PROJECT WORK
BELGIUM
2003
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 country, 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
[pic]
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow,
and red; the design was based on the flag 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 nutshell,
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.
[pic]
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 in 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 41° 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 Netherlands, 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