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.

Geography

Belgium, with an area of 30,528 km², has three main physical regions:

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• the coastal plain (located in the north-west);
• the central plateau; and
• the Ardennes uplands (located in the south-east).

The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes and polders. Polders are areas of land, close to or below sea level, that have been reclaimed from the sea from which they are protected by dikes or, further inland, fields that have been drained by canals.

Related Topics:
Sand dune - Polder - Sea level - Dike - Canal

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The second physical region, the central plateau, lays further inland. This is a smooth, slowly rising area which has many fertile valleys and is irrigated by many waterways. Here one can also find rougher land, including caves and small gorges.

Related Topics:
Fertile - Valley - Irrigated - Waterway - Cave - Gorge

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The third physical region, called the Ardennes, is somewhat more rugged than the first two. It is a thickly forested plateau, very rocky and not very good for farming, which extends into northern France. This is where much of Belgium's wildlife can be found.

Related Topics:
Ardennes - Forest - Farming - Wildlife

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The two main rivers in Belgium are the Scheldt (on which Antwerp lies) and the Meuse. Although generally flat, the terrain becomes increasingly hilly and forested in the south-east (Ardennes) region, where one can find Belgium's highest point, the Signal de Botrange at only 694 metres.

Related Topics:
River - Scheldt - Meuse - Ardennes - Signal de Botrange

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The climate is maritime temperate, with significant precipitation in all seasons (Köppen climate classification: Cfb; average temperature in January: 3°C, in July: 18°C; average; precipitations in January: 65mm, in July: 78mm.{{ref|meteo}}

Related Topics:
Climate - Temperate - Köppen climate classification

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