Belgium

The Kingdom of Belgium (Dutch: Koninkrijk België, French: Royaume de Belgique, German: Königreich Belgien) is a Federal state in a continuous process of devolution. It is a developed country in North-Western Europe that is bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France, and the North Sea. Belgium has a population of over ten million people in only thirty thousand square kilometres, making it the 17th most densely populated country in the world. It ranked ninth on the 2005 United Nations Human Development Index.

Demographics, language, literacy and religion

The population density (342 per km²) is one of the highest in Europe, after the Netherlands and some smaller countries such as Monaco. The areas with the highest population density are around the Brussels-Antwerp-Ghent-Leuven agglomerations, as well as other important urban centres as Liège, Charleroi, Kortrijk, Bruges, Hasselt and Namur. The Ardennes have the lowest density. In 2005, the Flemish Region has a population of about 6,043,161, Wallonia 3,395,942 and Brussels 1,006,749.{{ref|statbel}} Almost all the population is considered as urban (97.3% in 1999{{ref|undp}}). The main cities and their population are Brussels (1,006,749), Antwerp (457,749), Ghent (230,951), Charleroi (201,373), and Liège (185,574).{{ref|statbel}}

Related Topics:
Population density - Monaco - Brussels - Antwerp - Ghent - Leuven - Liège - Charleroi - Kortrijk - Bruges - Hasselt - Namur - Ardennes - 2005 - Flemish Region - Wallonia - Brussels - 1999

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Belgium has three official languages, one for each community: Dutch, French and German. About 60 per cent of the country is Dutch-speaking. French is the second most spoken language (by about 40%) and German is spoken by less than 1 per cent of the population. But these figures must be taken with care because the most recent linguistic census was before 1960, and the mother tongue is not always the same as the language used in public or in official life. Brussels, the capital, is officially French-Dutch bilingual, but mostly French speaking. It evolved from a Dutch-speaking place, when the Belgian state became independent in 1830, to its current dominantly French character.

Related Topics:
Dutch - French - German - Census - 1960 - Brussels

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Both the Dutch spoken in Belgium and the Belgian French have small vocabulary and semantic nuances from the varieties spoken in France and the Netherlands. Many can still speak Flemish or Walloon dialects, which are often difficult to understand for people from other areas. These regional languages and dialects, along with many other ones {{ref|ethnologue}}, are not used in public life.

Related Topics:
Dutch - Belgian French - Vocabulary - Semantic - Flemish - Walloon - Regional language - Dialect

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98 per cent of the adult population is literate.{{ref|ethnologue}} Education is compulsory from the age of 6 until the age of 18, but many keep on studying until the age of about 23. Among the OECD countries, Belgium, in 1999, had the third highest proportion of 18- to 21-year-olds enrolled in postsecondary education at 42 percent.{{ref|edu}} Nevertheless, in recent years, concern is rising over certain forms of illiteracy, such as functional illiteracy (people lacking functional literacy skills: 18.4% 1994-98 {{ref|undp}}).

Related Topics:
Literate - OECD - 1999 - Postsecondary education - Illiteracy - Functional illiteracy - 1994 - 98

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The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. The population is predominantly Roman Catholic. According to the 2001 Survey and Study of Religion,{{ref|religion}} approximately 47 percent of the population identify themselves as belonging to the Catholic Church. According to these figures, the Muslim population is the second largest religious community and numbers approximately 3.5%. Since independence, Catholicism has had also an important role in Belgium's politics, in particular via the Christian trade union (CSC/ACV) and the Christian Democrat parties (CD&V, CDH). (See also: Religion of Belgium)

Related Topics:
Roman Catholic - Muslim - CSC/ACV - CD&V - CDH - Religion of Belgium

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