About Belgium
Located in Western Europe, Belgium is an extremely hospitable nation internationally renowned as a hotbed of arts, cuisine, and beer. Every year millions of tourists enter Belgium, and along with this comes a substantial number of foreign nationals looking to relocate to the country on a permanent basis.
Please be advised that the information contained on this page may be liable to change without prior warning. For the most up to date information about Belgium, please consult an expert before departing on your trip.
Official Name: The Kingdom of Belgium, also known simply as Belgium.
Capital: The capital of Belgium is Brussels, located in the center of the country Brussels is also Belgium 's largest city.
Location : Belgium is located in Western Europe on the North Sea coast. The country is bordered by France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Germany. Due to its location, Belgium exhibits an interesting mix of the cultures from all the countries it borders.
Size: With a total area of 30,528 square kilometers Belgium is the 148 th largest country in the world behind Moldova and ahead of Lesotho.
Climate: Belgium experiences a temperate climate with warm summers and relatively mild winters. Typically the country remains overcast year round.
Population: With a total population of approximately 10,392,226 Belgium is the 78 th most populated country in the world ahead of Tunisia and behind Portugal.
Life expectancy at birth: The average life expectancy at birth for a Belgian national is 78.92 years. This is the 33 rd highest average life expectancy in the world and can be attributed to the extremely high standards of the Belgian healthcare system.
Major illnesses: At present there are no major infectious diseases present in Belgium. The major health risks in the country are dehydration in the summer and hypothermia in the winter.
Languages: The official language of Belgium is Dutch, which is spoken by 60% of the population. French, spoken by 40% of the population, and German, spoken by less than 1% of the country, are also official languages. Belgium is an officially bi-lingual country, and all signs must be printed in both Dutch and French.
Religion: The dominant religion in Belgium is Catholicism, which is practiced by 75% of the population.
Government: Belgium is a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, much akin to the government of the United Kingdom.
Head of State: The head of the Belgian state is always the monarch, currently this is King Albert II. Although the monarch is technically the head of state, they have no actual political power when it comes to legislation, their opinions; however, do carry a large amount of weight.
Head of Government : The head of the Belgian government is Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, and it is the prime minister who holds most of the country's executive power.
Economy : The Belgian economy is based on free market ideals, and as such the country's modern private-enterprise economy has been able to take full advantage of the many ports on the North Sea and Belgium 's proximity to many of Europe 's biggest consumer markets. Although Belgium has few natural resources the country has managed to maintain its growth by acting as the main export nation of Europe.
GDP: With a purchasing power parity of US$ 378.9 billion and an actual GDP of US$ 442.8 billion Belgium has the 30 th highest GDP in the world.
For more information about Belgium, the international health insurance plans that we can offer there, or to receive a free quote, please contact one of our expert advisers today.
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