1986 Edition

Agriculture

livestock production predominates; main crops — grains, sugar beets, flax, potatoes, other vegetables, fruits

Aid

donor — ODA and OOF economic aid commitments (1970-83), $3.6 billion

Airfields

1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m

44 total, 43 usable; 25 with permanent-surface runways; 14 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 3 with runways 1, 220-2,439 m

Branches

Barbados Defense Force, Royal Barbados Police Force

executive branch consists of King and Cabinet; Cabinet responsible to bicameral parliament (Senate and Chamber of Representatives); independent judiciary; coalition governments are usual

Army, Navy, Air Force

Budget

(1984) revenues, $23. 1 billion; expenditures, $28.5 billion; deficit, $5.4 billion

Capital

Brussels

Civil air

2 major transport aircraft

47 major transport aircraft

Coastline

64 km People

Communists

under 5,000 members (est, December 1985)

Crude steel

17.9 million metric tons capacity (December 1981); 11.3 million metric tons produced, 1,147 kg per capita (1984)

Elections

held at least once every four years; last held 13 October 1985 Political parties and leaders: Flemish Social Christian (CVP), Frank Swaelen, president; Walloon Social Christian (PSC), Gerard Deprez, president; Flemish Socialist (SP), Karel van Miert, president; Walloon Socialist (PS), Guy Spitaels, president; Flemish Liberal (PVV), Annemie Neyts, interim president; Walloon Liberal (PRL), Louis Michel, president; Francophone Democratic Front (FDF), Georges Clerfayt, president; Volksunie(VU), Vic Anciaux, president; Communist Party (PCB), Louis van Geyt, president; Walloon Rally (RW), Fernand Massart; Ecologist Party (ECOLOAGALEV), loosely organized with no president; Anti-Tax Party (UDRT-RAD), Robert Hendrick and Thomas Delahaye, presidents; Vlaams Blok (VB), president unknown

Electric power

15,91 1 ,000 kW capacity (1985); 55.885 billion kWh produced (1985), 5,669 kWh per capita

Ethnic divisions

55% Fleming, 33% Walloon, 12% mixed or other

Exports

(Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union) $51.4 billion (f.o.b., 1984); iron and steel products (cars), petroleum products, chemicals

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

Fishing

catch 40,580 metric tons (1983); exports $29,991 million, imports $25,787 million

GNP

$76.3 billion (1984), $7,870 per capita; 66% consumption, 16% investment, 18% government consumption, 0.0% net foreign balance (1983); 2.2% real growth rate in

Government leaders

BAUDOUIN I, King (since August 1950); Wilfried MARTENS, Prime Minister (since 1979, with a ninemonth interruption in 1981)

Highways

1,570 km total; 1,475 km paved, 95 km gravel and earth

103,396 km total; approximately 1,317 km limited access, divided autoroute; 11,717 km national highway; 1,362km provincial road; approximately 38,000 km other paved; approximately 51,000 km unpaved rural

Imports

(Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union) $54.7 billion (c.i.f., 1984); fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals

Infant mortality rate

1 1. 15/1,000 (1979)

Inland waterways

2,043 km, of which 1,528 km are in regular use by commercial transport

Labor force

4 million (1985); 59% services, 37% industry, 5% agriculture; 13.6% unemployed (1985)

Land boundaries

1,377 km Water

Language

56% Flemish (Dutch), 32% French, 1% German; 11% legally bilingual; divided along ethnic lines

Legal system

civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; constitution adopted 1831, since amended; judicial review of legislative acts; legal education at four law schools; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Life expectancy

men 68.6, women 75.1

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

3 nm (200 nm fishing zone, with equidistant lines between neighboring countries)

Literacy

98%

Major ground units

Defense Force

Major industries

engineering and metal products, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum

Major trade partners

(Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union, 1984) exports— 69.1% EC (19.5% FRG, 14.3% Netherlands, 14.0% France, 9.8% UK), 6.1% US, 2.6% Communist; imports— 67.3% EC (20.0% FRG, 19.0% Netherlands, 14.8% France, 8.8% UK), 6.1% US, 4.4% Communist

Member of

ADB, Benelux, BLEU, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, ECE, ECOSOC, EIB, ELDO, EMS, ESRO, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB — Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IPU, ITC, ITU, NATO, OAS (observer), OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG Economy

Military budget

for fiscal year 1985, $10. 1 million; 3% of central government budget 50km SrtrtfionilmipV Land 30,540 km2; slightly larger than Maryland; 28% cultivated; 24% meadow and pasture; 20% forest; 28% waste, urban, or other

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1984, $2.5 billion; 8.2% of the central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 67,000; 48,000 fit for military service; no conscription

males 15-49, 2,500,000; 2,1 15,000 fit for military service; 80,000 reach military age (19) annually

Monetary conversion rate

51.6 Belgian francs=US$l (December 1985)

National holiday

National Day, 21 July

Nationality

noun — Belgian(s); adjective — Belgian

Natural resources

coal

Official name

Kingdom of Belgium

Organized labor

70% of labor force Government

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 Flemish Action Committee Against Nuclear Weapons and Pax Christi

Pipelines

refined products, 1,115 km; crude, 161 km; natural gas, 3,218 km

Political subdivisions

nine provinces; as of 1 October 1980, Wallonia and Flanders have regional "subgovernments" with elected regional councils and executive officials; those regional authorities have limited powers over revenues and certain areas of economic, urban, environmental, and housing policy; Wallonia also has a separate Walloon Cultural Council

Population

9,868,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate 0. 1 %

Ports

1 major (Bridgetown), 2 minor

5 major, 1 minor

Railroads

none

Belgian National Railways (SNCB) operates 3,471 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, government owned; 2,563 km double track; 1,907 km electrified; 191 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned and electrified

Religion

75% Roman Catholic, remainder Protestant, none, or other

Suffrage

universal over age 18

Telecommunications

island wide automatic telephone system with 75,000 telephones (30.0 per 100 popl.); tropospheric scatter link to Trinidad and St. Lucia; 2 AM stations, 1 FM station, 1 TV station; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station Defense Forces

excellent domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities; 4. 11 million telephones (41. 7 per 100 popl.); 7 AM, 37 FM, 32 TV stations; 6 submarine cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT stations Defense Forces

Type

constitutional monarchy

Voting strength

(1985 election) 212-seat Chamber of Representatives — CVP 49 seats, PS 35 seats, PVV 22 seats, SP 32 seats, PRL 24 seats, VU 16 seats, PSC 20 seats, FDF 3, ECOLO-AGALEV 9 seats, UDRT-RAD 1 seat, VB 1