The Kingdom of Belgium (Dutch: Koninkrijk België; French: Royaume de Belgique; German: Königreich Belgien) is a country in northwest Europe bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France and is one of the founding and core members of the European Union. Belgium has a population of over ten million people, in an area of around 30,000 square kilometres (11,700 square miles), mostly Flemish (over 6 million), a large minority of French-speakers (4 million, 3/4 of them Walloon) and a tiny German-speaking group. Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Romance Europe, it is linguistically divided. Two major languages are spoken in Belgium: Dutch is mainly spoken in Flanders to the north, while French in Wallonia in the south. The capital, Brussels, is officially bilingual, while the majority of its residents speak French and an officially-recognized German-speaking minority is present, in the east of the country. This linguistic diversity often leads to political and cultural conflict and is reflected in Belgium's complex system of government and political history.

Belgium derives its name from the Belgae, a group of mostly Celtic tribes, and from the Roman province in northern Gaul, known as Gallia Belgica. Historically, Belgium has been a part of the Low Countries, which also include the Netherlands and Luxembourg and were covering a somewhat larger region than the current Benelux group of states. From the end of the Middle Ages until the seventeenth century, it was a prosperous centre of commerce and culture. From the sixteenth century until independence in 1830, Belgium, called at that time the Southern Netherlands, was the site of many battles between the European powers, and has been dubbed "the cockpit of Europe."Nuttall encyclopedia More recently, Belgium was a founding member of the European Union, hosting its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, such as NATO.

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@TraceCyrus Goooodmornin' Trace ! when are you coming back to Belgium? I hope soon, miss you guys ! x Anne
AnnekeHermans (Anneke Hermans) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:59:55 -0000
@TraceCyrus Goooodmornin' Trace ! when are you coming back to Belgium? I hope soon, miss you guys ! x Anne
Thu. December 10 - 1/2 Price Bottles of Wine and $3 New Belgium 1554 - Galway Hooker Pub: Come to Galway Hooker on ... http://bit.ly/53zR75
LKNFun (LKNFun.com) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:59:48 -0000
Thu. December 10 - 1/2 Price Bottles of Wine and $3 New Belgium 1554 - Galway Hooker Pub: Come to Galway Hooker on ... http://bit.ly/53zR75
[New Post] Clijsters beats Venus Williams at Belgium Exhibition - via @twitoaster http://toast.tw/100bo2
supatennisworld (Jessica Ma) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:58:02 -0000
[New Post] Clijsters beats Venus Williams at Belgium Exhibition - via @twitoaster http://toast.tw/100bo2
i got mail: "Aranya is invited to travel and study in Ireland, Wales, England, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands in the summer of 2010":D
lilazngrl36 (Aranya) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:53:44 -0000
i got mail: "Aranya is invited to travel and study in Ireland, Wales, England, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands in the summer of 2010":D
@GrosenFriis No, but apparently it's handled a bit differently.Getting it via German IPs,not sure a/b Belgium as my IE gives "error on page"
fantomaster (fantomaster) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:53:25 -0000
@GrosenFriis No, but apparently it's handled a bit differently.Getting it via German IPs,not sure a/b Belgium as my IE gives "error on page"
Encouraged the kids to give intangible gifts for the holidays. Daughter: "I will recycle!" Son: "I will not say Belgium." #douglasadamscurse
seattlehorn (Julie Whitehorn) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:48:14 -0000
Encouraged the kids to give intangible gifts for the holidays. Daughter: "I will recycle!" Son: "I will not say Belgium." #douglasadamscurse

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