Overview of Belgium...
Belgium's strongly globalized economy and its transportation infrastructure are integrated with the rest of Europe. Its location at the heart of a highly industrialized region helped make it the world's 15th largest trading nation in 2007. The economy is characterized by a highly productive work force, high GNP and high exports per capita. Belgium's main imports are raw materials, machinery and equipment, chemicals, raw diamonds, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, transportation equipment, oil products. Its main exports are machinery and equipment, chemicals, finished diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs. One of the founding members of the European Union, Belgium strongly supports an open economy and the extension of the powers of EU institutions to integrate member economies. Since 1922, through the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union, Belgium and Luxembourg have been a single trade market with customs and currency union. In the 1980s and 90s, the economic centre of the country continued to shift northwards and is now concentrated in the populous Flemish Diamond area. From 1832 until 2002, Belgium's currency was the Belgian franc. Belgium switched to the euro in 2002, with the first sets of euro coins being minted in 1999. The standard Belgian euro coins designated for circulation show the portrait of King Albert II.
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| Facts About Belgium |
| Location: |
Western Europe |
| Coordinates: |
50 50 N, 4 00 E |
| Int. Dialing Code: |
00 32 |
| Currency: |
euros |
| Language: |
Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40% |
| Area: |
30,528 sq km |
| Capital City: |
Brussels |
| Population: |
10,423,493 (July 2010 est.) |
| Population Ranking: |
79 |
| Employment: |
91.9% |
| Inflation: |
2.3% (2010 est.) |
| GDP: |
$394.9 billion (2010 est.) |
| GDP Ranking: |
31 |
| GDP Growth: |
1.6% (2010 est.) |
| Internet Users: |
8.113 million (2009) |
| Television Stations: |
3 & Cable |
| Phone Lines: |
4,255 (2009) |
| Mobile Phones: |
12.419 million (2009) |
| Major Industry: |
engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum |
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