t.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.09 years
male: 73.86 years
female: 80.51 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.69 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Belgian(s)
adjective: Belgian

Ethnic divisions: Fleming 55%, Walloon 33%, mixed or other 12%

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

Languages: Dutch 56%, French 32%, German 1%, legally bilingual 11%
(divided along ethnic lines)

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
total population: 99%
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government
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Name of country:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium
conventional short form: Belgium
local long form: Royaume de Belgique
local short form: Belgique

Data code: BE

Type of government: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Brussels

Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (French: provinces, singular
- province; Flemish: provincien, singular - provincie); Antwerpen,
Brabant, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur,
Oost-Vlaanderen, West-Vlaanderen
note: constitutional reforms passed by Parliament in 1993 increased
the number of provinces to 10 by splitting the province of Brabant
into two new provinces, Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant

Independence: 4 October 1830 (from the Netherlands)

National holiday: National Day, 21 July (ascension of King LEOPOLD
to the throne in 1831)

Constitution: 7 February 1831, last revised 14 July 1993;
parliament approved a constitutional package creating a federal state

Legal system: civil law system influenced by English
constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993) is a
constitutional monarch
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Luc DEHAENE (since 6 March
1992) was appointed by the king and then approved by Parliament
cabinet: Cabinet is appointed by the king and approved by Parliament

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament
Senate (Flemish - Senaat French - Senat): elections last held 21 May
1995 (next to be held by the end of 1999); results - percent of vote
by party NA; seats - (71 total, 40 directly elected; 31 will be
indirectly elected at a later date)