Belgium

It may be a little country, tucked between the attractive and noticeable destinations of London, Paris and Amsterdam. However the city of Brussels with its historic Gothic buildings and tall European Union office blocks is a country waiting to be explored, The inland wooded gorges of the marvellous Ardennes, dotted with medieval castles and soaked in folklore. The medieval city of Bruges has character and charm with a rich architectural heritage, graceful canals, winding waterways and cobbled streets, and is a favourite with visitors. Belgium is a country that has inspired many artists and writers with the charm of its Gothic cathedrals, town halls, gabled guild houses and rich museums.

Understanding the Geography

The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France and is one of the founding and core members of the European Union. Belgium has a population of over ten million people, in an area of around 30,000 square kilometres.

Cities of Belgium

These are the major cities in Belgium.

• Antwerp
• Bruges
• Brussels, Belgium's capital.
• Dinant
• Charleroi
• Ghent
• Leuven
• Mechelen
• Liège
• Namur
• Mons
• Oostende

Climate Conditions

The climate is maritime temperate, with significant precipitation in all seasons; the average temperature is 3 °C (37°F) in January, and 18° C (64 °F) in July; the average precipitation is 65 millimetres (2.6 in) in January, and 78 millimetres (3.1 in) in July).

Understanding the Culture

Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Romance Europe, it is linguistically divided. Mainly two languages are spoken in Belgium: Dutch is spoken by the 6 million people in Flanders to the north, French by the 3.3 million Walloons in the south. The capital, Brussels, is officially bilingual, while the majority of its residents speak French. Around 70,000 people live in the German-speaking Community in the east of the country. This linguistic diversity often leads to political and cultural conflict and is reflected in Belgium's complex system of government and political history.

The Belgian attitude towards life is one of humility, and being proud of what's given to you. A real Belgian patriot is very hard to find.

• Belgium has a Catholic history but is easily as open minded as e.g. the Netherlands, and foreigners are easily forgiven for their wrongdoings. But with most of the people it is not a problem to comment on religious topics, as most people are not religious. Also there can be some differences between the North and the South, Flanders tends to be more open-minded.
• Most Belgians do not like to discuss their wages or their political preferences.
• Depending on whom you talk to, talking about right-wing politics may spark heated discussions.
• Also be careful about commenting on Flemish identity, it could cause some trouble.
• Language is a very contentious issue, and is the subject of endless political wrangling. Although many people in Flanders do understand French, you may wish to avoid approaching people in French unless you speak no other language; English is preferable. On the other hand, Flemish is not widely understood in French-speaking Wallonia.