Belgium • Fabio’s LifeTour

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

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 the Grand-Place and elegant art-nouveau buildings.

COUNTRY FACTS

POPULATION

10,458,000

RELIGION

Roman Catholic, Protestant

CAPITAL

Brussels (998,000)

LIFE EXPECTANCY

GDP PER CAPITA

U.S. $29,200

AREA

30,528 square kilometers (11,787 square miles)

LANGUAGE

Dutch, French, German

LITERACY PERCENT

FABIO'S REVIEW

Been there briefly as a kid in the mid-80s. Cannot really comment on it, it seemed gray and rainy to me, but as a child living on sandy beaches in sunny Senegal, pretty much everything outside Africa seemed gray and rainy to me.

In case you were wondering about the pictures, the box with the photos of that trip (which included Luxembourg and the UK) will probably never be found.

LOCATIONS EXPERIENCED

BRUGES

Bruges, the capital of West Flanders in northwest Belgium, is distinguished by its canals, cobbled streets and medieval buildings. Its port, Zeebrugge, is an important center for fishing and European trade. In the city center’s Burg square, the 14th-century Stadhuis (City Hall) has an ornate carved ceiling. Nearby, Markt square features a 13th-century belfry with a 47-bell carillon and 83m tower with panoramic views.