Portal:Belgium
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The Kingdom of Belgium (Dutch: Koninkrijk België; French: Royaume de Belgique; German: Königreich Belgien) is a country in northwest Europe bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France and is one of the founding and core members of the European Union. Belgium has a population of over ten million people, in an area of around 30,000 square kilometres (11,700 square miles).
Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Romance Europe, it is linguistically divided. Mainly two languages are spoken in Belgium: Dutch is spoken by the 6 million people in Flanders to the north, French by the 3.3 million Walloons in the south. The capital, Brussels, is officially bilingual, while the majority of its residents speak French. Around 70,000 people live in the German-speaking Community in the east of the country. This linguistic diversity often leads to political and cultural conflict and is reflected in Belgium's complex system of government and political history.
Brussels (French: Bruxelles, pronounced [bʁysɛl], and sometimes bʁyksɛl by non-Belgian speakers of French; Dutch: Brussel, pronounced [ˈbrɵsəɫ]; German: Brüssel, pronounced [brʏsəl]) is the capital of Belgium, of the French Community of Belgium, of the Flemish Community, and is the headquarters of the European Union's institutions (and thus often considered 'The Capital of Europe').
Brussels is the capital city, in the centre of Belgium, and also the largest municipality of the Brussels-Capital Region. This municipality inside Brussels is correctly named The City of Brussels (French: Bruxelles-Ville or Ville de Bruxelles, Dutch: Stad Brussel), which is one of 19 municipalities that make up the Brussels-Capital Region (see also: Municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region), with a total population of 1,018,804 inhabitants (1 January 2006). The municipality has a population of about 140,000. The Metropolitan area has about 2,090,000 inhabitants.
Brussels is also the political seat of NATO, the Western European Union (WEU) and EUROCONTROL, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (see: Political center, below).
- Project brings dialogue between society and prisoners (March 23, 2007)
- Belgian Archbishop lectures on health care and religion (March 23, 2007)
- Mass wedding held against racism in Belgium (March 22, 2007)
- Black registrar to hold mass wedding in Belgium (March 19, 2007)
- Environmentalists: "Turn everything off!" on February 1st (January 30, 2007)
- More news on Wikinews' Belgium Portal • Archive
- that Belgium is ranked as the best country in the field of educational well-being by a UNICEF report on the well-being of children in rich countries published in 2007?
- that TC Matic, the former band of Arno Hintjens, split after touring with the Simple Minds?
- that Johan Vande Lanotte, party president of the SP.a, is a professor of public law at the Ghent University?
- Visit the Wikiproject Belgium page and help to write, expand and improve Belgium-related articles
- List newly created articles at the announcement page
- Update News and Did You Know
- Suggest Selected article and Selected picture on the Portal talk page
- Help to expand the Belgium stubs
- 1388: death of Everard t'Serclaes, alderman of Brussels, defended the city against the Count of Flanders
- 1621: death of Philip III of Spain, ruler over most of the current territory of Belgium
- 1877: death of Jean Baptiste Madou, painter and lithographer
- 1929: birth of Liz Claiborne, fashion designer
- 1978: death of Romain Gijssels, cyclist, winner of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix
Photo credit: Jean-Pol Grandmont
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New articles or recently expanded: Revolution Liégeoise - Karl-Heinz Lambertz - Altiora Averbode - Dany - Paul Cuvelier - Luc Cromheecke - François Craenhals - Jan Bosschaert - Stijn Coninx - Jules Destrée - Arthur Berckmans - 0110 concerts - Will Tura - Pierre Carette - Johan Vande Lanotte
New stubs (you can help and expand them): Eeuwfeestkliniek - Jaak Boon - Fernand Feyaerts - Wim Feyaerts - Ronnie Commissaris - De Kotmadam - Annick Van Dam - Miel Louw - ABC-auto - Koninklijk Conservatorium (Brussel) - Luk De Konink - Marijke Hofkens - Mark De Bie - Guy Bernaert - Vincent Rouffaer - Alfa Papa Tango - L'Affaire Labricole - Abdijen in de lage landen - Antwerp International Airport - Aangename kennismaking - Aan tafel - Arlette Sterckx - Leo Madder - Spoed - Verschoten & zoon - Grietje Vanderheijden - Herman Van Rompuy - National Congress of Belgium - Marleen Vanderpoorten
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