Читать книгу The 2009 CIA World Factbook - United States. Central Intelligence Agency - Страница 186

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 30,528 sq km country comparison to the world: 140 land: 30,278 sq km

water: 250 sq km

Area - comparative:

about the size of Maryland

Land boundaries:

total: 1,385 km

border countries: France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km

Coastline:

66.5 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: geographic coordinates define outer limit

continental shelf: median line with neighbors

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

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: North Sea 0 m

highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m

Natural resources:

construction materials, silica sand, carbonates

Land use:

arable land: 27.42%

permanent crops: 0.69%

other: 71.89%

note: includes Luxembourg (2005)

Irrigated land:

400 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

20.8 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 7.44 cu km/yr (13%/85%/1%)

per capita: 714 cu m/yr (1998)

Natural hazards:

flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes

Environment - current issues:

the environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, extensive animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) had slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

crossroads of Western Europe; most West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and NATO

People ::Belgium

Population:

10,414,336 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 78

Age structure:

0–14 years: 16.1% (male 857,373/female 822,303)

15–64 years: 66.3% (male 3,480,072/female 3,419,721)

65 years and over: 17.6% (male 760,390/female 1,074,477) (2009 est.)

Median age:

total: 41.7 years

male: 40.4 years

female: 43 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.094% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 192

Birth rate:

10.15 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 193

Death rate:

10.44 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 58

Net migration rate:

1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 52

Urbanization:

urban population: 97% of total population (2008)

rate of urbanization: 0.3% annual rate of change (2005–10 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15–64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.44 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 201 male: 4.99 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 79.22 years country comparison to the world: 33 male: 76.06 years

female: 82.53 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.65 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 176

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 94

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

15,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 86

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 151

Nationality:

noun: Belgian(s)

adjective: Belgian

Ethnic groups:

Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 75%, other (includes Protestant) 25%

Languages:

Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 16 years

male: 16 years

female: 16 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

6% of GDP (2004) country comparison to the world: 40

Government ::Belgium

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 monarchy

Capital:

name: Brussels

geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

3 regions (French: regions, singular - region; Dutch: gewesten, singular - gewest); Brussels-Capital Region, also known as Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest (Dutch), Region de Bruxelles-Capitale (French long form), Bruxelles-Capitale (French short form); Flemish Region (Flanders), also known as Vlaams Gewest (Dutch long form), Vlaanderen (Dutch short form), Region Flamande (French long form), Flandre (French short form); Walloon Region (Wallonia), also known as Region Wallone (French long form), Wallonie (French short form), Waals Gewest (Dutch long form), Wallonie (Dutch short form)

note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities

Independence:

4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne)

National holiday:

21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King LEOPOLD I

Constitution:

7 February 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993 to create a federal state

Legal system:

based on 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); Heir Apparent Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch

head of government: Prime Minister Herman VAN ROMPUY (30 December 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers are formally appointed by the monarch

elections: the monarchy is hereditary and constitutional; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch and then approved by parliament

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in Dutch, Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly elected by popular vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members serve four-year terms) and a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch, Chambre des Representants in French (150 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 10 June 2007 (next to be held no later than June 2011)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - CDV/N-VA 19.4%, Open VLD 12.4%, MR 12.3%, VB 11.9%, PS 10.2%, SP.A-Spirit 10%, CDH 5.9%, Ecolo 5.8%, Groen! 3.6%, Dedecker List 3.4%, FN 2.3%, other 2.8%; seats by party - CDV 12, MR 11, Open VLD 9, VB 8, PS 7, SP.A 6, CDH 5, Ecolo 5, Groen! 2, LDD 1, FN 1, independents 4; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CDV/N-VA 18.5%, MR 12.5%, VB 12%, Open VLD 11.8%, PS 10.9%, SP.A-Spirit 10.3%, CDH 6.1%, Ecolo 5.1%, Dedecker List 4%, Groen! 4%, FN 2%, other 2.8%; seats by party - CDV 23, N-VA 7, MR 23, VB 17, Open VLD 18, PS 20, SP.A 14, CDH 10, Ecolo 8, Dedecker List 5, Groen! 4, FN 1

note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six governments, each with its own legislative assembly

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) or Cour de

Cassation (in French) (judges are appointed for life by the

government; candidacies have to be submitted by the High Justice

Council)

Political parties and leaders:

Flemish parties: Christian Democratic and Flemish or CDV [Marianne

THYSSEN]; Dedecker List [Jean-Marie DEDECKER]; Flemish Liberals and

Democrats or Open VLD [Bart SOMERS]; Groen! [Mieke VOGELS] (formerly

AGALEV, Flemish Greens); New Flemish Alliance or N-VA [Bart DE

WEVER]; Social Liberal Party or SLP [Geert LAMBERT]; note - prior to

19 April 2008, known as Spirit; Social Progressive Alternative or

SP.A [Caroline GENNEZ]; Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) or VB

[Bruno VALKENIERS]

Francophone parties: Ecolo (Francophone Greens) [Jean-Michel JAVAUX,

Isabelle DURANT]; Humanist and Democratic Center or CDH [Joelle

MILQUET]; National Front or FN [Daniel HUYGENS]; Reform Movement or

MR [Didier REYNDERS]; Socialist Party or PS [Elio DI RUPO]; other

minor parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Christian, Socialist, and Liberal Trade Unions; Federation of

Belgian Industries

other: numerous other associations representing bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical professions; various organizations represent the cultural interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as Pax Christi and groups representing immigrants

International organization participation:

ACCT, ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members),

Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA,

EU, FAO, G-9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS

(observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen

Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,

UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Jan MATTHYSEN

chancery: 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 333–6900