Belgium, a country in Western Europe, is known for medieval towns, Renaissance architecture and as headquarters of the European Union and NATO. The country has distinctive regions including Dutch-speaking Flanders to the north, French-speaking Wallonia to the south and a German-speaking community to the east. The bilingual capital, Brussels, has ornate guildhalls at Grand-Place and elegant art-nouveau buildings. The small and beautiful country of Belgium, located right in the centre of Western Europe, covers an area of about 30 528 sq kms. Cradled by the North Sea on one side, the country otherwise shares its boundaries with France, Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg. Painted by a central plateau with rolling hills, the forest region of the Ardennes in the south, and the flat coastal plains along the North, Belgium has a varied and charming landscape.
In Belgium the new and the historic effortlessly blend to give you an elegant old-world charm. The country is renowned for its numerous castles and landscaped gardens, variety of art museums and hip cafes. Its mouth-watering cuisine includes waffles, chocolates, steaming mussels, steak, french fries, and not to forget its famous beer.
Brussels - the vibrant capital of Belgium is famed for its Gothic Grand palace and the modern Atomium among other mesmerizing palaces, museums and art houses. Some other key cities of Belgium are Antwerp - the second largest port of Europe and its landmark Gothic cathedral of Our Lady. Bruges - which has a medieval ambience, is known for its canals and romantic atmosphere. Ghent - once one of the largest cities of Europe, is a cultural centre with a lively student population.
Of course a description of Belgium is incomplete without mention of its world renowned music festival Tomorrow land, held in Boom town. It is the world’s biggest celebration of electronic music.
With a population of 11 million people there are two key linguistic groups that define the three main regions of Belgium. The Dutch-speaking Flemish community in the Flanders region to the North; the French speaking Walloon community of the Wallonia region in the south; and the third is the Brussels region that comprise both French and Dutch, and holds the status of being the bilingual capital of Belgium.
