BELGIUM

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT: Belgium has three main geographic regions: the coastal plain, the central plateau, and the Ardennes highlands. Belgium’s coastline, in the northwest, stretches 66 km along the North Sea. A low coastal plain extends inland 16 to 48 km. Nearest the North Sea is a low-lying area consisting mainly of sand dunes and polders. The polders, sections of land reclaimed from the sea and protected by dikes, were developed between the 13th and 15th centuries. Lying farther inland is a flat pastureland drained by canals. The coastal plain’s elevation ranges from sea level to about 20 m. The central plateau is a gently rolling, slightly elevated area. Irrigated by many waterways, it contains a number of wide, fertile valleys with a rich, alluvial soil. Caves, grottoes, and ravines are found in parts of this area. The Ardennes highlands, a densely wooded plateau, extends across southeastern Belgium and into northeastern France. Located here is Botrange, the highest peak in Belgium, with an elevation of 694 m. The average elevation of the Ardennes highlands is 460 m. The area is generally rocky and poorly suited to agriculture. The chief rivers are the Schelde and the Maas. The Schelde and Meuse and their tributaries run slowly through the central plateau to the sea in a generally southwest to northeast direction. Both rise in France and are for the most part navigable throughout Belgium. On the Schelde, the principal waterway of Belgium, are the ports of Antwerp and Ghent. Although the Schelde flows through Belgium, the river meets the sea in Netherlands. The chief tributaries of the Schelde are the Leie, Dender, Zenne, and Rupel rivers. The Sambre and Ourthe rivers are the main tributaries of the Meuse. The natural resources of Belgium are almost entirely mineral. Coal was mined in abundance for many years, but supplies have been exhausted and the last mine closed in the early 1990s. Copper, lead, and zinc are still extracted and refined in Belgium.
AGRICULTURE: Belgium has favorable conditions for agriculture: moderate temperatures, evenly distributed precipitation, and a long growing season. For centuries much of Belgium, especially the Flanders plain, was an area of intensive cultivation. Today, about 28 percent of the country is under cultivation. Farming engages only 2 percent of the total labor force, but it produces sufficient quantities to make Belgium a net food exporter. About two-thirds of the farms are intensively cultivated units of less than 10 hectares. In 2005 the leading crops were sugar beets, potatoes, wheat, and barley. Other important crops included fruits, tomatoes, and flax. Livestock and dairy farming are major agricultural industries. In 2005 the livestock population of Belgium numbered some 6.3 million pigs, 2.7 million cattle, 155,333 sheep, and 33,887 horses.
ENERGY: Belgium’s 7 nuclear power plants are the main source of electricity, supplying 57 percent of the country’s electric power. With the decline of the coal-mining industry, Belgium has been forced to rely on imported coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Since the 1980s environmental concerns about nuclear power have led to greater reliance on renewable energy sources, such as solar power, biomass, and geothermal technologies; a gas-powered generator was also constructed. Total electric power production was 79 billion kilowatt-hours in 2003. TOURISM: Tourists come to Belgium to enjoy its picturesque cities, some of which date to the Middle Ages; its artistic treasures; and its food. Brugge has a medieval center and well-preserved houses along a system of canals. Ghent’s medieval core is arranged around several open squares. Visitors to Brussels flock to the Grand-Place, with its ornate Renaissance and baroque buildings, and to the city’s many museums. Antwerp, Belgium’s chief port, also has a historic center. Oostende is the most popular beach resort in Belgium, and the Ardennes region is popular with outdoor enthusiasts. Among the artistic treasures are works by Flemish painters Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Hans Memling, Pieter Bruegel, Hieronymus Bosch, and Peter Paul Rubens. Belgium’s fine cuisine attracts gourmets. Many of the national specialties are based on seafood, including eel dishes and mussels cooked in white wine, or on foods cooked in beer. Belgian chocolates are internationally famous.