Facts about Belgium
- 10
France borders Belgium on its southern and western edges, making French the primary language spoken across the Walloon region that comprises roughly 55 percent of the country's territory.
- 09
Every Belgian citizen is required by law to vote in national elections, with participation rates exceeding 89 percent due to mandatory voting enforced since 1893.
- 08
Belgium's Atomium, built for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair, stands 102 meters tall and consists of nine interconnected stainless steel spheres representing an iron crystal lattice magnified 165 billion times.
- 07
Since 1920, Belgium has hosted the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, one of Formula 1's most legendary and challenging racetracks, featuring the famous Eau Rouge corner.
- 06
Antwerp's diamond district processes approximately 84 percent of the world's rough diamonds and 50 percent of polished diamonds annually, making it the global center of diamond trading since the 16th century.
- 05
Approximately 220 kilometers of canals thread through Belgium's Bruges, a UNESCO World Heritage city where medieval architecture and waterways have remained largely unchanged since the 15th century.
- 04
The 1831 Belgian Constitution established French, Dutch, and German as official languages, though today Dutch speakers comprise approximately 59 percent of the population while French speakers account for roughly 40 percent.
- 03
At 11,787 square kilometers, Belgium ranks as Europe's most densely populated country with approximately 375 people per square kilometer.
- 02
Brussels has 1,850 registered beer styles, making Belgium home to the world's most diverse beer culture with trappist monasteries producing distinctive ales since the Middle Ages.
- 01
Over 220,000 tons of chocolate are produced annually in Belgium, which exports roughly 70 percent of its chocolate globally.