Belgium map. Belgium map in Russian

The Kingdom of Belgium is a Western European state with its capital in Brussels. Neighbors -, and, in the north-west, the border of Belgium runs along the North Sea. More than 11 million citizens live in a small state (30.5 thousand square kilometers), which makes Belgium one of the most densely populated countries in Europe.

Geographically, the Belgian lands can be divided into the coastal northwestern plain, the central plateau, and the Ardennes highlands in the southeast. Low Belgium rises 100 meters above sea level, on the plateau the height reaches 200 meters, and the height of the hill is 500 meters.

In the lowlands, the relief is represented by dunes and fertile polders. The space between the Lis and Scheldt polders is filled by the sandy Flemish Plain with low hills. Behind it begins the Kempen region with coniferous forests, corn fields and meadows.

Between Kempen and the valleys of the Meuse and Sambre lies middle Belgium with clay plains and fertile soils. South of Brussels, a huge beech forest has been preserved. There are many arable and agricultural lands in this part of the country.

Less than other areas populated wooded high Belgium. It is difficult to farm in the mountains, but tourists tend to get here. Behind the hilly region of Condroze, the low mountains of the Ardennes begin, covered with forest, serpentines of roads connecting colorful villages. "Peak" of the Ardennes - Mount Botrange, rises to 694 m above sea level.

The climate of Belgium is typical for Western Europe - mild, with cool, humid summers and rainy, warm winters. Frosts and snow in Brussels do not occur every year, but the heat does not set in for a long time.

(Kingdom of Belgium)

General information

Geographical position. In the north, Belgium borders on the Netherlands, in the east - on Germany, in the southeast - on Luxembourg, in the south and southwest - on France. In the west, Belgium has a 65-kilometer outlet to the North Sea.

Square. The territory of Belgium occupies 30,528 sq. km.

main cities, Administrative division. The capital of Belgium is Brussels. Largest cities: Brussels (1,000 thousand people), Antwerp (500 thousand people), Ghent (240 thousand people).

Belgium consists of 9 provinces: Antwerp, Brabant, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, East and West Flanders.

Political system

Belgium is a constitutional monarchy. The head of state is the king. The head of government is the prime minister. Legislative power is vested in the Parliament, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Relief. From a geographical point of view, Belgium can be divided into three parallel zones, stretched from northwest to southeast: Lower Belgium, from the North Sea coast along the border with the Netherlands, similar in landscape to the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Zeeland (along the coast of the country, turned for the most part in the resort area, a ridge of dunes stretches); Middle Belgium - hilly, fertile country, reminiscent of the Rhineland in Germany; and Upper Belgium, the mountainous region of the Ardennes bordering France and the valleys of the Meuse and Sambre rivers.

Geological structure and minerals. Belgium has deposits of coal and natural gas.

Climate. Belgium has mild, wet winters and cool summers: in December-January the temperature usually does not fall below 0°C, in July-August it does not rise above + 19°C. Temperature fluctuations due to the small area are insignificant, with the exception of the Ardennes region, where the temperature is several degrees lower in winter and snow often falls. In some places it rains 200 days a year.

Inland waters. The main rivers of Belgium are the Scheldt and the Meuse.

Soils and vegetation. Soils in Belgium are brown forest and podzolic. broadleaf forests occupy almost 20% of the territory). There are many protected areas and natural parks (Ot-Fan, Kalmthout, etc.).

Animal world. Boars, fallow deer, roe deer, hares, squirrels, wood mice are found mainly in the Ardennes. Partridges, woodcocks, pheasants, ducks are found in swampy thickets.

Population and language

Belgium is home to 10.175 million people. About 60% of the Belgian population are Flemings. The Flemings live mainly in the northern provinces of Belgium: in West and East Flanders, Antwerp, Limburg and the northern part of Brabant. French-speaking Walloons, who make up 40% of the population, live in the south of Brabant, in the provinces of Hainaut, Liege, Luxembourg, Namur. In the east of the country (the province of Liege), the majority of the population speaks German.

In terms of population density, Belgium occupies one of the first places in Europe: 550 people per 1 sq. km. km. Belgium is a highly urbanized country: more than 90% of the population lives in cities.

Linguistic division: during the Middle Ages, French was the language of the aristocracy, and Flemish was the language of the bourgeoisie and the lower strata of the population. After the formation of the Kingdom of Belgium in 1830, French became official language: teaching in schools, universities educational institutions, proceedings were conducted in French.

In 1962, a language border was drawn between the two communities of Belgium and teaching was allowed both in French and in Flemish. In 1982, this division culminated in the creation of a federation consisting of the Flemish North, the Walloon South and Brussels. Brussels as the capital of the state has a special bilingual status: despite the predominant (90%) French-speaking population, French and Flemish languages ​​are equal.

Religion

The predominant religion in Belgium is Roman Catholic.

Brief historical sketch

Until 1714 Belgium was called the Spanish Netherlands, from 1714 the Austrian Netherlands, from 1830 the Kingdom of Belgium.

1579 - Union of Arras - an attempt to conclude a separate treaty by Philip II and the two southern provinces of Artois and Hainaut (Gennegau).

1584-1598 - the defeat of the anti-Spanish movement in the southern provinces: in 1584 Bruges and Ghent were taken, in 1585 Brussels and after fierce resistance - Antwerp.

In 1604 - Ostend - the last Dutch outpost in the southern provinces - was captured by the Spaniards.

In 1598-1621. - Archduke Albert VII and his wife, Archduchess Isabella, daughter of Philip II, were the rulers of the Spanish Netherlands. It was a period of relative prosperity and stability.

In 1648, the Peace of Westphalia confirmed that the southern provinces of the Netherlands belonged to Spain.

In 1667-1697. during the wars Louis XIV The French army invaded the territory of the Spanish Netherlands several times.

1701-1714 - War of the Spanish Succession. 1714 Peace of Utrecht: Spanish Netherlands ceded to Austria. Prince Eugene of Savoy was appointed stadtholder, in whose name the Marquis de Prieux ruled.

1740-1780 - reign of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa. Prince Charles of Lorraine has been appointed Stadtholder of the Austrian Netherlands. The period of stability and prosperity of the country. school reform. Foundation of the Academy of Sciences.

1745-1748 - War of the Austrian Succession. Battle of Fontenoy (1745). The French conquered almost the entire territory of the southern Netherlands. 1748 Peace of Aachen: Southern Netherlands again under the rule of the Austrian Empire.

In 1789-1790. Under the influence of the French Revolution, a popular uprising takes place in Belgium. United Belgian States proclaimed. After the suppression of the uprising, the country again falls under Austrian rule.

In 1792-1794. the country was occupied by French troops, and 1795-1813. - attached to France. In 1815, the Battle of Waterloo took place, which ended in the defeat of Napoleon.

In 1815-1830. Belgium was part of the United Netherlands.

In 1830 the Belgian revolution began. There were uprisings in Brussels, Antwerp, Louvain. Belgian independence was proclaimed. In 1831, the London Agreement of the Allied Powers (England, France, Russia, Austria and Prussia) recognized the independence of the country. Leopold I, Prince of Coburg, was elected King of the Belgians.

In 1834 the University of Brussels was founded. Opened in 1835 Railway between Mechelen and Brussels, the first on the European continent.

In 1914-1918 Belgium was occupied by the German army during World War I. In 1919, in order to compensate for the damage caused during the war, Germany transferred the areas of Eupen and Malmedy to Belgium.

In 1939-1945. Belgium was again occupied by the German army during World War II.

In 1944-48. The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg united in the Benelux customs union, and in 1958 they created an economic union.

In 1960-1990 tensions between the Flemings and the Francophones (the French-speaking population) escalated. In 1963, the "language barrier" between these population groups was legalized. In 1980, two autonomous regions were created: Flanders and Wallonia. Brussels has received a special status. In 1984, a German-speaking region was created in eastern Belgium.

Brief economic essay

Belgium is a highly developed industrial country with intensive agriculture. Coal mining. Ferrous metallurgy, mechanical engineering (automotive, electrical engineering, production of weapons equipment), chemical (plastics, synthetic fibers, rubber) and petrochemical, textile, and food industries are developed. Diamond cutting business, trade in diamonds. Main industry Agriculture- meat and dairy farming. Main crops: wheat, barley, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables. Export: industrial equipment, automobiles, chemical and pharmaceutical products, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, textiles, gem diamonds.

The monetary unit is the Belgian franc.

A Brief Outline of Culture

Art and architecture. Brussels. City Hall (from the bombing of 1695, only the three-story facade of the town hall, built in 1401-1455 by J. van Ruysbroek in the Gothic style, has survived); a kind of symbol of the city Mappekep K$ (fountain bronze statue of a little pissing boy, created in 1619 by Hieronymus Duxnoy the Elder); gothic church of st. Nicholas, which suffered from the bombardment of 1695 and was reconstructed in the 50s of the XX century; the building of the City Exchange, built in 1871-1873. in an exuberant neoclassical style; Brussels Opera House (built in 1819 in the classical style, the interiors designed by the architect Pöhler were completed only in 1856); the thirty-story tower of the Roger International Center (1960; it houses 85 companies employing 2,500 people, 2 theaters and underground parking for 2,000 cars); Gallery of St. Hubert (1847; the first glazed covered gallery in Europe, in which places were provided for shops, restaurants, cafes and theaters; The St. Hubert Gallery reaches a length of 213 m and consists of two large galleries - the Rhine and the Royal - and one small galleries of the Princes); Chapel of Our Lady (considered one of the oldest churches in the city; it began to be built back in early XIII century, the nave dates back to the 15th century, and the western tower has a Baroque finish. Inside, the remains of frescoes of the 15th century have been preserved. Many famous people are buried in the church, in the third chapel of the south aisle there is an epitaph to Pieter Brueghel the Elder, who was buried here in 1569); the Anspache fountain, 20 m high, named after the burgomaster of Brussels (1863-1879) Jules Anspache, the main initiator of the creation of internal boulevards; church of st. Jean of the Order of Beguines (1657-1676, architect L. Faidherb; three-nave cruciform basilica with a hexagonal tower behind the altar); Cathedral of Brussels dedicated to the patrons of the city of St. Michael and St. Gudule (their sculptural images can be seen on the Gothic gable of the western facade of the cathedral: “St.

Michael trampling the dragon" and in the bottom row: "St. Gudula between two saints. The construction of the temple began in 1220 from the choir, the completion of the work refers only to the 15th century. During the Reformation, the temple was badly damaged, then it suffered significant damage during the bombardment in 1695. It is believed that under Napoleon Bonaparte, the cathedral was partially restored, while the complex restoration continues to this day. The picturesque compositions in the south chapel belong to the Rubens school. Carved oak pulpit by sculptor X. Verbruggen (1699), Museums of Fine Arts, which now consist of two separate museums; The Museum of Ancient Art is not only the largest art museum in Belgium, but also the largest collection of paintings and drawings by the Old Netherlandish masters, Flemish painting and sculpture in Europe. The museum was founded in the 1830s, then there were 400 works in it); Royal Palace; Brussels Park (the hunting ground of the counts of Brabant, known from documents from the 14th century. The modern park was designed in 1776-1780 by B. Guimard on the model of the park of Versailles); The Palace of Nations was built in 1779-1783. by Guimard. It now houses the Senate and several ministries); Royal School of Music (built in 1876-1877. It houses the Museum of Instruments of the Royal Conservatory. In a small room, more than 500 exhibits are exhibited, among which you can find ancient instruments such as the viola da gamba, a miniviola designed to be carried in the pocket of a street A whole hall is dedicated to the inventor of the saxophone, the Belgian Adolf Sax); Congress Column (45 m high, built in 1850-1859 in honor of the Congress of 1830. An eternal flame burns here in memory of soldiers who died in two world wars of the 20th century); Royal Museum of Art and History (the most interesting are the collections of antiquities, works of the Egyptian, ancient Greek and Roman periods, the section of decorative and applied arts: medieval and modern tapestries, lace, silver jewelry, porcelain, glass, furniture - and a collection of casts); museum "Autoworld" (exhibited various types of engines and models of cars); Mini-Europe Park (models of famous buildings of the countries of the European Community are collected. The park began to be created in 1987: at first, the art history commission selected the most architecturally interesting monuments, the most important from a religious point of view, the most significant for the historical and economic development of Europe, the most spectacular technological projects of the 20th century. ; then 55 masters of making models from eight European countries); Cathedral of Our Lady (built in 1854-1872 according to the project of the architect Pöhler). Lat-Verpen. City Hall (built in 1561-1565 according to the design of the Renaissance architect K. de Frindt and partially renovated in 1581); Cathedral of Our Lady (the largest Gothic church in Belgium: height 40 m, width 55 m and length 117 m; the construction of a huge semi-nave cathedral was carried out from 1352 to 1616 by many architects, among whom were G. and D. van Wagemaker, R. Keldermans, P. Appelmans. Here are a painting by P. P. Rubens: "The Hoisting of the Cross" (1610), the famous triptych "Descent from the Cross" (1612), "Assumption" (1625) and others. cathedrals began in 1217, but it was finally completed in 1452-1546) Liege Basilica of St. Martin, which was built in the XIII-XIV centuries, Museum and Academy of Fine Arts (among the works of modern sculpture and painting - the portrait of Napoleon by Ingres, which the emperor presented to the city) Ghent Cathedral of St. Bavo (for the first time the church on the site of the cathedral was mentioned in 942; only the eastern crypt.

The choir of the modern cathedral dates back to the 14th century; the chapels of the choir were added in the flamboyant Gothic style in the 16th century. The western tower with four octagonal turrets on the sides, designed by J. Stassins, was built in the Brabant Gothic style in the 15th century. The transept and nave, begun in the 13th-14th centuries, were completed only by 1539-1559. in flaming gothic style. Until the 16th century the cathedral was dedicated to St. John; the main shrine of the cathedral is a polyptych-altar by the brothers Gurbert and Jan van Eyck, made in 1432 for the family chapel in the crypt of the burgomaster Ghent I. Veidt and his wife I. Bollut. The altar is huge - 3.5 m high, 5 m wide, and includes 14 open images); church of st. Nicholas (an excellent example of Burgundian Gothic); the cannon, named Crazy Greta, because after the first shot it cracked. Bruges. Chapel of St. Basil of Caesarea, better known as the Chapel or the Basilica of St. Blood (built in 1139-1149 to house a reliquary with drops of Christ's blood taken from Jerusalem during the 1st crusade). Louvain. Catholic University.

The science. A. Vesalius (1514-64) - naturalist, founder of anatomy; S. Stevin (1548-1620) - the author of the most important works on hydrostatics, navigation, etc.; L. Dollo - paleontologist who discovered the law of irreversibility of evolution), 3. Gramm (1826-1901) - inventor of the dynamo; J. Lemaitre (1894-1966) - the creator of the model of the expanding universe.

- a small kingdom located in Western Europe, has a truly rather big history and is very popular with tourists from other countries. So what is her secret?

Belgium is divided into two historical parts. The first part is Flanders, speaks Dutch. Wallonia is the southern part, speaks French and the reasons for this division are rooted deep in European history. The main cities that are most in demand among tourists are Brussels, the capital of Belgium, Bruges and Antwerp.

The architecture is based on numerous medieval castles, monasteries, bell towers left over from the time of the Knights of the Round Table. But the strongest impression is made by the local towns with architecture typical of any medieval towns, clean streets, pavements and embankments. Almost in any of the Belgian cities there are old, medieval cathedrals, fortresses, guild buildings. This allows us to say that upon arrival in this wonderful country you will fully plunge into its history and get an unforgettable experience.

Belgium on the world map and on the map of Europe

Shown below interactive map Belgium in Russian from Google. You can move the map to the right and left, up and down with the mouse, and change the scale of the map with the "+" and "-" icons, which are located at the bottom right of the map, or with the mouse wheel. In order to find out where Belgium is located on the world map, zoom out the map even further in the same way.

In addition to a map with the names of objects, you can look at Belgium from a satellite if you click on the switch "Show satellite map» in the lower left corner of the map.

Map of Belgium with cities in Russian

Below is another map of Belgium. To see the map in full size, click on it and it will open in a new window. You can also print it out and take it with you on the go.

You have been presented with the most basic and detailed maps of Belgium, which you can always use to find the object of interest to you or for any other purpose. Happy travels!