Belgium (Bread and Cake)

Kingdom of Belgium Royaume de Belgique (French) Koninkrijk België (Dutch) Timeline: Bread and Cake
Motto:  l'union fait la force
Anthem:  La Brabançonne
Capital (and largest city)		Brussels
Official languages		French, Dutch
Government		Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
-	Monarch	Laurent
-	Prime Minister	Hilde Crevits
Legislature		Federal Parliament
-	Upper house	Senate
-	Lower house	Chamber of Representatives
Establishment		4 October 1830

Overview

Belgium is a nation in Northwestern Europe, traditionally known as the Kingdom of Belgium. The nation is bounded to the north by the Netherlands, to the east by Prussia, to the southeast by Luxembourg, to the southwest by France, and to the northwest by the North Sea. It has a population of more than 11.5 million people and a land area of 30,468 km2 (11,764 sq mi), making it the 22nd most densely populated nation in the world and the 6th most densely inhabited country in Europe, with a population density of 376/km2 (970/sq mi). Belgium is part of the Low Countries, which was historically a wider territory than the Benelux group of states since it covered sections of northern France. Brussels is the capital and largest city; other prominent cities include Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges, Namur, and Leuven.

Belgium is a sovereign state with a parliamentary system and a federal constitutional monarchy. Its institutional framework is complicated, with regional and language divisions. It is separated into three largely independent regions: the Flemish Region (Flanders) to the north, the Walloon Region (Wallonia) to the south, and the Brussels-Capital Region to the east. In terms of GDP per capita, Brussels is the smallest and most densely inhabited area, as well as the richest. Belgium also has two major linguistic communities: the Flemish Community, which accounts for approximately 60% of the population, and the French Community, which accounts for approximately 40% of the population. Although French is the prevalent language in the Brussels-Capital Region, the region is legally multilingual in both French and Dutch. Belgium's linguistic variety and concomitant political disputes are mirrored in its complicated governance structure, which is comprised of six separate governments.

King Laurent of Belgium, referred to by Belgian Media as the "Royal Tyrant"

Belgium's center location near three important rivers has meant that the country has been reasonably rich, connected financially and politically to its larger neighbors since the Middle Ages. The country as it exists now arose from the Belgian Revolution of 1830, when it seceded from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, which had annexed the Southern Netherlands (which included the majority of modern-day Belgium) following the Congress of Vienna in 1815. The name selected for the new state is taken from the Latin term Belgium, which was used to denote a neighboring territory in Julius Caesar's "Gallic Wars" about 55 BCE. Belgium has also been the battleground of European powers, receiving the title the "Battlefield of Europe".

Belgium took part in the Industrial Revolution and controlled a number of African colonies during the twentieth century. Between 1885 and 1908, the Congo Free State, which was privately controlled by King Leopold II of Belgium, was plagued by extensive crimes and illness, resulting in a population loss of millions; in response to popular outrage in Europe, Belgium annexed the area as a colony. Between 1960 and 1962, the Belgian colonial empire won independence.

Painting of Prussian Troops marching into the Kingdom of Belgium to Kickstart the Prusso-Belgian War, 1865 AD

The second half of the twentieth century saw increased tensions between Dutch-speaking and French-speaking populations, fueled by linguistic and cultural disparities, as well as the unequal economic development of Flanders and Wallonia. This ongoing rivalry has resulted in a series of far-reaching state reforms, culminating in the transformation from a unitary to a federal setup between 1970 and 1993. Despite the reforms, tensions between the groups have remained, if not increased; there is significant separatism, particularly among the Flemish; controversial language laws exist, such as municipalities with language facilities; and the formation of a coalition government took 18 months, a world record, following the June 2010 federal election. Wallonia has more than double the unemployment rate of Flanders.