Belgium By: CynthiaBuelna =)

Country Name: The Kingdom of Belgium
Year Founded: Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830
Population: 10,414,336 (July 2009 est.)
Primary Language: Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)
Ethnic Make-up: Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%
Political System: federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Year Entered the European Union: After World War II, Belgium joined NATO as a founder member, and formed the Benelux group of nations with the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Belgium became one of the six founding members of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951, latter is now the European Union, for which Belgium hosts major administrations and institutions.
Representative of the European Union (include party): Flemish parties: Christian Democratic and Flemish or CDV [Marianne THYSSEN]; Dedecker List [Jean-Marie DEDECKER]; Flemish Liberals and Democrats or Open VLD [Bart SOMERS]; Groen! [Mieke VOGELS] (formerly AGALEV, Flemish Greens); New Flemish Alliance or N-VA [Bart DE WEVER]; Social Liberal Party or SLP [Geert LAMBERT]; Social Progressive Alternative or SP.A [Caroline GENNEZ]; Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) or VB [Bruno VALKENIERS] Francophone parties: Ecolo (Francophone Greens) [Jean-Michel JAVAUX, Isabelle DURANT]; Humanist and Democratic Center or CDH [Joelle MILQUET]; National Front or FN [Daniel HUYGENS]; Reform Movement or MR [Didier REYNDERS]; Socialist Party or PS [Elio DI RUPO]; other minor parties
Type of Economy: modern, private-enterprise economy
Currency: From 1832 until 2002, Belgium's currency was the Belgian franc. Belgium switched to the euro in 2002, with the first sets of euro coins being minted in 1999.

Currency Exchange rate for American Currency: 1 Euro = 1.3653 U.S. dollars
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$398.7 billion (2008 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$495.4 billion (2008)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.3% (2008)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$38,300 (2008 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1% industry: 24.2% services: 74.9% (2008 est.)
· Percentage of Trade: three-quarters of its trade is with the EU countries.
· Unemployment Rate: 6.5% (2008)
· Chief Exports: Its main exports are automobiles, food products, iron and steel, finished diamonds, textiles, plastics, petroleum products, and nonferrous metals.
· Key Imports: Belgium's main imports are food products, machinery, rough diamonds, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, clothing and accessories, and textiles.
· Major Religions: Roman Catholic 75%, other (includes Protestant) 25%
· Surrounding Countries: Belgium shares borders with France (620 km), Germany (167 km), Luxembourg (148 km) and the Netherlands (450 km).
· Literacy rate: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.1% (male 857,373/female 822,303) 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 3,480,072/female 3,419,721) 65 years and over: 17.6% (male 760,390/female 1,074,477) (2009 est.)