Learn about Greece Schengen at Schengen Visa Details

An Overview of Belgium for Travelers

By Richard Monk

Located on the European mainland, Belgium often is short-shifted in discussions of Europe. Following is an overview of Belgium for travelers.

An Overview of Belgium for Travelers

Belgium is located on the coast of the North Sea between Holland, German and France. The name comes from the Belgae, a celtic tribe.

Belgium�s geographic location places it at the crossroads of much of Europe, particular in relation to the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. As a result, the country has been heavily influenced by the powers that be in Europe during certain periods of times. You can find aspects of Romans, Celtics, Germanic, French and Spanish influences.

Ruled by various European empires, the cities of Bruges, Brussels and Antwerp were major commercial trading posts. They also produced some of the more spectacular artists in Europe, including Eyck and Rubens.

Buy Low Priced Desktops at Computers4SURE

In modern times, the country is really three separate states with significant autonomy. The country is divided up into Flemish, Walloon and a smaller Germanic area. The Flemish are Dutch speaking while the Walloon are oriented to French. The divisions between these areas are significant and they have significant autonomy from the federal government. One might argue they are countries unto themselves.

The official name of Belgium is the Kingdom of Belgium. The country is located in Western Europe and covers approximately 12,566 square miles. Brussels is the capital of the country and has a population of approximately 922,000 people. The second largest city is Antwerp with 452,000 residents.

The people of Belgium are known as Belgians. Total population for the country is 10.4 million with a paltry annual growth rate of less than one half of one percent. The country is divided into three linguistic regions, Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. French is the dominant language in Wallonia, Dutch in Flanders and German in the Brussels area. Most people of Belgium claim Roman Catholic as their faith, but Protestant, Jewish, Muslim and Anglican communities exist. The literacy rate is 95 percent.

REBATES and SPECIAL OFFERS - Computers4SURE

Belgium is an odd hodgepodge of influences. That being said, everyone seems to get along in these modern times and Brussels is a major financial center in the Europe.

Richard Monk is with FactsMonk.com - a site with facts about everything. Visit us to read more about country facts and Belgium facts.

Riots in Greece over austerity cuts

Greek media is reporting that Prime Minister George Papandreou has agreed to step down, as politicians struggle to find a way out of the debt ...

youtube.com

Greece Barricades: 'We don't owe! We don't sell! We don't pay!'

Budget cuts or bankruptcy - a tough choice for the Greek Parliament which is facing a crucial austerity vote. European leaders have already warned ...

youtube.com

Greece Chaos: 20000 protest in Athens, cops fight masked rioters

Follow latest updates on Facebook: www.facebook.com and Twitter: twitter.com Greece is at boiling point - with police firing tear gas at crowds of ...

youtube.com

That is Greece !

One of the most beautifull Places , GREECE. ... no other comments just watch the video !

youtube.com

Official Ottawa Greek Festival (GreekFest) Flash Mob

The Ottawa Greek Community put on a Greek dance flash mob in the Byward market to promote the 2011 Ottawa Greek Festival. The weather held out and ...