BE is the abbreviation for Belgium, the 136th largest country in the world. Officially Kingdom of Belgium, Belgium is a country located in western Europe, bordering 4 countries – France, Germany, Luxembourg, and Netherlands. Brussels is the capital city of Belgium. Other major cities include Brussels (population: 1,019,022), Antwerp (population: 459,805), Ghent (population: 231,493), Charleroi (population: 200,132), Liège (population: 182,597), Bruges (population: 116,709), Namur (population: 106,284), Leuven (population: 92,892), Mons (population: 91,277), and Deurne (population: 78,747).
Country Profile
- Capital: Brussels
- Language: Dutch, French, German
- Area: 30,688 km2
- Population: 11,420,163
- Currency: Euro (EUR)
- Time zone: UTC+1
- Calling code: 32
- ISO 2-Letter Abbreviation: BE
- UN 3-Letter Abbreviation: BEL
- Internet TLD: .be
- State Government Website: http://monarchie.be
List of Belgium Acronyms
The most commonly used abbreviations about Belgium are BE which stands for Belgium and EUR which means Euro (Belgium currency). In the following table, you can see all acronyms related to Belgium, including abbreviations for airport, city, school, port, government, and etc.
Geography
Belgium is the size of Nordland and is one of Europe’s smallest countries. The land can be divided into three landscapes. On the coast to the northwest lies a1 plain area. The soil and vegetation are characterized by the former seabed. The southern parts of the country have green, fertile valleys where rivers and artificial channels flow. In the southeastern part of the country lies the Ardennes mountain range. The highest point is the Signal de Botrange, which is 694 meters above sea level.
Belgium has a typical coastal climate, with mild winters and cool summers. The country is among the most industrialized in the world, which has led to a lot of pollution. Water quality is among Europe’s worst, and industrial air pollution is widespread, especially in cities.
History
Belgium was created in 1831 as a result of the Belgian Revolution the year before. The country is composed of southern parts of the Netherlands and northern parts of France. Belgium was the first country after the United Kingdom to undertake a comprehensive industrialization process. The industrial revolution led to economic prosperity in Belgium, which gradually began to explore parts of Africa in search of new raw materials. At the beginning of the 20th century, Belgium had vast territories in central Africa. The biggest was Belgian Congo. The land was first the personal property of the Belgian king Leopold II. In 1908, the Belgian state took over and ruled the country until it gained its independence in 1960. King Leopold and the Belgian state were responsible for one of the world’s most brutal colonial regimes, and when the Belgians withdrew,
Despite Belgian neutrality, the country was invaded twice during the 20th century. This led to the country abandoning its long-standing neutrality policy, joining the NATO defense alliance after World War II. Belgium is also one of the founding member states of the EU.
After World War II, the linguistic contradictions became clearer in the Flanders regions in the north and Wallonia in the south, and in the 1960s a language limit was established. There was also a split in the party system with Flemish and Walloon borders. The split led to challenges, and it outgrew extremist groups and parties on both sides. Since 1993, Belgium has been a federal state with three regions; Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north, French-speaking Wallonia in the south and the French-Dutch capital Brussels.
Society and politics
Belgium is a federal constitutional monarchy. The king is the country’s head of state, but has a ceremonial role. The executive power lies with the government, which is led by a prime minister. The country is parliamentary, which means that the government is based on the majority in parliament. The federal parliament in Belgium has two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Belgian politics has traditionally been characterized by strong linguistic, economic and historical divides between the regions. The split between the two major language groups, Dutch and French, makes it difficult to form government. Political forces in Flanders have long wanted independence for the region, which is richer than Wallonia in the south. In 2010-2011, the country experienced a government crisis as a result of the disagreement over a constitutional amendment that will give greater autonomy for the regions.
Belgium is an important player in international politics, and both NATO and EU headquarters are located in the capital Brussels. Here also lies the secretariat of the Benelux Union, a collaboration between Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
High unemployment has long been a problem in Belgium, but the regional differences are large. The proportion of unemployed people is more than twice as high in Wallonia as in Flanders. During the 2000s, several controversial laws have been passed. In 2002, for example, active euthanasia, like other countries in the world, became legal after the Netherlands.
Economics and Commerce
The Belgian economy is very diverse and modern. This can be largely explained by the country’s rapid and early industrialization, favorable geographical location and well-functioning transport network. The main export goods are food products, cars, petroleum products and medicines. The country is also known for its production of exclusive chocolates and a rich selection of different beers. More than 80 per cent of the raw materials for the industry must be imported. The well-functioning service sector accounts for almost 70 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). In total, sales of goods and services account for almost 85 per cent of GDP.
There is a big difference between the economy in the north and south: The northern port city of Antwerp has modern, export-oriented industry, while the economy in Brussels further south is dominated by services and financial institutions. When the demand for the country’s export goods dropped in the early 1980s, the country entered a long economic downturn. Large foreign debt and an old-fashioned industry led to several problems. The government initiated extensive reforms in the 1990s, which improved the economy. In recent years, Belgium has been affected by the recession in the world economy. After the financial crisis in 2008, government debt increased for the first time since the 1990s, and in 2015 it was 106 per cent of GDP. But the Belgian economy is still stronger than many countries in the eurozone.
UN RPGs
The UN Association offers a role-playing game for the school year 2018-19 in which students will resolve a conflict in the Security Council (Yemen conflict). Belgium is a member of the Security Council, and the sections that feel are information related to this game.
Foreign policy and relations with other countries in the Security Council
Belgium has a close relationship with the West and the United States, but relations with the United States became somewhat more strained during a period when Belgium opposed the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Afghanistan, Kosovo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan.
In 2016, Belgium was hit by the biggest terrorist attack in its history. The investigation revealed that the same terrorist group that carried out the attacks in Brussels had also been involved in the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015. These events gave Belgium a bad reputation when it came to fighting terror, and it was said that the country had Europe’s highest number of foreign warriors relative to the population.
The events in 2015-16 marked the start of a more comprehensive anti-terrorism program in Belgium, which has yielded positive results. The country has developed a permanent reception and punishment system for returning foreign warriors, and has appointed special positions for de-radicalization and reintegration. Strengthened monitoring of extreme environments has also been introduced, and various measures have been taken to prevent radicalization in local communities and prisons.
Tips
As a member of the EU, Belgium supports the organization’s emphasis on a political solution to the conflict in Yemen. Belgium also supports the humanitarian work under the auspices of the EU and the UN, and places particular emphasis on providing food and basic health services to the most vulnerable part of the civilian population.
Belgium has good contacts and business relations with the various Gulf states. Belgian companies are especially involved in projects related to construction, transport and production of health articles.
Belgium decided in the fall of 2018 to temporarily halt the export of weapons and military equipment to the coalition countries participating in the war in Yemen. Like some other EU countries, the country can conceivably support the demand for a judicial process against those who have committed war crimes in the conflict.
Belgium is also particularly concerned about the international fight against terror and wants measures that can help reduce the terrorist threat in Europe.
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