Belgium - Useful information for your trip

Belgium is a federal state ruled by a constiutional monarchy in North-Central Europe, with Brussels as a capital city. It is lapped north by the North Sea and is divided into three regions: Flanders in the north with a Dutch-speaking population, Wallonia to the south, mainly French-speaking, and in the middle the region of Brussels city, officially bilingual but in general mainly French-speaking. Belgium was one of the founders of the European Union and the capital Brussels is home to several community institutions.

The Belgian territory can be divided into three physical regions: the coastal lowland of the Flanders, the central plain and the wooded uplands of the Ardennes to the south-east. The coastline is dotted by sand dunes and polders. The highest point is in the Ardennes, Signal de Botrange, only 694 m high.

The main rivers are Schelda, Mosa and Sambre. Almost all rivers are navigable.

The climate is Atlantic and rainfalls are equally distributed all throughout the year. As for flora and fauna, the lowlands are covered in hardwood, oaks, elms and, at higher altitudes, beech trees. On the Ardennes there are many coniferous forests, interrupted by heaths. Wildlife includes fox, badger, squirrel, weasel, marten, boar and fallow deer.

Belgian economy is one of the most advenced in Europe, thanks to the strategic position which has historically favoured Belgium in maritime, fluvial and overland trades. Transportation networks are highly developed, while agriculture is "artificial" for the most part, since it's practised on soils that originally were not fit for farming. Horticulture is particularly relevant, especially in the Flanders, even though livestock remains the most important component of the primary sector.

As for the secondary sector, Belgium is particularly strong in food industry, chemical industry, mechanical industry, petrochemistry, metallurgy, textile industry and paper manufacturing. The tertiary sector is the most advanced, and the most important section of it is trade. The most important export products are machineries and transport means, chemical products, food and precious stones.

Besides the capital Brussels, during a trip to Belgium, other cities are worth a visit: Bruges, Antwerp, Liege, Ghent and Charleroi all boast great cultural heritage. These were indeed the cities were the artistic movements that had such a great influence on all Europe were founded.