Population – 10.5 million, Area – 30,528 sq km, Currency – Euro (EUR, €), Flight times – From New York to Brussels takes 8 hours, from London takes 1 hour 10 minutes, Cities – Brussels (capital), Antwerp, Bruges, Charleroi, Ghent, Liege, Time Zone – GMT+1, in summer Daylight Saving is observed where the time is shifted forward by 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, Weather – Cold & snowy in winters, warm & dry in summers, Languages – Dutch (official) 60%, French 40%, German less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French), Religion – Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%, Electricity - 220 Volts AC, 50 HZ, plugs have two round pins.

Belgium is a Western European country of 10m inhabitants located in the heart of northern Europe, neighboring The Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France. Belgium is a founding member of the European Union and NATO both of which are Headquartered in Brussels, the capital of the country. There are three national languages Dutch, French and German. Major cities are Brussels, Antwerp, Brugge, Liege and Charleroi.

Founded in 1831, Belgium evolved as a highly developed land with sophisticated trading skills. French and Dutch are the main national languages. In addition, the first language of about one percent of Belgium's population is German. Many people speak English too. The multilingual make-up of the country makes Belgians the perfect working partners for businessmen newly arrived from outside Europe.

A crossroads of several cultures, Belgium has the advantage of a central location within Europe and an extraordinarily well-developed infrastructure. Her communications network is second to none, offering rapid, efficient transport by air, sea, road and rail. The facilities available in and around Brussels, the capital of Belgium, have already convinced a large number of multinational and international companies to base their European headquarters here, alongside the many European institutions.

Hotels, international and national banks, efficient telephone and other communication services, conference facilities, trade fairs - all are in plentiful supply and tuned to the demanding and rapidly evolving needs of local and international business.

Belgium's open trading policies and efficient communications have helped make the Belgian market one of the toughest and most competitive in Europe, if not the world. To prosper in this demanding environment requires a high level of resourcefulness, creativity and craftsmanship for which Belgian companies have become known the world over.

Climate: temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy.

Belgium's health system is famous world over as a center of excellence which has resulted in exceptionally high standards in Healthcare and Surgery on offer throughout Belgium. Apart from a strong medical infrastructure, there is a huge network of private and Independent medical establishments across the country.  Among the procedures, obesity surgery being the most sought after.  The experience of doctors and success rate in Belgium exceeds standards set in other places. Laparoscopy surgery is another area expertise in Belgium and wherever possible, Gastric Band or Gastric bypass is done by laparoscopy (unless technically impossible) and as this means a very short stay in hospital, the patients too find this a great choice.

Belgian hospitals boast of high hygiene standards and the use of latest technology. Belgium’s secondary infection rate was found to be on an average less than 0.5% compared with 10% in the UK.

Belgium health care takes great effort in maintaining standards of their doctors. Across the country there are well trained doctors and these doctors are required to keep up-to-date with the latest medical developments.

Most of the doctors speak English or at least understand it reasonably well. This can be attributed to the fact that as medical training in Belgium often requires the use of text books that are in English. Doctors also undergo periods of study in the UK or USA.

Doctors are expected to undergo intensive training before they choose to specialize. Specialists would have studied for a period of around 12 years in total before they practice surgery independently. Doctors do spend a great deal of time with the patients unlike in other countries.

Despite its small size, Belgium became one of the major world powers, thanks to its thriving economy. In 1900, it had the highest GDP per capita in Europe. The country hosted four Universal Expositions before WWI, respectively in 1897, 1905, 1910 and 1913. Only the United States and France staged more Expositions. The first Universal Expositions after WWII took place in Brussels in 1958.

In 1914, the neutrality of Belgium was ignored and Germany invaded the country. The western front line ran from the fields of Flanders through the North of France. The historical town of Ypres was razed to the ground. The Belgian colonial forces in Congo occupied Germany's East African colonies. After the war Belgium accepted the administration of Rwanda and Burundi.

Belgium was occupied by Germany again in WWII, although the fighting were pretty much limited to the Battle of the Bulge, i.e. the German counter-offensive on the Americans in the winter 1944-45.

Nowadays, Brussels is not only Belgium's, but also the European Union's capital, as well as the headquarters of NATO and other major multinational organisations.

Belgian Society & Culture

Belgium is not a homogeneous country with one national identity and hence it is therefore difficult to give a general overview that applies to all Belgians. Each area will have its own particularities

The three predominant cultures are:

Flanders - primarily Dutch in the north.

Wallonia - primarily French in the south.

The northeast is primarily German influenced.Belgians have rich family values. Th obligation to the family is on top priority. It is seldom that people move out of their hometown thus creating close extended families. The surroundings are kept clean, which in certain cases would mean even cleaning the street.

Cleanliness is a matter of national pride and they take great pride in maintaining their houses.  To have overgrown hedges or untidy gardens would disgrace the family and insult their neighbours. They dress well and are concerned with the impression they make on others.Women retain their maiden name after marriage.

Belgium is renowned world over for its cuisine. Belgians delicacies are French Fries and Waffles. The national dishes are "mussels with fries" and "steak and fries with salad".
Belgian chocolates are among the most preferred chocolates in the world. Belgium is also a haven of beer lovers and it produces over 500 varieties of beer.

There are many places of interest to visit for their inherent cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities.

Belgium is dotted with heritage sites, architectural treasures and fabulous things to visit. Select a destination in Belgium to explore its top rated tourist attractions and find out more about the most famous tourist attractions in Belgium.

Among the major cities, Antwerp, daughter of the river Scheldt is the second largest city of Belgium. It is the second largest harbor of Europe (after Rotterdam). Moreover, Antwerp is a splendid city with numerous architectural highlights, most of which date from the 16th (the golden era of Antwerp) and the 17th century. Antwerp, the diamond center of the World and has earned a place among the fashion cities of the world

Blankenberge was nothing more than a small fishermen village and has more to offer than nice beaches. Because of its rather strategic position, the little village was often plundered and destroyed.

Bruges is called; 'the Venice of the North'. This splendid medieval city is one of Belgium's crown jewels. In no other European city the feel and the look of medieval times are so present, as here in this city close to the North Sea. It ranks, among the important cities of Belgium and is also the capital of the Belgian province of West-Flanders.

Eeklo, the chief town in the flat country between Ghent and Bruges, has succeeded in preserving its picturesque smallscale charm. The Neo-Gothic church of St. Vincent in the Flemisch Renaissance style, the beautiful Flemish City Hall with its belfry and carillon, its picturesque houses, some of which date back to the 17th century, all testify to its historical patrimony.

Ghent is the fourth largest city of Belgium with about 250.000 inhabitants. It is not as big as Antwerp but bigger than Bruges. It is also less famous among tourists than the often praised Bruges. However, for some people Ghent is the real diamond of Flanders and Belgium. In a unique way, Ghent has managed to preserve its medieval power while keeping up with the times.

Leuven is situated in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, at about 20 Km east of Brussels. With a total population of about 90.000 inhabitants, Leuven is renowned all over the world for its University -Catholic University of Louvain, one of the oldest still existing catholic universities in the world, founded in 1425.