Belgium

Belgium is a European sovereign state bordered by France, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and the North Sea.  It has a population of 11 million.

Once part of the Northern Netherlands (Holland), Belgium declared its independence in 1830 after expelling King William I's troops in a revolution, after which Belgium participated in the Industrial Revolution.  It also began the Belgian colonial empire, creating colonies in the Congo, Ruanda-Urundi and China from 1885 until 1962.

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Belgium is a European sovereign state bordered by France, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and the North Sea.  It has a population of 11 million.

Once part of the Northern Netherlands (Holland), Belgium declared its independence in 1830 after expelling King William I's troops in a revolution, after which Belgium participated in the Industrial Revolution.  It also began the Belgian colonial empire, creating colonies in the Congo, Ruanda-Urundi and China from 1885 until 1962.

Belgium is now governed by a parlimentary system, with three regions, each with seperate official languages.  Flanders in the north, where Dutch is the official language, Wallonia in the south, where French is spoken, and the Brussels-Capital Region, considered a bilingual region, where both French and Dutch are spoken widely.

Belgium is particularly well known for its chocolate, waffles, pastries, and beer.

Belgium's capital city, Brussels, hosts the headquarters of the intergovernmental military alliance NATO (North Atlantic Alliance).

Subject ID: 36644

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