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Belgium
Belgium, the home of over 11 million people and a culturally diverse country is located in western Europe. The country has the largest urbanized population in the world. About 98% of the population lives in cities and urban areas such as Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, and Liege.
Belgium is divided into three main regions; Flanders, which is the Dutch-speaking region to the north; Wallonia, which is the French-speaking region to the south; and the capital city of Brussels, which is bilingual -Dutch and French-speaking but French is the dominant language. German is also an official language in Belgium and it is mostly spoken in the eastern part of the country.
Belgium has a long history. From its independence in 1830, the country became a constitutional monarchy but, the actual monarch is the current head of state, which makes Belgium the only monarchy in Europe with no actual crown.
Belgium is also one of the six founding countries of the European Union. The country is bounded by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxemburg to the southeast, France to the south, and about 60km of shoreline on the North Sea. It is a law-laying country that is mostly flat, with an average elevation of 181 meters above sea level.
Belgium is known for its beautiful nature, architecture, and art, and also famous for cartoons like Tintin from Hergé. The country is also very famous for waffles, fries, chocolate, and beer.
A few Interesting facts about Belgium:
– Surrealism art originated in Belgium. Rene Magritte is one of the most famous Belgian surrealist artists.
– Belgium is famous for its chocolate production, which dates back to 1635. Today, it has more than 2000 shops producing over 17,000 tons every year.
– The Big Bang theory is considered to have originated in Belgium.
– The world’s first printed newspaper was manufactured in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1605
– Belgium is famous for inventions like Contraceptive Pills, Plastic, and saxophones.
– Belgium has the highest number of castles per square km in Europe. Over 3000 castles and 400 of them are open to the public.
– There are 13 UNESCO sites in Belgium, 12 of them cultural and 1 natural, such as The Sonian Forest.
– In Belgium, people call French fliers Belgian fries because it is believed that it is originated in Belgium.
– The Scheldt and Meuse are the two main rivers of the country, and the Rubicon is the largest subterranean river in the world that goes under the caves of Remouchamps.
– Belgium is also among the top diamond exporters in the world.
– The word ‘’spa’’ originated in the town of Spa in Belgium.