Belgium (Concert of Europe)

Belgium (Walloon: Beldjike, French: Belgique), officially the United Belgian States (Walloon: Estats Bedjes Unis, French: États-Belgiques-Unis) is a sovereign country in. It is bordered by to its east,  to its west and the  to its north. After a long period as a monarchy, Belgium became a federal republic following a popular insurrection against the monarchy during the times of the, fostered and helped by surrounding nations, especially France.

, historically a Belgian province, was occupied and annexed by the Netherlands in the middle phases of the War. This turned Belgium into a landlocked country; also, without the Dutch-speaking Flanders, French and Walloon became the only spoken languages in the country. To strenghten the Belgian-Walloon national identity, French and Walloon were made the new official languages of the new republic. A significant part of the old Grand Duchy of was annexed to Belgium as compensation, while the rest of the small country was given to Germany.

Belgium was one of the countries that suffered the most devastations during the War, and many important battles were fought in its territories; its colonial possessions in were also split between France, Germany and. Despite this, Belgium has today mostly recovered, also thanks to a strong mining industry and a highly diversified economy.