Luxembourg 148 km,
Netherlands 450 km

Coastline: 64 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: median line with neighbors
exclusive fishing zone: median line with neighbors (extends about 68
km from coast)
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: none

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

Terrain: flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills,
rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
lowest point: North Sea 0 m
highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m

Natural resources: coal, natural gas

Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 20%
forest and woodland: 21%
other: 34%

Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: Meuse River, a major source of drinking water,
polluted from steel production wastes; other rivers polluted by
animal wastes and fertilizers; industrial air pollution contributes
to acid rain in neighboring countries
natural hazards: flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal
land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified -
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea

Geographic note: crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West
European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels which is the seat of
the EU

People
------

Population: 10,170,241 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 930,919; female 886,632)
15-64 years: 66% (male 3,380,105; female 3,326,853)
65 years and over: 16% (male 663,760; female 981,972) (July 1996
est.)

Population growth rate: 0.33% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 10.3 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.96 male(s)/female (1996 es