Belgium
Belgium is a West European country that borders the west to the North Sea, north of Holland, to the east of Germany and Luxembourg and to the south of France. Belgium is a federation of the Dutch-speaking Flanders, French-speaking Wallonia and the bilingual capital of Brussels.
The country is historically about the same as the southern Netherlands. Belgium arose at a revolution in 1830 when it was detached from the northern Netherlands (now Holland). Belgium has played a crucial role in shaping the EU, Brussels is now the headquarters for NATO and the main EU institutions.
History
The Belgian territory lies as a crossroads of Europe and has experienced a long series of migrations and cultural impacts. As a province of the Roman Empire, the area was named after the Celtic tribe Belge. After the Roman Empire collapse, Franks took over. The current language border dates back to the Migration Period, when it was the border between Roman and Germanic territory. By inheritance division after Charlemagne’s death came the area together with the other Netherlands under the Duke of Burgundy. For later marriages and inherited services ended principality under Spanish domination. From 1548 to 1648 led the inhabitants a war of liberation against Spain, Eighty Years’ War.
From 1648 parted roads to the southern and northern Netherlands, which roughly corresponds to the later states Belgium and Holland. With peace in 1648 after the Thirty Years’ War achieved the Protestant provinces in the north of independence. The Southern Netherlands was heavily devastated during the War of Independence, and Protestants, especially people in cities fled now to the northern provinces. Since the Habsburg Empire was divided in 1713, surpassed the southern Netherlands to the Austrian hegemony. During Napoleon was both the northern and southern Netherlands incorporated in France for a dozen years.
After Napoleon’s defeat in 1815 the area was again united with the Netherlands until the Belgian revolution in 1830 which was the start of the Belgian State. The country got its first constitution in 1831. Great Powers who might benefit from a buffer zone and a weakened Holland, recognized the independence. In the 1800s, Belgium had a strong economic growth, partly because of the coal and steel industries, partly because of the colonies. The Belgian King was awarded the Congo as his personal property, and the colony was grossly exploited.
Belgium was neutral but was invaded during both the first World War and the second World War II. After the second World War, Belgium was a founding member of NATO and the Coal and Steel Union, later the EU. Both organizations have their headquarters in Brussels.
In 1970, Belgium was fundamentally divided into three regions by language border, and in 1993 became the country into a federation. The federal structure consisting of two parallel systems: the regions Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels and the Dutch, French and German cultural communities. As a result, Belgium has five “state governments”. Its structure is still under debate, but changes require consensus and the future is uncertain.
On 22 April 2010 filed Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme’s resignation to King Albert 2nd
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