1988 Edition

Climate

temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy

Coastline

64 km

Comparative area

slightly larger than Maryland

Continental shelf

not specific

Environment

air and water pollution

Ethnic divisions

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

Exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

Infant mortality rate

11.15/1,000(1979)

Labor force

4 million; 58% services, 37% industry, 5% agriculture; 13.6% unemployed (1985)

Land boundaries

1,377 km total

Land use

24% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 20% meadows and pastures; 21% forest and woodland; 34% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Language

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

Life expectancy

men 68.6, women 75.1

Literacy

98%

Member of

CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, IDE — Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ISO, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Nationality

noun — Belgian(s); adjective — Belgian

Organized labor

70% of labor force

Population

9,873,066 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 0.07%

Religion

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

Special notes

majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels; crossroads of Western Europe

Terrain

flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast

Territorial sea

3 nm

Total area

30,510 km2; land area: 30,230 km2

Administrative divisions

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

Branches

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

Capital

Brussels

Communists

under 5,000 members (December 1985 est.)

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 NeytsUyttebroeck, president; Walloon Liberal (PRL), Louis Michel, president; Francophone Democratic Front (FDF), Georges Clerfayt, president; Volksunie (VU), Jaak Gabriels, president; Communist Party (PCB), Louis van Geyt, president; Walloon Rally (RW), Fernand Massart; Ecologist Party (ECOLO-AGALEV), loosely organized with no president; Anti-Tax Party (UDRT-RAD), Robert Hendrick, president; Vlaams Blok (VB), Karel Dillen

Government leaders

BAUDOUIN I, King (since August 1950); Wilfried MARTENS, Prime Minister (since April 1979, with a 10-month interruption in 1981)

Legal system

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

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, IDE — 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

National holiday

National Day, 21 July

Official name

Kingdom of Belgium

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

Suffrage

universal over age 18

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

Agriculture

main products — sugarcane, subsistence foods

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

Aid

US, including Ex-Im (FY70-84), $14 million; ODA and OOF commitments from other Western countries (1970-84), $125 million

ODA and OOF economic aid commitments (1970-84), $3.8 billion

Budget

(FY84) revenues, $288 million; expenditures, $323 million

revenues, $23.3 billion; expenditures, $32.5 billion; deficit, $9.2 billion (1985)

Crude steel

14.6 million metric tons capacity; 10.7 million metric tons produced, 1,086 kg per capita (1985)

Electric power

120,000 kW capacity; 389 million kWh produced, 1,540 kWh per capita (1986)

16,921,000 kW capacity; 57,450 million kWh produced, 5,820 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$352 million (f.o.b., 1985); sugar and sugarcane byproducts, electrical parts, clothing

(Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union) $53.3 billion (f.o.b., 1985); iron and steel products (cars), petroleum products, chemicals

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March

calendar year

Fishing

catch 44,308 metric tons (1985); exports $83.52 million, imports $300.12 million

GDP

$1,151.7 million (1984), $4,560 per capita; real GDP growth rate 2.5% (1986 est.) inflation rate 7.0% (1985)

GNP

$79.9 billion (1985), $8,100 per capita; 65.3% private consumption, 17.9% government consumption, 15.6% investment, 1.2% net foreign balance (1983); 1.1% real growth rate (1985); average exchange rate 59.378 Belgian francs= US$1 (1985)

Imports

$552 million (f.o.b., 1985); foodstuffs, consumer durables, machinery, fuels

(Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union) $55.8 billion (c.i.f., 1985); fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals

Major industries

tourism, sugar milling, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

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

Major trade partners

exports — 42% US, 22% CARICOM, 7% UK; imports— 48% US, 12% CARICOM, 8% UK, 6% Canada (1984)

(Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union, 1985) exports— 69.1% EC (19.0% France, 18.7% FRG, 14.3% Netherlands, 9.7% UK), 6.3% US, 2.8% Communist countries; imports— 68.9% EC (21.1% FRG, 18.7% Netherlands, 15.2% France, 9.0% UK), 5.7% US, 3.4% Communist countries

Monetary conversion rate

2.01 Barbados dollars=US$l (November 1986)

40.17 Belgian francs=US$l (8 January 1987)

Natural resources

negligible

coal

Airfields

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

Branches

Barbados Defense Force, Royal Barbados Police Force

Civil air

2 major transport aircraft

Highways

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

Military budget

for fiscal year 1986, $10.1 million; 3% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 89,000; 63,000 fit for military service, no conscription

Ports

1 major (Bridgetown), 2 minor

Railroads

none

Belgian National Railways (SNCB) operates 3,741 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, government owned; 2,563 km double track; 1,969 km electrified; 191 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned and operated

Telecommunications

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