other members of the royal family officially attend Te Deum celebrations. Symbolically and materially, the Roman Catholic Church remains in a favourable position. Belgium's concept of 'recognized religions' set a path for Islam to follow to acquire the treatment of Jewish and Protestant religions. While other minority religions, such as Hinduism, do not yet have such status, Buddhism took the first steps toward legal recognition in 2007. According to the 2001 Survey and Study of Religion, about 47% of the population identify themselves as belonging to the Catholic Church, while Islam is the second-largest religion at 3.5%. A 2006 inquiry in Flanders, considered to be a more religious region than Wallonia, showed that 55% considered themselves religious, and that 36% believed that God created the world. According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005, 43% of Belgian citizens responded that "they believe there is a god", whereas 29% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 27% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force". There is also a tiny Hindu and Sikh population. While there are around 8,000 Hindus mostly near Antwerp, most Sikhs (around 10,000) are either in Vilvoorde or Sint-Truiden (see Sikhism in Belgium). Science and technology Gerardus MercatorContributions to the development of science and technology have appeared throughout the country's history. The sixteenth century Early Modern flourishing of Western Europe included cartographer Gerardus Mercator, anatomist Andreas Vesalius, herbalist Rembert Dodoens, and mathematician Simon Stevin among the most influential scientists. In the first half of the seventeenth century, the Walloon method of making bar iron found its way to Sweden where it remained in use for more than two hundred and sixty years. The quickly developed and dense Belgian railroad system caused major companies like La Brugeoise et Nivelles (now the BN division of Bombardier Transportation) to develop specific technologies, and the economically important very deep coal mining in the course of the First Industrial Revolution has required highly reputed specialized studies for mine engineers. The end of the nineteenth century and the twentieth saw important Belgian advances in applied and pure science. The chemist Ernest Solvay and the engineer Zenobe Gramme (École Industrielle de Liege) gave their names to the Solvay process and the Gramme dynamo, respectively, in the 1860s. Georges Lemaître (Université Catholique de Louvain) is credited with proposing the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe in 1927. Three Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine were awarded to Belgians: Jules Bordet (Université Libre de Bruxelles) in 1919, Corneille Heymans (Universiteit Gent) in 1938, and Albert Claude (Université Libre de Bruxelles) and Christian De Duve (Université Catholique de Louvain) in 1974. Ilya Prigogine (Université Libre de Bruxelles) was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1977. Culture Main article: Culture of Belgium Belgian cultural life is concentrated within each language community, and a variety of barriers have made a shared cultural sphere less pronounced. There has been since the 1970s no bilingual universities except the Royal Military Academy, no common media, and no single large cultural or scientific organization in which both main communities are represented. Despite its political and linguistic divisions that have been strongly changing during the centuries, the region corresponding to today's Belgium has seen the flourishing of major artistic movements that have had tremendous influence on European art and culture. Fine arts See also: list of Flemish painters and list of Belgian painters The Tower of Babel (oil on board, c. 1563) by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, in Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum.Contributions to painting and architecture have been especially rich. The Mosan art, the Early Netherlandish, the Flemish Renaissance and Baroque painting, and major examples of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture are milestones in the history of art. Famous names in this classic tradition include the Flemish artists Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden and, Pieter Brueghel the Elder as well as Lambert Lombard and Theodore de Bry from Liège. The historical artistic production of the Flemish before the early seventeenth century Baroque style of Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck is often not distinguished from that of the Dutch nor of the Walloons. In the southern Netherlands it gradually declined thereafter, although high quality tapestry continued to be created until well into the eighteenth century. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries many original romantic, expressionist and surrealist Belgian painters emerged, including Egide Wappers, James Ensor, Constant Permeke and René Magritte. The avant-garde CoBrA movement appeared in the 1950s, while the sculptor Panamarenko remains a remarkable figure in contemporary art. The multidisciplinary artist Jan Fabre and the painter Luc Tuymans are other internationally renowned figures on the contemporary art scene. Belgian contributions to architecture also continued into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including the work of Victor Horta and Henry van de Velde, who were major initiators of the Art Nouveau style. The vocal music of the Franco-Flemish School developed in the southern part of the Low Countries and was an important contribution to Renaissance culture. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries witnessed the appearance of major violinists, such as Henri Vieuxtemps, Eugène Ysaÿe and Arthur Grumiaux, while Adolphe Sax invented the saxophone in 1846. The composer César Franck was born in Liège in 1822. Belgium has also produced music of contemporary note. The first Belgian singer to successfully pursue an international career is Bobbejaan Schoepen, pioneer of varieté and pop music. Jazz musician Toots Thielemans has achieved global fame, as have the singers Jacques Brel and Italy-born Adamo. In rock/pop music, Telex, Front 242, K's Choice, Hooverphonic, Zap Mama, Soulwax and dEUS are well known. Belgium has produced several well-known authors, including the poet Emile Verhaeren and novelists Hendrik Conscience, Georges Simenon, Suzanne Lilar and Amélie Nothomb. The poet and playwright Maurice Maeterlinck won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1911. The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé is the best known of Franco-Belgian comics, but many other major authors, including Peyo (The Smurfs), André Franquin, Edgar P. Jacobs, and Willy Vandersteen brought the Belgian cartoon strip industry on a par with the U.S.A. and Japan. Belgian cinema, often influenced by the Dutch or French, has brought a number of mainly Flemish novels to life on-screen. The absence of a major Belgian cinema company, however, has forced several talented directors to emigrate, such as Carl Colpaert or participate in low-budget productions such as Marc Didden's Brussels by Night (1983). Other Belgian directors include André Delvaux, Stijn Coninx, Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne; well-known actors include Jan Decleir and Marie Gillain; and successful films include Man Bites Dog and The Alzheimer Affair. In the 1980s, Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts produced important fashion trendsetters, known as the Antwerp Six. Folklore The Gilles of Binche, in costume, wearing wax masksFolklore plays a major role in Belgium's cultural life: the country has a comparatively high number of processions, cavalcades, parades, 'ommegangs' and 'ducasses', 'kermesse', and other local festivals, nearly always with an originally religious background. The Carnival of Binche with its famous Gilles, and the 'Processional Giants and Dragons' of Ath, Brussels, Dendermonde, Mechelen and Mons are recognized by UNESCO as Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Other examples are the Carnival of Aalst; the still very religious processions of the Holy Blood in Bruges, Virga Jesse in Hasselt, and Hanswijk in Mechelen; the August 15 festival in Liège; and the Walloon festival in Namur. Originated in 1832 and revived in the 1960s, the Gentse Feesten have become a modern tradition. A major non-official holiday is the Saint Nicholas Day, a festivity for children and, in Liège, for students. Sports Football (soccer) and cycling are especially popular amongst Belgians. Belgian keeper Jean-Marie Pfaff is considered one of the greatest goalkeepers (soccer) ever.[citation needed] Belgian Eddy Merckx is widely considered the greatest cyclist ever, given five victories of the Tour de France and numerous other bicycle races records; his hour speed record set in 1972 stood for twelve years. Belgium has produced two female tennis champions who repeatedly ranked number one of the world, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, and numerous other award-winning athletes. The Spa-Francorchamps motor-racing circuit hosts the Formula One World Championship Belgian Grand Prix. The Belgian driver Jacky Ickx won eight Grands Prix and six 24 Hours of Le Mans, and twice finished as runner-up in the Formula One World Championship. Thierry Boutsen also won three races in 1989 and 1990. Belgium also has a strong reputation in motocross; world champions include Roger De Coster, Joël Robert, Georges Jobé, Eric Geboers, Joël Smets and Stefan Everts. The 1920 Summer Olympics were held in Antwerp, Belgium. Belgium has played a major part in the promotion and development of Duathlon. More specifically Benny Vansteelant has made a lasting legacy conquering a stunning 8 World Champion titles and 5 European Champion titles. Cuisine Belgium is well known for its cuisine. Many highly ranked restaurants can be found in the high-impact gastronomic guides, such as the Michelin Guide. Belgian food is, like the country itself, a mix of Germanic and Latin influences. Belgians have a reputation for loving waffles and French fries; contrary to the name of the latter, both dishes originated in Belgium. The national dishes are steak-frites with salad, and moules-frites (mussels with frites). A challenge for a television program caused no less than 307 different local or regional dishes to be presented on a 118-metre long table in Tivoli Park in Mechelen on 1 September 2007. Brands of Belgian chocolate and pralines, like Callebaut, Côte d'Or, Neuhaus, Leonidas, Guylian and Godiva, are world renowned and widely sold. Belgium produces over 500 varieties of beer. The biggest brewer in the world by volume is InBev based in Belgium. |
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