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Country · Europe

Belgium

Kingdom of Belgium

Belgium is a country in Western Europe. Its capital city is Brussels. About 11.4 million people live there, in an area of 30 528 square kilometres.

Where is Belgium?

Belgium lies in Western Europe, on the continent of Europe.

It sits in the northern half of the world, roughly 5 659 km from the equator.

Its coastline is about 67 km long.

It shares a border with 4 countries: France, Germany, Luxembourg and Netherlands.

How big is Belgium?

Belgium covers 30 528 square kilometres.

That is about 12 times the size of Luxembourg.

Among the world's countries that makes it the 136th largest.

Spread out evenly, that is roughly 374.5 people per square kilometre.

Who lives in Belgium?

About 11.4 million people live in Belgium.

That is the 78th biggest population in the world.

People here speak German, French and Dutch.

They pay with the Euro (€).

On average, people born here can expect to live about 78 years.

The land of Belgium

Its coast runs for about 67 km. Walking it end to end, at twenty kilometres a day, would take roughly 3 days.

It lies between the tropics and the poles, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.

What makes Belgium different?

A dish the country is known for: Moules-frites.

Websites from here often end in .be.

Belgium and the rest of the world

Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about 2 live in Belgium.

It takes up about 0.02 % of all the land that countries stand on.

Within Europe it is the 33rd largest of 45 countries, and the 11th most populated.

That is busier than the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.

Belgium and its neighbours

France, its largest neighbour, is about 18.1 times bigger.

France has more people: 67 million against 11.4 million.

Questions children ask

What is the capital of Belgium?

The capital of Belgium is Brussels. It is the city where the country's government works from.

How many people live in Belgium?

About 11.4 million people live in Belgium, which makes it the 78th most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)

Which countries border Belgium?

Belgium borders France, Germany, Luxembourg and Netherlands — 4 neighbours in total.

How big is Belgium?

Belgium covers 30 528 square kilometres, making it the 136th largest country in the world. That is about 12 times the size of Luxembourg.

Which continent is Belgium in?

Belgium is in Europe, in the part called Western Europe.

Where these numbers come from

Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.

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