Belgium

Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a state in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, as well as those of several other major international organizations such as NATO. Belgium covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres, and it has a population of about 10.8 million people. Belgium's two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region, officially bilingual, is a mostly French-speaking enclave within the Flemish Region. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the political history and a complex system of government. Belgium is a constitutional, popular monarchy and a parliamentary democracy.