Population: 10,364,388 (July 2005 est.)

Capital: Brussels

Languages: Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)

Religions: Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%

Government: federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch

Climate: temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy

Terrain: flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast

Geography: crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and NATO

Ethnic groups: Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%

Economy: This modern private enterprise economy has capitalized on its central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north. With few natural resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. Roughly three-quarters of its trade is with other EU countries. Public debt is nearly 100% of GDP. On the positive side, the government has succeeded in balancing its budget, and income distribution is relatively equal. Belgium began circulating the euro currency in January 2002. Economic growth in 2001-03 dropped sharply because of the global economic slowdown, with moderate recovery in 2004-05.

GDP per capita: purchasing power parity - $31,800 (2005 est.)

GDP real growth: 1.5% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate: 7.6% (2005 est.)

Internet country code: .be

Dial code: +32