_#_Climate: temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid,
cloudy
_#_Terrain: flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills,
rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
_#_Natural resources: coal, natural gas
_#_Land use: arable land 24%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and
pastures 20%; forest and woodland 21%; other 34%, includes irrigated
NEGL%
_#_Environment: air and water pollution
_#_Note: majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of
Brussels; crossroads of Western Europe; Brussels is the seat of the EC
_*_People
_#_Population: 9,921,910 (July 1991), growth rate 0.1% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 81 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Belgian(s); adjective--Belgian
_#_Ethnic divisions: Fleming 55%, Walloon 33%, mixed or other 12%
_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 75%, remainder Protestant or other
_#_Language: Flemish (Dutch) 56%, French 32%, German 1%; legally
bilingual 11%; divided along ethnic lines
_#_Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1980 est.)
_#_Labor force: 4,200,000; services 69%, industry 28%, agriculture
3% (1988)
_#_Organized labor: 70% of labor force
_*_Government
_#_Long-form name: Kingdom of Belgium
_#_Type: constitutional monarchy
_#_Capital: Brussels
_#_Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (French--provinces,
singular--province; Flemish--provincien, singular--provincie);
Antwerpen, Brabant, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur,
Oost-Vlaanderen, West-Vlaanderen
_#_Independence: 4 October 1830 (from the Netherlands)
_#_Constitution: 7 February 1831, last revised 8-9 August 1980; the
government is in the process of revising the Constitution, with the aim
of federalizing the Belgian state
_#_Legal system: civil law system influenced by English constitutional
theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
_#_National holiday: National Day, 21 July (ascension of King Leopold
to the throne in 1831)
_#_Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, five deputy prime
ministers, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper
chamber or Senate (Flemish--Senaat, French--Senat) and a lower chamber
or Chamber of Representatives (Flemish--Kamer van
Volksvertegenwoordigers, French--Chambre des Representants)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Flemish--Hof van
Cassatie, French--Cour de Cassation)
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--King BAUDOUIN I (since 17 July 1951);
Heir Apparent Prince ALBERT of Liege (brother of the King; born 6
June 1934);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Wilfried MARTENS,
(since April 1979, with a 10-month interruption in 1981)
_#_Political parties and leaders:
Flemish Social Christian (CVP), Herman van ROMPUY, president;
Walloon Social Christian (PSC), Gerard DEPREZ, president;
Flemish Socialist (SP), Frank VANDENBROUCKE, president;
Walloon Socialist (PS), Guy SPITAELS, president;
Flemish Liberal (PVV), Guy VERHOFSTADT, president;
Walloon Liberal (PRL), Antoine DUQUESNE, president;
Francophone Democratic Front (FDF), Georges CLERFAYT, president;
Volksunie (VU), Jaak GABRIELS, president;
Communist Party (PCB), Louis van GEYT, president;
Vlaams Blok (VB), Karel DILLEN;
other minor parties
_#_Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
_#_Elections:
Senate--last held 13 December 1987 (next to be held by
January 1992);
results--CVP 19.2%, PS 15.7%, SP 14.7%, PVV 11.3%, PRL 9.3%,
VU 8.1%, PSC 7.8%, ECOLO-AGALEV 7.7%, VB 2.0%, VDF 1.3%,
other 1.96%;
seats--(106 total) CVP 22, PS 20, SP 17, PRL 12, PVV 11, PSC 9, VU 8,
ECOLO-AGALEV 5, VB 1, FDF 1;
Chamber of Representatives--last held 13 December 1987
(next to be held by January 1992);
results--CVP 19.45%, PS 15.66%, SP 14.88%, PVV 11.55%, PRL 9.41%,
PSC 8.01%, VU 8.05%, ECOLO-AGALEV 7.05%, VB 1.90%, FDF 1.16%, other
2.88%;
seats--(212 total) CVP 43, PS 40, SP 32, PVV 25, PRL 23,
PSC 19, VU 16, ECOLO-AGALEV 9, FDF 3, VB 2
_#_Communists: under 5,000 members (December 1985 est.)
_#_Other political or pressure groups: Christian and Socialist Trade
Unions; Federation of Belgian Industries; numerous other associations
representing bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal
and medical professions; various organizations represent the cultural
interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as the
Flemish Action Committee Against Nuclear Weapons and Pax Christi
_#_Member of: ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE,
CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-9, G-10, GATT, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NATO, NEA, OAS
(observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOGIP,
UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Juan CASSIERS; Chancery at
3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 333-6900;
there are Belgian Consulates General in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, and New York;
US--Ambassador Maynard W. GLITMAN; Embassy at 27 Boulevard du
Regent, B-1000 Brussels (mailing address is APO New York 09667-1000);
telephone [32] (2) 513-3830; there is a US Consulate General in Antwerp
_#_Flag: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow,
and red; the design was based on the flag of France
_*_Economy
_#_Overview: This small private-enterprise economy has capitalized
on its central geographic location, highly developed transport
network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is
concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north, although
the government is encouraging reinvestment in the southern region
of Walloon. With few natural resources Belgium must import essential raw
materials, making its economy closely dependent on the state of world
markets. Over 70% of trade is with other EC countries. During
the period 1988-90 Belgium's economic performance was marked by buoyant
output growth, moderate inflation, and a substantial external surplus.
Real GDP grew by an average of 3.9% in 1988-90. However, the economy
is likely to slow in 1991-92 to below 3% GDP growth.
_#_GDP: $144.8 billion, per capita $14,600; real growth rate 3.3%
(1990)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (1991 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 8.2% est. (1991 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $45.0 billion; expenditures $55.3 billion,
including capital expenditures of NA (1989)
_#_Exports: $106 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.) Belgium-Luxembourg
Economic Union;
commodities--iron and steel, transportation equipment,
tractors, diamonds, petroleum products;
partners--EC 74%, US 5%, Communist countries 2% (1989)
_#_Imports: $108 billion (c.i.f., 1989) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic
Union;
commodities--fuels, grains, chemicals, foodstuffs;
partners--EC 73%, US 4%, oil-exporting less developed countries 4%,
Communist countries 3% (1989)
_#_External debt: $28.8 billion (1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 1.3% (1991 est.); accounts
for almost 30% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 17,325,000 kW capacity; 62,780 million kWh produced,
6,350 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: engineering and metal products, processed food and
beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum, coal
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 2% of GDP; emphasis on livestock
production--beef, veal, pork, milk; major crops are sugar beets, fresh
vegetables, fruits, grain, and tobacco; net importer of farm products
_#_Economic aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $5.8
billion
_#_Currency: Belgian franc (plural--francs); 1 Belgian franc (BF) =
100 centimes
_#_Exchange rates: Belgian francs (BF) per US$1--31.102 (January
1991), 33.418 (1990), 39.404 (1989), 36.768 (1988), 37.334 (1987), 44.672
(1986), 59.378 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications
_#_Railroads: Belgian National Railways (SNCB) operates 3,667 km
1.435-meter standard gauge, government owned; 2,563 km double track;
1,978 km electrified; 191 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned and
operated
_#_Highways: 103,396 km total; 1,317 km limited access, divided
autoroute; 11,717 km national highway; 1,362 km provincial road; about
38,000 km paved and 51,000 km unpaved rural roads
_#_Inland waterways: 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use)
_#_Ports: Antwerp, Brugge, Gent, Oostende, Zeebrugge
_#_Merchant marine: 69 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,785,066
GRT/2,927,618 DWT; includes 12 cargo, 6 roll-on/roll-off, 6 container, 7
petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 9 liquefied gas, 3
combination ore/oil, 9 chemical tanker, 11 bulk, 6 combination bulk
_#_Pipelines: refined products 1,167 km; crude 161 km; natural gas
3,300 km
_#_Civil air: 47 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 42 total, 42 usable; 24 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 14 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: excellent domestic and international telephone
and telegraph facilities; 4,720,000 telephones; stations--8 AM, 19 FM (42
relays), 25 TV (10 relays); 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations
operating in INTELSAT 3 Atlantic Ocean and EUTELSAT systems
_*_Defense Forces
_#_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,521,178; 2,115,935 fit for
military service; 64,634 reach military age (19) annually
_#_Defense expenditures: $4.8 billion, 2.5% of GDP (1990)
_%_
_@_Belize
_*_Geography
_#_Total area: 22,960 km2; land area: 22,800 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Massachusetts
_#_Land boundaries: 516 km total; Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
_#_Coastline: 386 km
_#_Maritime claims: