f the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note: crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West
European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels which is the seat of
both the EU and NATO

Belgium People

Population: 10,258,762 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.48% (male 916,957; female 876,029)

15-64 years: 65.57% (male 3,390,145; female 3,336,908)

65 years and over: 16.95% (male 709,212; female 1,029,511) (2001
est.)

Population growth rate: 0.16% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 10.74 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 10.1 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 4.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.96 years

male: 74.63 years

female: 81.46 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.61 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.15% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 7,700 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Belgian(s)

adjective: Belgian

Ethnic groups: Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%

Religions: Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%

Languages: Dutch 58%, French 32%, German 10%, legally bilingual
(Dutch and French)

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98%

male: NA%

female: NA%

Belgium Government

Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium

conventional short form: Belgium

local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie

local short form: Belgique/Belgie

Government type: federal parliamentary democracy under a
constitutional monarch

Capital: Brussels

Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (French: provinces, singular
- province; Flemish: provincien, singular - provincie); Antwerpen,
Brabant Wallon, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur,
Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaams Brabant, W