BELGIUM

Belgium is a small and highly developed country which lies west of France and east of Germany. It covers an area of 11.781 square miles and is not much larger than the state of Maryland. It is a densely populated country with 10 million inhabitants. The type of government in Belgium is a federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy. The capital of Belgium is Brussels, which is also the capital of the European Union. Belgium's geographic location earned the country the name "crossroads of Europe". This name came about because the Kingdom of Belgium is only a three hour drive from the capital of The Netherlands and the capital of France. Their location also determines the languages that are spoken. People living in northern Belgium speak Flemish, which is derived from the Dutch language, while those living in the south speak French. The remaining minority of the people speak German.