Belgium

Official Name:

Kingdom of Belgium (Belgium)

Area:

30.528 km ²

Population (2007):

10.392.226 inhabitants

Coastline:

66.5 km

Capital:

Brussels

Maritime Ports and terminals:

Antwerp, Brussels, Gent, Liege, Oostende, Zeebrugge

Maritime claims:

• Territorial sea: 12 nm
• Contiguous zone: 24 nm
• Exclusive economic zone: Geographic coordinates define outer limit
• Continental shelf: Median line with neighbors

Political divisions:

10 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Dutch: provincies, singular - provincie) and 3 regions* (French: regions; Dutch: gewesten); Brussels* (Bruxelles) capital region; Flanders* region (five provinces): Antwerpen (Antwerp), Limburg, Oost-Vlaanderen (East Flanders), Vlaams-Brabant (Flemish Brabant), West-Vlaanderen (West Flanders); Wallonia* region (five provinces): Brabant Wallon (Walloon Brabant), Hainaut, Liege, Luxembourg, Namur

Language(s):

Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)

National holiday:

21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King Leopold I

Nationality:

Belgian(s)

Official time:

UTC 1. Daylight saving time: 1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Member of:

ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Internet country code:

.be

Economic Profile

Currency:

Euro (EUR)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

USD33.000 (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

(2006 est.) USD 369.600.000.000

PIB (Real growth rate:

3% (2006 est.)

GDP (Composition by sector): (2005 est.)

• Agriculture: 1%
• Industry: 24%
• Services: 74,9%

Labor force:

4.890.000 (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation (2003):

• Agriculture 1,3%
• Industry: 24,5%
• Services 74,2%

Unemployment rate:

8,1% (2006 est.)

Inflation rate (Consumer prices):

2,1% (2006 est)

Investment (Gross Fixed):

19,4% del PIB (2006 est.)

Budget:

• Revenues: USD195.700.000.000
• Expenditures: USD195.500.000.000

Public debt:

90,3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Current account balance:

USD 6.925.000.000 (2006 est.)

Exports:

USD 335.300.000.000 FOB (2006 est.)

Exports - Commodities:

Machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs

Exports - Partners:

Germany 19,4%, France 17,3%, Netherlands 11,7%, UK 8,2%, US 6,4%, Italy 5,3% (2005)

Imports:

USD 333.500.000.000 FOB (2006 est.)

Imports - Commodities:

Machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, transportation equipment, oil products

Imports - partners:

Netherlands 17,8%, Germany 17,2%, France 11,4%, UK 6,8%, Ireland 6,5%, US 5,4% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

USD 9.626.000.000 (2006 est.)

Debt - external:

USD 1.053.000.000.000 (2006)