BELGIUM

PROJECT WORK

BELGIUM

CONTENTS

• Introduction;

• The aim of the Project Work;

• The Project Work

“Belgium”:

• The main facts;

• Geography;

• Climate;

• History;

• Culture;

• Holidays;

• People;

• Language;

• Religion;

• The capital;

• The beer;

• The comics;

• Conclusions.

INTRODUCTION

It happens time after time. People understand Europe the way they’ve been

introduced to it – The usual tourist meccas, the attractions on a thousand

postcards. Then they remember the little ccountry, they passed through a few

days ago. It seems beautiful, it’s practically next door to Paris, London

and Amsterdam, and they have 24 hours to explore it before heading home.

So, I’d like to introduce you – this is Belgium.

THE AIM OF THE PROJECT WORK

The aim of this Project Work was to know as much new facts about Belgium as

it’s possible.

THE MAIN FACTS

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Flag description: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow,

and red; the design was based on the fflag of France.

Location: Europe

Status: UN Country

Capital City: Brussels (Bruxelles)

Main Cities: Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège

Population: 10,020,000   Area [sq.km]: 30,520

Currency: 1 euro = 100 cents

Languages: Flemish (Dutch), French, German

Religions: Roman Catholic

Geography

Belgium, a kingdom no bigger than Maryland, is Europe in a nnutshell,

multicultural and multilingual. Flanders in the north, a flatland criss-

crossed by canals, is proud of its great art cities, Antwerp, Bruges and

Ghent. To the south in Wallonia, you will find the rolling hills of the

Ardennes, numerous castles, and the cities of Liege, Namur, and Tournai.

Its capital city of Brussels is one of the world’s great cosmopolitan

cities, home to both the European Union and NATO, as well as a wealth of

international trade and finance companies.

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Belgium is located at the Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between

France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km, and Netherlands 450 km.

Total area includes 1,385 km.

Climate

The climate near the sea is humid and mild. Farther inland, away from the

moderating maritime influences, a marked increase iin the range of

temperature occurs.

In the Ardennes region hot summers alternate with cold winters. Heavy rains

are confined almost exclusively to the highlands. Fog and drizzle are

common, and April and November are particularly rainy months.

In Brussels, located at the center of the nation, the average temperatures

range from -1° to 4° C (30° to 40° F) in January and 12° to 23° C (54° to

73° F) in July. In Oostende, on the coast, the average range is 1° to 5° C

(33° to 441° F) in January and 13° to 20° C (56° to 67° F) in July.

Rainfall in Brussels is uniformly spread throughout the year, with a yearly

average of about 860 mm (about 34 in); annual precipitation in Oostende

averages about 600 mm (about 24 in).

History

Belgium’s neighbours France, Germany and England. Conquered by German

tribes, Christianised by the 7th century and carved up during the Frankish

Empire in 1100, much of Belgium enjoyed a golden age of prosperity and

artistry under the French Duke of Burgundy during the 14th century.

With the demise of Bruges due to British competition and a silted river,

Antwerp soon became the greatest port in Europe. The golden age began to

tarnish in the mid-15th century when the Low Countries (present-day

Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) were inherited by Spain, igniting

a long battle against Catholic Spanish rule. The fanatically Catholic

Philip II of Spain sent in the Inquisition to enforce Catholicism.

Thousands were imprisoned or executed before full-scale war erupted in

1568. The Revolt of the Netherlands lasted 80 years and in the end Holland

and its allied provinces booted out the Spaniards.

Belgium and Luxembourg stayed under Spanish rule. Napolean’s defeat at the

Battle of Waterloo near Brussels led to the creation, in 1814, of the

United Kingdom of the NNetherlands, melding Belgium and Luxembuorg into the

Netherlands. But the Catholic Belgians revolted, winning independence in

1830.

Despite Belgium’s neutral policy, the Germans invaded in 1914. Another

German attack in 1940 saw the entire country taken over within three weeks.

King Leopold III’s questionably early capitulation to the Germans led to

his abdication in 1950 in favour of his son, King Baudouin, whose popular

reign ended with his death in 1993. Childless, Baudouin was succeeded by

his brother, the present King Albert II.

Postwar Belgium was characterised by an economic boom, later accentuated by

Brussels’ appointment as the headquarters of the European Union (EU) and

the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Belgium of today is home to

a vast army of diplomats, and with them has come a rampant form of

internationalism – followed closely by bland skyscrapers and intimidatory

restaurants.

While the country’s number one city is being busily groomed to suit the

rest of Europe, the Belgians themselves remain nonchalant – the true spirit

of Belgium will always emanate from its people and its past.

Culture

Festival’s play an important part in Belgian life. One of the most famous

festivals is the three-day carnival at Binche, near Mons, held just before

Lent. During the carnival, noisemaking and dancing are led by „Gilles,“ men

dressed in high, plumed hats and bbright costumes.

Another famous pageant is the Procession of the Holy Blood, held in Brugge

in May. December 6 commemorates Saint Nicholas’s Day, an important

children’s holiday.

HOLIDAYS

|New Year’s Day |Jan. 1 |

|Good Friday |Mar. 29 |

|Easter Monday |Apr. 1 |

|Labor Day |May 1 |

|Ascension Day |May 9 |

|Whit Monday |May 20 |

|Independence Day |July 21 |

|Assumption Day |Aug. 15 |

|All Saints Day |Nov. 1 |

|Veterans Day |Nov. 11 |

|Christmas Day |Dec. 25 |

People

The people of Belgium are primarily of two ethnic groups, the Flemings

(Teutonic origin) and the Walloons (Celtic origin, probably with an

admixture of Alpine elements). The most distinguishing characteristic of

these two groups is language. The Flemings speak Dutch (often referred to

by its historic regional name, Flemish; see Flemish Language), and the

Walloons speak French.

The predominantly Flemish provinces are in the northern half of Belgium,

called Flanders (Flemish Region), and the predominantly Walloon provinces

are in the southern half, called Wallonia. The capital of Brussels, an

enclave within the Flanders region, is mixed. In 1993 these three

ethnolinguistic areas became official federal regions.

Language

In 1963 a law was passed establishing three official languages within

Belgium: Dutch was recognized as the official language in the north, French

in the south, and German along the eastern border.

In the city and

suburbs of Brussels, both French and Dutch are officially

recognized, although French speakers are the larger group. In the country

as a whole, strictly Dutch speakers make up about 58 percent, and French

speakers about 32 percent of the population, while about 10 percent are

bilingual or speak German or other languages. In 1971 a constitutional

change was enacted giving political recognition to these three linguistic

communities, providing cultural autonomy for them, and also revising the

administrative status of Brussels.

Religion

About three-quarters of the Belgian population is ...