Belgium [b ǐ lì shí]
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2023-03-28 13:58:25
Belgium [b ǐ lì shí]
Belgium [b ǐ lì shí]
The Kingdom of Belgium (Dutch: Belgi ë, French: Belgique, German: Belgien), abbreviated as "Belgium", is located in Western Europe, bordering the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the south and southwest, and Britain to the northwest across the Strait of Dover. The coastline is 66.5 kilometers long. It has a marine temperate broad-leaved forest climate, with a land area of 30688 square kilometers, and a territorial sea and exclusive economic zone of 3454 square kilometers. Belgium is divided into 10 provinces and 581 municipalities. The capital of 10 provinces is Brussels. As of January 2021, Belgium had a population of 11.52 million.
The Celtic Pyric people lived here before BC. From 57 BC onward, it was divided and ruled by the Romans, Gauls, and Germanic peoples for a long time. From the 9th to 14th centuries, it was divided by various vassal states. The Burgundy dynasty was founded in the 14th to 15th centuries. Subsequently, it was successively ruled by Spain, Austria, and France. It was incorporated into the Netherlands in 1815. Independence on October 4th, 1830. In 1867, it became a permanent neutral state. It was occupied by Germany in both World Wars. Joining NATO after World War II. Joined the European Community in 1958 and formed economic alliances with the Netherlands and Luxembourg. In 1993, the national system reform was completed and the federal system was officially implemented.
Belgium is a developed capitalist industrial country with a highly dependent economy, with 80% of its raw materials imported and over 50% of its industrial products exported. The main economic data for 2021 are as follows: GDP: 694.7 billion US dollars. Economic growth rate: 6.1%， sports fitness .
The Kingdom of Belgium is abbreviated as the European capital of Belgium. The major cities of Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Liege, Leuven, and Namur celebrate their national days on July 21, 1831. The national anthem "The Song of the Brabanites" is the national code of BEL. The official languages are Dutch, French German currency Euro time zone UTC+1 political system Parliamentary monarchy Constitutional monarchy National leaders Philippe Leopold Louis Marie (King), Alexander de Croix (Prime Minister) Population 11.52 million (as of January 2021) Population density 382.7 people per square kilometer (2020) [3] [16] Major ethnic groups Flemish, Walloon, German major religions Catholic land area 30688 km ² [2] Ocean area 3454 km ² (Including territorial sea and exclusive economic zone) Water area ratio: 6.4% GDP: 694.7 billion US dollars (2021) International telephone area code: 32 International domain name abbreviation: be Road access: drive right King's Day: November 15 National Bird, Red Falcon, National Flower, Yu Meiren, the largest city of cuckoo, the main universities of Brussels: Catholic University of Leuven, University of Antwerp, etc
Historical evolution
early stage
Main entry: Belgian history
The ancient Celts lived in present-day Belgium.
After being conquered by the Roman Caesar in 57-51 BC, it was subordinate to the Roman province of Belgica.
From the 4th century AD, it was occupied by the Franks and became part of the Frankish kingdom.
In 843 AD, the grandchildren of Charlemagne the Great of the Carolingian dynasty signed the Treaty of Verdun, attributing the western part of the Schelden River in Flanders to France and the eastern part to the Holy Roman Empire. This is also the origin of the difference between the French speaking and German speaking regions of Belgium today.
In the 11th century, a feudal separatist regime was formed in the marquis territories of Cambre, Liege, and Utrecht, as well as in the earl territories of Brabant, Hennigao, Namur, Limburg, and Luxembourg. The earliest cities have emerged in the Flemish and Brabant regions since the 10th century, and have developed into the first urban communes in Europe since 1071. They have greatly developed through trade with Eastern, Southern, Byzantine, and Eastern Europe.
In 1280, people's uprisings broke out in Bruges, Iper, and other cities in Flanders. The city nobles allied themselves with France to suppress the uprising. The French occupied Flemish in 1300, and in 1301 and 1302 the artisans of Bruges rose up against the French and urban nobles ("Bruges Morning Prayer"). On July 11th, 1302, they joined forces with Flemish farmers to defeat the French cavalry near Cottrek (the "Battle of the Golden Boots").
In 1384, Flemish belonged to the Principality of Burgundy. In the 15th century, Burgundy successively acquired territories such as Namur, Brabant, Limburg, Hennigo, the Netherlands, Zeeland, and Luxembourg. Belgium gradually unified.
In 1477, Belgium was ruled by the Habsburg family. From 1506 to 1713, the Spanish family of the Habsburg family, together with the Netherlands and Luxembourg, formed the Western Netherlands and was ruled by Spain. In 1713, Belgium was transferred to the Habsburg family of Austria. Uprising against Austrian rule erupted in 1789 and 1792. In 1794, Austria was defeated by France at Freluth, and Belgium was ceded to France.
In 1815, the Vienna Conference decided to merge Belgium into the Netherlands, and the artificial unification created opposition between religion, culture, and language. In 1828, the Belgian Liberal Party and the Catholic Party formed an opposition coalition to fight for the abolition of new taxes and legal equality. On August 25, 1830, the people of Brussels held an uprising. On November 18th of the same year, the Belgian National Assembly declared Belgium independent as a constitutional monarchy, and subsequently formulated a constitution.
On January 20th, 1831, the London Conference of Britain, France, and Prussia recognized Belgium's independence and guaranteed its permanent neutrality. On June 4, 1831, the National Assembly elected Prince Leopold of Saxony Coburg as king, calling him Leopold I (who reigned from 1831 to 1865). In 1839, Belgium signed a peace treaty with the Netherlands, which recognized Belgium as an independent country.
After independence
Belgium
From 1831 to 1870, Belgium's coal and smelting industries developed rapidly. At the end of the 19th century, Belgium transitioned from liberal capitalism to imperialism, participating in the division of Africa.
Since 1876, Belgium has occupied Congolese territory, and in 1908 the Free State of Congo became a Belgian colony.
Belgium was occupied by the German army during World War I. Belgium was restored in November 1918. In 1919, Belgium took over Oben Malmedy and Rwanda Urundi from Germany. In 1920, it formed a military alliance with France and an economic alliance with Luxembourg in 1922. In 1925, he acceded to the Locarno Convention, and in 1936, Leopold III (who reigned from 1934 to 1950) declared "absolute neutrality" and withdrew from the Locarno Convention.
During World War II, Belgium was again occupied by fascist Germany. On May 28, 1940, Neobold III signed his surrender and the Belgian government exiled to Britain. The Belgian people are actively waging an anti fascist struggle. Belgium was restored in September 1944. In 1944, Belgium formed a customs union with the Netherlands and Luxembourg (developed into an economic union between Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg in 1958). And concluded regional defense organizations with France, Britain, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. In April 1949, he joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
In 1950, after a national referendum, Leopold III was forced to abdicate and his son Bodouan I succeeded to the throne. Belgium joined the European Economic Community in 1958. After many struggles by the Congolese people, Belgium was forced to agree to the independence of the Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) on June 30 of the same year at the Brussels Conference in early 1960. On July 13, Belgium launched a military attack on the newly established Republic of the Congo, which was condemned by international public opinion and led to the withdrawal of troops. Rwanda and Burundi declared their independence on July 1, 1962. Belgium's colonial rule in Africa ended.
Since the 1970s, due to the domestic economic crisis and the intensification of ethnic language conflicts, the political situation has been unstable. From 1968 to 1981, there were 10 cabinet changes. In November 1981, an early election was held, and on December 17, Martens formed a four-party coalition government of the Dutch Christian People's Party, the Dutch Free Progressive Party, the French Revolutionary Freedom Party, and the French Christian Socialist Party. In 1984, the ruling parties coordinated internal and external policies and formulated a three-year economic austerity plan, resulting in a relatively stable domestic political situation. On October 13, 1985, a general election was held, and on November 28, the coalition government continued to govern. Martens was re-elected as Prime Minister.
On October 28, 2015, he was elected a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for a term of office from 2016 to 2018.
On November 28, 2016, the Netherlands and Belgium signed an agreement on border change and territorial exchange between the two countries.
On June 8, 2018, the United Nations General Assembly elected Belgium as a non permanent member of the Security Council for 2019 and 2020.
On October 11, 2022, he was elected as a new member of the United Nations Human Rights Council and will take office on January 1, 2023.
Geographic environment editing and broadcasting
Regional Location
Belgium is located in western Europe, bordering the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the south and west, and the North Sea to the northwest. The land area is 30688 square kilometers (including the enclave of Bale Eldon in the Netherlands), the territorial sea and exclusive economic zone are 3454 square kilometers, and the coastline is 66.5 kilometers long.
topographic features
Two thirds of Belgium's land area is hilly and flat lowlands, with the lowest point slightly below sea level. The whole territory is divided into three parts: the coastal Flanders Plain in the northwest, the central hills, and the southeast Aden Plateau. The highest point is 694 meters above sea level. The western plains have flat terrain, numerous rivers, and adequate irrigation; In the east is the Aden Mountains, with elevated terrain and high forest coverage. The farthest distance between the two ends of the country is 280 kilometers.
Climatic characteristics
Belgium is affected by the warm North Atlantic current flowing along the coast, and has a temperate marine climate. It is mild and rainy throughout the year, with a humid climate.
natural resources
Belgium is poor in natural resources and highly dependent on external resources, with a small amount of iron, zinc, lead, copper, etc. As of 2014, Belgium's coal reserves amounted to 3.7 billion tons, including 1.8 billion tons of mining value. Since the 1980s, major coal mines in Belgium have successively stopped mining. In addition, there are still a small amount of iron, zinc, lead, copper, etc. The forest area accounts for 23% of the land area. Belgium's crude oil and natural gas are completely dependent on imports, and the import dependency of primary energy consumption is close to 80%, significantly higher than the EU average. There are 7 nuclear power stations, accounting for 65% of the total power generation. The area of forest and green space is 6070 square kilometers (2002).
Coal has made outstanding contributions to the economic development of Belgium, but it has been exhausted. 76% of the country's energy demand depends on imports. Oil resources are mainly imported from Russia, the Middle East, and Norway. In 2018, 39.0% of its electric energy came from nuclear power, 35.4% from fossil energy, and 25.6% relied on renewable energy such as bioenergy, solar energy, and wind energy. There are small amounts of iron, zinc, lead, and copper. The forest and green land area is 6059 square kilometers.
administrative division
Map of Belgium
Belgium is divided into 10 provinces and 581 municipalities. 10 provinces: Antwerp, West Flanders, East Flanders, Limburg, Flemish Pradesh, Wallenburg, Liege, Eno, Namur, and Luxembourg.
The capital, Brussels (French: Bruxelles, Dutch: Brussel), is a city known as the "European Capital". It is the capital region of Brussels, with an area of 162 square kilometers and a population of 1.218 million. 85% of its residents speak French, 15% speak Dutch, and foreigners account for about 1/3 of the city's population. Brussels is the largest city in Belgium and the seat of the main administrative body of the European Union. Brussels is also the capital of the Flemish region and the center of the French speaking region of Belgium. In different contexts, Brussels has different extensions. Among the three major institutions of the European Union, the European Commission and the Council of Ministers of the European Union are located in Brussels, and the other important institution, the European Parliament, also has a branch office in Brussels (the full parliament is in Strasbourg, France), so it has a good reputation as the capital of Europe. In addition, the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is also located in Brussels. Many international conferences are held here every year, and more than 200 international administrative centers and over 1000 official groups have offices here. Brussels is not only the administrative center of the European Union, the seat of the European Commission and Council, but also the seat of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the World Customs Cooperation Council.
