Geography
Area: 32,547 square kilometers (12,566 sq. mi.), about the size of Maryland.
Cities: Capital--Brussels Capital Region (pop. 992,041). Other cities--Antwerp (452,474); Ghent (228,016); Charleroi (200,460); Liиge (184,303); Bruges (116,811); and Namur (105,705).
People
Population (2003): 10,355,844; urban--69%.
Annual population growth rate: 0.4%.
Density: 861 per sq. mi. Linguistic regions--Dutch-speaking 58%; French-speaking 32%; legally bilingual (Brussels) 9.3%; German-speaking 0.7%.
Religions: Predominantly Roman Catholic (although less than 20% practicing); Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Islamic, Anglican, Greek and Russian Orthodox recognized, as well as secularism.
Languages: Dutch, French, German.
Education: Literacy--98%.
Government
Type: Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch.
Independence: 1830.
Constitution: 1994 (revised).…
