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Bookmark & shareBelgium's sluggish surface hides cultural cachet and a passion for pleasure.
If Belgium's spotlight on the European stage is a little dim, it's only because its people are rarely boastful. This slow-burning country has more history, art, food and architecture packed into its tiny self than many of its bigger, louder neighbours.
A rich and bubbling vat of beer, chocolate, oil paint and bureaucrats, Belgium gives off the heady pong of the bourgeoisie. But stir the pot a little and you'll find an 'artificial state' roughly made up of two parts Germanic Flemings to one part Celtic-Latin Walloons.
Fast Facts
Country Full Name
Kingdom of Belgium
Population
10,400,000
Currency
Name: Euro
Code: EUR
Symbol: €
Electrical Plugs
230V 50Hz
Languages Spoken
Official: Dutch, French, German
Time Zones
GMT/UTC +1
Country Dialing Code
+32
Weights & Measures
Metric
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