Belgium (Differently)

Kingdom of Belgium Royaume de Belgique (French) Koninkrijk België (Dutch) Königreich Belgien (German) Timeline: Differently
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  L'union fait la force (French) "Union makes strength"
Anthem:  La Brabançonne
Location of Belgium (green)
Capital		Brussels
Largest city		Antwerp
Official languages		French • Dutch • German
Government		Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
-	Monarch	Frederick III
-	Prime Minister	Sophie Wilmes
Establishment
-	Independence from the Netherlands	4 October 1830
Area
-	Total	32,545 km2  12,566 sq mi
Population
-	Estimate	11.4 million (83rd)
Currency		Belgian franc (BEF)
Drives on the		right

Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a nation in the Lower Countries in Western Europe. Belgium is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, France and Germany to the south, and Luxembourg to the southeast. Belgium is mainly composed of two regions: Flanders, the Dutch-speaking north, and Wallonia, the French-speaking south. The French-speaking capital of Brussels is considered a third region. German is spoken in some portions of eastern Wallonia. Its surface area of square kilometers makes Belgium the 26th-largest country in Europe and the 124th-largest in the world. With a population of over inhabitants, it is the 12th-most populous country in Europe and the 83rd in the world.

Belgium was formed in 1830, when it declared secession from the Netherlands, which the latter country did not recognise until the Treaty of London in 1839. It remained a neutral country afterwards. Towards the end of the 19th century, many people considered Belgium as a buffer state between France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In the Great War, German troops steamrolled through Belgium and Luxembourg. Belgian resistance kept fighting on near the coast, where the British were supporting them. In 1918, Belgium was liberated, and for compensation, Eupen-Malmedy was given to Belgium.

In 1923, the BENELUX Foundation was founded between the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. It was an economic alliance, and also a small defensive alliance against the Danish communist threat. In 1938, when the People's Republic of Denmark was dissolved, the BENELUX became a solely economic alliance. Belgium joined the capitalist bloc in the Cold War, resisting communism around the world. In 1975, when the Soviet Union fell, Belgium returned to its neutrality, although upon the threats launched by Russia towards Poland in 2022, Belgium has began sliding back towards the pro-PANTO side.

Today, Belgium is a multi-ethnic nation. It is relatively stable and has a good economy due to its position in Western Europe which allows for easier trade with the rest of Europe. Belgium is a member of the League of Nations and the European Union.

Politics

Belgium is a constitutional, popular monarchy and a federal parliamentary democracy. The bicameral federal parliament is composed of a Senate and a Chamber of Representatives. The former is made up of 50 senators appointed by the parliaments of the communities and regions and 10 co-opted senators. Prior to 2014, most of the Senate's members were directly elected. The Chamber's 150 representatives are elected under a proportional voting system from 11 electoral districts. Belgium has compulsory voting and thus maintains one of the highest rates of voter turnout in the world.

The King (currently Frederick III) is the head of state, though with limited prerogatives. He appoints ministers, including a Prime Minister, that have the confidence of the Chamber of Representatives to form the federal government. The Council of Ministers is composed of no more than fifteen members. With the possible exception of the Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers is composed of an equal number of Dutch-speaking members and French-speaking members. The judicial system is based on civil law and originates from the Napoleonic code. The Court of Cassation is the court of last resort, with the courts of appeal one level below. Alongside the United Kingdom, Belgium is one of only two European monarchies to have absolute primogeniture as its form of succession (adopting it in 2022) and one of only five nations to have it.

Administrative Divisions

Regions and Provinces

The territory of Belgium is divided into three Regions, two of which, the Flemish Region and Walloon Region, are in turn subdivided into provinces; the third Region, the Brussels Capital Region, is neither a province nor a part of a province.

Province	Dutch name	French name	German name	Capital	Area	Population
Flemish Region
Antwerp	Antwerpen	Anvers	Antwerpen	Antwerp	2,876 km2 (1,110 sq mi)	1,857,986
East Flanders	Oost-Vlaanderen	Flandre orientale	Ostflandern	Ghent	2,118 km2 (818 sq mi)	1,146,175
Flemish-Brabant	Vlaams-Brabant	Brabant flamand	Flämisch-Brabant	Leuven	2,118 km2 (818 sq mi)	1,146,175
Limburg	Limburg	Limbourg	Limburg	Hasselt	2,427 km2 (937 sq mi)	874,048
West Flanders	West-Vlaanderen	Flandre occidentale	Westflandern	Bruges	3,197 km2 (1,234 sq mi)	1,195,796
Walloon Region
Hainaut	Henegouwen	Hainaut	Hennegau	Mons	3,813 km2 (1,472 sq mi)	1,344,241
Liège	Luik	Liège	Lüttich	Liège	3,857 km2 (1,489 sq mi)	1,106,992
Luxembourg	Luxemburg	Luxembourg	Luxemburg	Arlon	4,459 km2 (1,722 sq mi)	284,638
Namur	Namen	Namur	Namür	Namur	3,675 km2 (1,419 sq mi)	494,325
Walloon Brabant	Waals-Brabant	Brabant wallon	Waals-Brabant	Wavre	1,097 km2 (424 sq mi)	403,599
Brussels-Capital Region
Brussels-Capital Region	Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest	Région de Bruxelles-Capitale	Region Brüssel-Hauptstadt	Brussels City	162.4 km2 (62.7 sq mi)	1,208,542

Communities

Communities were created in 1970 as "cultural communities" with limited power. In 1980, more power was transferred from the federal state to these entities and they became simply "communities".

Both the Flemish and French Community have jurisdiction over the area of the Brussels-Capital Region. Consequently, they do not have a defined number of inhabitants. The German-speaking Community is the only community with an area over which they have sole jurisdiction as a community. It is located within the Walloon Region, which has even transferred some regional powers to the German-speaking Community with regards to its area.

Name	Flemish Community	French Community	German-speaking Community
Dutch name	Vlaamse Gemeenschap	(Franse Gemeenschap)	(Duitstalige Gemeenschap)
French name	(Communauté flamande)	Communauté française	(Communauté germanophone)
German name	(Flämische Gemeinschaft)	(Französische Gemeinschaft)	Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft
Capital	Brussels		Eupen