Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

Most Belgians are Roman Catholics.

Most of the people live in cities.

Economy

Banking and other services, manufacturing,

and international trade are the most

important parts of Belgium’s economy.

Manufacturers make chemicals, food

products, cars and car parts, and

machinery. The city of Antwerp is a

center of diamond cutting and dealing.

Farming is only a small part of the

economy.

History

Belgium takes its name from the

Belgae, a group of Celts who settled in

The Ardennes is a region of hills and forests

in the south of Belgium.

54 Belgium BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

the region during prehistoric times. The

Romans, led by Julius Caesar,

conquered the area in 57 BC. Germanic

Franks took control of the area in the

AD 400s and converted the people to

Christianity. By the end of the 800s

Belgium was divided into many

independent territories. Flemish towns

became centers of international trade

during the Middle Ages.

Foreign Rule

In the 1300s Belgium came under the

control of Burgundy, a territory that

included part of France. The Hapsburgs,

a powerful German family, ruled Belgium

for most of the 1500s through the

1700s.

In 1795 France seized Belgium. Following

the defeat of French emperor Napoleon

I in 1815, Belgium passed to the

mostly Protestant country of The Netherlands.

The many Roman Catholics in

Belgium fiercely resisted Dutch rule. In

1830 the Belgians rose up in rebellion,

and the following year they proclaimed

the independent Kingdom of Belgium.

Independence

In the late 1800s Belgian king Leopold

II gained control of a colony in the

Congo region of Africa (now the Democratic

Republic of the Congo). The Belgians

ruled their colony, sometimes

harshly, until 1960.

DuringWorldWar I (1914–18) and

WorldWar II (1939–45) Germany

invaded and occupied Belgium. During

WorldWar II the Nazis sent hundreds of

thousands of Belgians to Germany and

forced them to work.

AfterWorldWar II Belgium supported

the peaceful cooperation between the

countries of western Europe. It was a

founding member of the North Atlantic

Treaty Organization (NATO) and the

European Economic Community (later

called the European Union).

During the 1960s tensions grew

between Flemings andWalloons. The

government divided Belgium into three

language regions: Flemish Flanders,

FrenchWallonia, and bilingual Brussels.

In the 1990s the regions gained more

power to govern their own affairs, such

as education, transportation, and cultural

matters. They shared other powers

with the national government. The king

kept little political power.

..More to explore

Brussels • Congo, Democratic Republic

of the • European Union • Hapsburgs

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization

The city of Brugge in northwestern Belgium

is known for its network of canals.

Facts About

BELGIUM

Population

(2008 estimate)

10,697,000

Area

11,787 sq mi

(30,528 sq km)

Capital

Brussels

Form of

government

Federal constitutional

monarchy

Major cities

Brussels, Antwerp,

Ghent,

Charleroi, Liege

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Belgium 55

 

Belgrade

Population

(2002 estimate)

1,120,092

Belgrade is the capital of Serbia, a country

in southeastern Europe. The city is

located where the Sava and Danube

rivers meet.

Most of Serbia’s industry is in Belgrade.

Factories there make tractors, machines,

electrical equipment, chemicals, and

clothing. Many people in Belgrade work

for the government or in service industries,

such as education and banking.

Serbia’s best farmland is also in the Belgrade

region.

Belgrade has long been an important

city because of its location. Several land

and river trade routes meet at the city’s

site. Celtic people settled the site in the

300s BC. The town was later attacked

and rebuilt many times. In AD 1284 a

group called the Serbs captured Belgrade.

In 1402 they made Belgrade the

capital of their kingdom. The Turkish

Ottoman Empire ruled the city from

1521 to the 1800s. In the late 1800s

Belgrade again became the capital of

Serbia.

In the 1900s fighting damaged Belgrade

many times, including during World

Wars I and II. In 1918 the city became

the capital of the new Kingdom of

Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. That

country was later renamed Yugoslavia.

In the early 1990s parts of Yugoslavia

broke away, leaving only Serbia and

neighboring Montenegro in the

country. In 1999 a part of Serbia called

Kosovo tried to break free. International

forces bombed Belgrade during the

conflict.

In 2003 Yugoslavia changed its name to

Serbia and Montenegro. The government

remained in Belgrade. In 2006

Serbia and Montenegro split, and Belgrade

became the capital of Serbia.

..More to explore

Serbia

A crowd of students gathers at

Saint Sava Church in Belgrade

for a peace celebration.

56 Belgrade BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

Belize

The Central American country of Belize

was Great Britain’s last colony on the

American mainland. The capital is Belmopan.

Belize is bordered by Mexico and Guatemala.

The Caribbean Sea lies to the east.

Rain forests cover much of the interior.

The Maya Mountains run through the

south. Lowlands lie along the coast. The

climate is warm year-round. Hurricanes

may occur from July through November,

during the rainy season.