Population of Belgium: size, density, ethnic composition. The peoples of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg: a brief description The population of Belgium for the year is

The peoples of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg - three states located in northwestern Europe - have much in common in ethnic history and culture, although they belong to the language different groups Indo-European family - Germanic (Friesians, Dutch, Flemings, Luxembourgers) and Romanesque (Walloons). State borders in this part of Europe do not coincide with linguistic and ethnic ones. Thus, the Frisians live in the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark, the Flemings - in the Netherlands, Belgium and France, the Walloons - in Belgium and France. The official language in the Netherlands is Dutch (or Dutch); Belgium has two official languages: Flemish (close to Dutch) and French, as well as in Luxembourg - Luxembourgish (a dialect of German) and French.

The majority of the population of the Netherlands (total population in 1964 was 12 million 79 thousand people) are Dutch, inhabiting the northern, central and eastern regions of the country. Dutch belongs to the Low German subgroup of the Western group of Germanic languages. The Flemings living in the southern provinces of the Netherlands (North Brabant, Limburg) are very close to the Dutch in culture and language. They are gradually merging with the Dutch into a single nation, and only some specific features in the life of the rural population and partly religion (the majority of the Flemings are Catholics, while the bulk of the Dutch are Protestants) still distinguish them from the Dutch. In the north of the country, in the province of Friesland and on the West Frisian Islands adjacent to its coast (Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland, etc.), a small nation lives - the Frisians (over 300 thousand people, of which about 350 thousand people live in the Netherlands ). Frisian belongs to the Anglo-Frisian subgroup of West Germanic languages.

Heterogeneous National composition population and in Belgium. The total population of this country, according to 1963 data, is 9 million 270 thousand people. Northern Belgium (West and East Flanders, Antwerp and Limburg) is occupied by the Flemings (over 5 million people), who are closely related in origin and culture to the Flemings of the Netherlands. The Flemish language has a common grammar with the Dutch language and is only slightly different from it in vocabulary. The south of Belgium (provinces of Hainaut, Namur, Liege, Luxembourg) is inhabited by Walloons (about 4 million people), whose language is a dialect of French. Brabant is divided roughly in half by a linguistic border: the district of Nivelles is Walloon, Louvain is Flemish. The Brussels district with its mixed Walloon-Flemish population is allocated as a separate linguistic region. 15% of the country's total population lives here.

The people of Luxembourg must be regarded as a special people.

Geographical sketch

Belgium and the Netherlands are small states. The Netherlands covers an area of 34 thousand square meters. km.

Belgium - 30 thousand square meters. km.

Both countries are very densely populated: the average population density of the Netherlands is 350 people per 1 sq. km., Belgium - 305 people per 1 sq. km.

Most of the surface of the Netherlands and northern Belgium is flat. A significant part of the surface of the Netherlands is at the same level with the sea or even below it (country name " Nederland " means "lowland"). Almost along the entire northern coast of the Netherlands and Belgium there is a strip of sand dunes covered with heather and bushes. Dunes protect against the invasion of sea waves. Where there are no dunes, the shores are protected by massive dams and levees. But even these structures did not always save the country from catastrophic floods, especially frequent in the Middle Ages, when the sea often significantly changed the contours of the coast. So, in the 13th century. During one of the storms, the sea invaded deep into the Netherlands, forming the large sea bay of Zuiderzee from the freshwater Lake Flevo. In the same century, the Lauwersee and Dollart bays were created by the sea on the northern coast. In 1953, when dilapidated dams and dams, long in need of repair, failed to hold back the onslaught of the sea during a storm, it flooded vast densely populated areas west coast. The flood caused great damage to the country, with the death toll exceeding 1,800 people.

For a long time, the Dutch have not only been fighting against the incursions of the sea, but also have been striving to reconquer areas of land from it.

Along the entire coast, behind rows of dunes and dams, lie low-lying, heavily swampy plains - marshes. To drain them and remove the rainwater that accumulates here, numerous canals have been built and special pumps pump the water into canals and rivers, and through them it is discharged into the sea. From the 16th century are widely used to drive bilge pumps and windmills. An abundance of windmills of various designs, flat green plains, cut by a network of canals, sometimes located above ground level and enclosed in artificial banks, are characteristic features of the Dutch landscape. Currently, when most of Water pumping work is concentrated on powerful pumping stations; the remaining mills are carefully preserved and maintained in order to maintain the traditional landscape of Holland.

In the last two centuries, work has been undertaken in the Netherlands to drain large lakes - Haarlem and others. In the 20th century. Extensive work began to drain the Zuiderzee. In 1932, a thirty-kilometer dam was closed, separating the bay from the sea. Two large polders (drained areas of land) are now ready. When the work is completed, only a small lake will remain from the sea bay and five large polders will be formed, which will make up the twelfth province of the country.

The flat, lowland landscape of the Netherlands is disturbed only in the south of the country, in the province of Limburg, where there are small hills 150-200 m high. The hilly surface predominates in central Belgium, and in the south it is located mountain range Ardennes. There are low forested mountains with steep steep slopes. In the Ardennes, the climate is close to continental - with hot summers and cool winters, while everywhere else a mild, humid maritime climate prevails with an average annual temperature of +10°. Both the Netherlands and Belgium receive large amounts of precipitation, mainly in the form of long, drizzling rains. In the Netherlands, the number of clear cloudless days does not exceed 60-65 per year. A peculiarity of the climate of the Netherlands and the surrounding regions of Belgium is frequent and dense fogs. Both countries have many rivers and lakes. The Netherlands is located on the lower reaches of three major European rivers: the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt. The Meuse and Scheldt are the main rivers in Belgium. With many tributaries and artificial canals, they form a dense network of waterways. The mild, humid climate favors the growth of grasses, which creates good conditions for the development of livestock farming.

In the past, broad-leaved forests covered these countries, but now they are almost completely cut down. In Belgium, forests remain only in some parts of the Campina region and in the Ardennes. A significant part of the forests is already made up of artificial plantings.

The Netherlands and Belgium are not rich in mineral resources. Only coal deposits are significant: in Belgium there are two coal basins - northern (in Campina, in the north-east of the country) and southern (in the valleys of the Sambre and Meuse rivers); in the Netherlands - a coal basin in the province of Limburg. In addition, in Belgium there are small deposits of iron ore, marble, and building stone, and in the Netherlands, in the province of Drenth, there are minor oil reserves.

SKETCH OF ETHNIC HISTORY

The most ancient tribes in the Netherlands and Belgium, about which written sources tell us, were the Celts. Among them, the Belgae tribes were numerous here. Menapia are often mentioned in sources - in Brabant and along the banks of the Rhine, Morina - on the coast of Flanders, Nervia - in Gennegau, Brabant. Even before the mass migration of the Germans to Central and Western Europe, the Netherlands was also inhabited by Germanic tribes that came here from the east long before Caesar’s campaigns. The areas of settlement of the Celtic tribes were mainly the southern regions of the modern Netherlands and Belgium, while the Germanic tribes settled mainly to the north and east of them. Among these Germanic tribes, the most famous are the Frisians, who first occupied the coast of the North Sea between Lake Flevo and the Ems River, and in subsequent centuries spread further to the west - into the current provinces of North Holland, Gelderland, Utrecht up to Zeeland inclusive. Almost simultaneously with the Frisians, the Germanic tribe of the Batavians moved to Holland from the east, playing an important role in the enthogenesis of the Dutch people. The Batavians settled the islands formed by the mouths of the Rhine and Meuse, and the coastal strip between these rivers.

A noticeable mark on the ethnic history of the peoples of the Netherlands and Belgium was left by Roman rule over Gaul (1st century BC - 4th century AD). Its significance is especially great for those parts of the country that were included in the Roman Empire and underwent Romanization (southern Belgium). These areas, inhabited by the Celtic tribes of the Belgae, were part of the Roman province of Belgica.

The Roman conquerors built roads, bridges, and dams in the country. The first canals connecting rivers were dug by the Romans. At archaeological excavations Traces of Roman culture are found everywhere in Holland and Belgium.

The Roman conquest, however, brought with it heavy oppression for the population. Extortions and the forced introduction of Roman orders more than once caused uprisings, but they were brutally suppressed. The dominance of the Romans was limited by a strong influx of Germanic tribes in the 4th-5th centuries. n. e.

At the end of the 3rd century. For the first time in historical sources the Franks are mentioned. They settled in the northern regions of the Netherlands and Belgium, moving from the east, apparently under pressure from the Saxon tribes. The territory of the Netherlands was inhabited mainly by the Salic Franks, who united many tribes under their leadership, including the Batavians. During the IV-V centuries. they moved further and further to the west. Already in the 4th century. the Franks in the south reached the current border separating the Romance languages from the Germanic ones. In the east, their neighbors were the Saxon tribes who lived here all the way to the IJssel River.

The military resistance of the Romans became increasingly weaker. In the 5th century the last Roman legions were withdrawn from Gaul. On the site of the former Gallorim region, a Frankish state was formed, which later became one of the most powerful in Western Europe.

Under Charlemagne (768-814), the Frankish state, Christianized since the 5th century, waged a stubborn struggle with the Saxons and Frisians, who still retained the tribal system and pagan religion. From the legal monument of the ancient Frisians “Lex Frisionum” (IX century) it is clear that at that time the area inhabited by the Frisians was divided into three parts: western (northern regions of the current provinces of North and South Holland and Zeeland), central - main (modern province Friesland) and eastern (province of Groningen and adjacent parts of Germany). The Frisians had no unity; tribal groups were at enmity with each other. Charles I skillfully used this enmity to his advantage during the conquest of Friesland.

At the beginning of the 9th century. Charles conquered the Frisians and Saxons and forced them to accept Christianity. The Saxons were resettled en masse to the Frankish state, and their lands were distributed to the Franks. Friezes up to the 14th century. subordinated to local tribal leaders. Feudal relations never took hold here and there were the largest number of free peasants - small ploughmen (kennemers).

After the death of Charles I, the vast Frankish empire fell apart. By the Treaty of Verdun in 843, most of the lands forming the present Netherlands and Belgium became part of Lorraine, which was united with the East German state in 925. After Otto I of Germany conquered Italy and took the title of emperor, the Dutch lands became part of the Holy Roman Empire and only the southwestern regions between the Scheldt and the sea went to France. In the Middle Ages, on the territory of the modern Netherlands and Belgium there were many independent duchies, counties and free cities. The strengthening of the power of the counts and dukes was greatly facilitated by the raids of the Normans in the 9th-10th centuries. The counties independently organized defense against them and could oppose the central government with their military detachments.

The most economically developed counties were Flanders and Holland. Advantageous position their location at the crossroads of important trade routes favored the development of trade, the emergence and growth of cities (Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp, Liege). The flourishing of crafts, especially wool, and trade, as well as the need to fight against France, rallied the population of the Flemish regions. The formation of the Flemish people took place mainly on the basis of Frankish tribes with an admixture of Celts and Saxons. the main role in the composition of the Walloon people neighboring the Flemings, it belonged to the descendants of the Belgae, who underwent Romanization.

In the coastal areas of the Netherlands - Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht - shipping was developed, fishing. At the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries, after the movement of trade routes from south to north, seaside towns The Netherlands found themselves on the most important trade routes and developed a huge intermediary trade. In these provinces, the Dutch people began to take shape, which included the descendants of the Germanic tribes of the Franks, Saxons, Frisians and the remnants of the Celtic tribes.

In the 15th century a significant part of the lands of present-day Belgium and the Netherlands came under the rule of the Burgundian dukes, who marked the beginning of the unification of disparate regions. In the 15th century For the first time, the Estates General was convened - a meeting of representatives of the estates. Around the same time, a common name for all provinces appeared “ Nederland " The regions that made up the Dutch possessions of the Burgundian dukes were not ethnically united. The differences were especially great in the southern provinces, where Romance-speaking Walloons and German-speaking Flemings lived side by side. Since the time of Burgundian rule, bilingualism existed in the Dutch provinces, with the Flemish language being used more in business and trade circles, and French in the field of science and culture.

In 1477, all regions united under the general name “Netherlands” and including, in addition to the modern Netherlands, also Belgium and Northern France, came under the rule of the powerful Habsburg dynasty. Charles V (1519-1555) united Germany, Spain and the Netherlands under a single scepter.

At the end of the 15th century. The Netherlands was one of the most developed countries in Western Europe; The commercial and industrial cities of the Flemish provinces of Flanders and Brabant were especially rich. But by the end of the 15th century. The decline of the wool industry began due to the cessation of the import of English wool. From the 16th century In Flanders, new centers of wool production based on local raw materials began to develop. They arose mainly in rural areas. Unbound by guild restrictions and independent of English imports, the wool industry acquired increasingly capitalist forms. A new, capitalist mode of production began to take hold in northern Dutch cities. The struggle of the young emerging bourgeoisie with the feudal aristocracy was intertwined with the national liberation struggle of the commercial and industrial country with feudal Spain, which hampered the capitalist development of the Netherlands. This struggle took on a religious overtones, since the majority of the population of the Netherlands professed Calvinism, and Spain was a stronghold catholic church. The introduction of the Inquisition to punish Protestants, the robberies and arbitrariness of Spanish soldiers caused a general uprising (1568), which turned into an organized civil war. It was headed by one of the representatives of the Dutch nobility, Prince

William of Orange, later proclaimed stadthouder (viceroy). The long years of stubborn struggle between the Netherlands and Spain are one of the most brilliant, but also the bloodiest pages of their history.

In 1579, on the basis of the Utrecht Agreement, the northern Dutch provinces were united: Holland, Zeeland, Gelderland, Utrecht and Groningen, and a little later Overijssel and Friesland joined them. The southern provinces, exhausted by the long war that took place mainly on their land, did not join this union; it was dominated by the feudal nobility, to whom absolutist-feudal Spain was closer than the commercial and industrial bourgeoisie of the north of their own country. The overwhelming majority of the nobles remained adherents of the Catholic religion.

In 1581, the States General of the Northern Provinces proclaimed the creation of the Republic of the United Netherlands. In 1609, Spain was forced to recognize the independence of the United Provinces, and in 1648, a peace treaty with Spain finally legitimized the formation of an independent independent state in the Netherlands.

After the victory of the bourgeois revolution in the Netherlands, feudal barriers that hampered the development of trade and industry were eliminated, and economic development was facilitated.

The Dutch bourgeois revolution was of great importance for ethnic development peoples of the Netherlands and Belgium. The national liberation war against Spain awakened a sense of patriotism and the creation of a national community among residents of various provinces. Quite significant ethnic movements also occurred at this time. During the occupation of the southern provinces by Spanish troops, many Flemings, mainly merchants and industrialists, moved to the northern provinces, significantly increasing the urban population there. This increased the influence of the Flemings on the Dutch economy and culture, especially on the formation of the literary Dutch language.

After the Dutch revolution, the Flemish people found themselves divided between two states: some of the Flemings became part of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, while some, together with the Romanesque population of the former Netherlands - the Walloons - remained under the rule of Spain * From then on, the political history of the newly formed states - the Netherlands and Belgium - went in various ways.

In the Netherlands, the provinces of North and South Holland were especially industrially developed; 2/3 of the country's total population was concentrated in them. The Dutch bourgeoisie occupied a dominant position in the United Provinces. Therefore, starting from the middle of the 17th century. the concepts “Netherlands” and “Holland” often coincided.

Already in the XV-XVI centuries. Culturally, the Netherlands stood above many European countries. An outstanding representative of Dutch culture was the great humanist of the Middle Ages, Erasmus of Rotterdam, an expert on ancient literature, who in 1509 created his famous pamphlet “A Word of Praise for Stupidity.”

The most prominent representatives of Dutch art were the artists brothers Van Eyck-Hubert (died 1426) and Jan (died 1441). The Van Eyck brothers are the founders of the Dutch realistic school of painting. The remarkable artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder (born between 1525 and 1530, died in 1569) depicted in his paintings daily life people (“Blind”, “Peasant Wedding”, etc.).

At the end of the 16th century, following political disunity, the united Dutch art split into two branches - Dutch and Flemish. First half of the 17th century is considered the golden age in the development of Dutch national culture, primarily the visual arts. The deeply realistic Dutch school of painting had a strong influence on the subsequent development of world art. One of the first artists of the new movement was Frans Hals (about 1580-1666) and the greatest artist of that time, Rembrandt (1606-1669), followed by a whole galaxy of artists - portrait painters, genre painters, landscape painters - Adrian Ostade (1610-1685 .), Jan Stein (1626-1679) and others - brought unfading glory to Dutch art. The Flemish school of painting also became world famous, the most prominent representatives of which were Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) and his student Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641).

In the 17th century The Dutch literary language was formed and spread in almost all provinces, based on the dialects of the Dutch provinces, mainly Frankish in origin. By this time the Dutch had become the foremost nation in Europe. Industry developed in the country, science and art flourished. It was not for nothing that Russian Tsar Peter I went to Holland to study European sciences and navigation.

The most brilliant names among Dutch scientists of that time were biologists Jan Swammerdam (1637-1680), who was the first to study the life of insects, and Anton Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723), who improved the microscope.

After the revolution, religious tolerance was established in the Netherlands. Free-thinking people from many countries fled here from persecution. Thus, the outstanding materialist philosopher Benedict Spinoza (1632-1677) found refuge in Holland, where the learned lawyer and historian Hugo Grotius (1583-1645), who laid the foundation for the theory of international law, wrote his works.

The Dutch achieved great success in shipping. They enriched geographical map world with many discoveries. Henry Hudson (born about 1550 - died 1611) swam to the shores North America in 1609. The river he discovered there was subsequently named after him. Willem Barents (1550-1597) during voyages in search of the northern sea route China discovered the island of Spitsbergen and New Earth, William Janz in 1605 - Australia, and in the 1640s the island of Tasmania was discovered by Abel Tasman.

The sea voyages of the Dutch marked the beginning of the formation of the vast colonial possessions of the Netherlands.

In 1602, the Dutch East India Company was created, and in 1621, the West India Company, the Netherlands captured Indonesia, Suriname (Dutch Guinea) and the island of Curacao in America, lands in southern Africa and soon turned into the largest maritime, colonial and a trading power.

However, the leading position of the Netherlands in the economic and political life of Western Europe lasted only until the end of the 17th century. The reason for the rapid decline of Holland lies in the lopsided development of Dutch capitalism: intermediary trade and colonial robbery with lagging industry. In the struggle with England and France for economic dominance, the Dutch bourgeoisie was defeated and lost part of its colonies. An unsuccessful war with England (1780-1783) finally reduced the Netherlands to the place of a minor power.

By the end of the 19th century. in Holland there has been some revival of trade and industry. The development of the Dutch economy occurred through the merciless exploitation of the colonies. At the beginning of the 20th century. The foundations of a modern economy were laid in the country. Foreign (especially English) capital penetrated into the main industries, and production was further concentrated. Capitalist relations also invaded the countryside. The Netherlands was becoming a highly developed capitalist country.

In the continuation of the XVIII-XIX centuries. Along with the strengthening of economic and cultural ties between the provinces, further national consolidation of the Dutch took place. The ethnographic groups that had survived here since the Middle Ages gradually lost their uniqueness in everyday life and merged with the Dutch - the core of the Dutch nation. These ethnic processes were also facilitated by population movements within the country caused by extensive drainage work and the development of new areas. So, already in the 18th century. The eastern provinces of the country (Drenth, Overijssel), previously inhabited by descendants of the Saxons, became completely Dutch due to the settlement of vast wastelands and marshy areas by immigrants from the Dutch and Flemish provinces. The population of the northwestern regions of the country, previously inhabited by the Frisians and back in the 19th century, was also assimilated by the Dutch. known in literature as West Friesland. The Zeelanders (residents of the province of Zealand) completely merged with the Dutch, who currently retain only some unique features of material culture. Finally, the Flemings of the Netherlands, separated by political borders for more than three centuries from the Flemings of Belgium, related to them in language and origin, merge with the Dutch, who are very similar in language and culture, into a single nation.

Those who fell away from the Netherlands during the revolution southern provinces remained under Spanish rule. The country was completely ruined by the long struggle against Spanish absolutism that took place on its soil, and economically developed slowly. The old centers of European industry - Flanders and Brabant - gave way to others European countries, the dominant position in the state passed from the cities to the feudal nobility and the Catholic Church. After the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), Belgium came under the rule of Austria, depending on which it remained until the end of the 18th century, when it was conquered by France. After the defeat of France, by decision of the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Belgium was annexed to the Netherlands. However, such a union was met with discontent by the Belgian industrial bourgeoisie, whose interests did not coincide at all with the interests of the predominantly commercial bourgeoisie of the Netherlands. In 1830, an uprising against Dutch rule began in Brussels, which was joined by the entire population of the country. The National Congress, which met shortly afterwards, proclaimed the independence of Belgium.

In independent Belgium, industry, shipping, trade developed rapidly, and by the 20th century. it became a developed capitalist country.

During the period when Belgium was united with Holland, the Flemings occupied a dominant position in the country, and the Flemish language was the only state language. As a reaction against this, and also because the leadership of the revolution of 1830 was in the hands of the Walloons, immediately after gaining independence, the “Frankization” of all Belgian life began. French became the official language; the Flemish language was extremely constrained in its development, there were even few primary Flemish schools; The Walloon bourgeoisie treated Flemish culture with contempt. The response to this was the emergence in the 1840s of the Flemish movement, whose leaders aimed at the revival of Flemish culture and the struggle for equal rights for the Flemish language. Due to the small size and fragmentation of the Flemish working class, this movement, influenced by the Catholic Church, was imbued with the spirit of petty-bourgeois chauvinism. Its leaders initially managed to achieve some successes: independent literature in the Flemish language began to develop, a department of Flemish language and literature was opened at the University of Ghent, and, finally, the Flemish language became the second state language of Belgium.

In the 20th century During the first and especially the second world war, German agents tried to use this movement for their own purposes, as Germany sought to “reunite” the Flemish part of Belgium with its country. Already in the 30s, some figures in the Flemish movement were pro-fascist. At present, the Flemish movement reflects the interests of the Flemish bourgeoisie. The leading role in it still belongs to the Catholic Church. In recent years, the economic situation of the more developed part of Belgium - Wallonia - has sharply deteriorated. The main branch of its industry - coal - is experiencing a severe crisis, the mines are closing. The Belgian imperialists prefer to direct their capital to Flanders, where enterprises are located closer to seaports and workers are less organized and united. The strike struggle of the Walloon working class intensified, and in 1961 the Walloon national movement arose. Supporters of this movement are demanding the introduction of a federal government system in Belgium, a number of reforms, primarily the nationalization of key sectors of the economy. This movement is actively supported by the Belgian communists. The national question in Belgium is increasingly connected with the labor movement. The demand for federation is opposed by Belgian capitalists, who deliberately incite national discord between the Flemings and Walloons. Their influence is stronger among the Flemish population, which bourgeois propaganda provokes to rebel against the Walloons. Thus, the existence within one unitary state of two peoples different in language and origin still clearly affects both the political and cultural life of the country.

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Geographical location, general information

Belgium is located in northwestern Europe. It is bordered in the northeast by the Netherlands, in the east by Germany, in the south by Luxembourg, and in the west by France. In the north, Belgium is washed by the North Sea of the Atlantic Ocean. The territory of Belgium can be divided into three regions. Low Belgium, located in the north of the country, consists mainly of flat, marshy lowlands with characteristic sandy soils and loam. Central Belgium is a hilly plateau reaching an altitude of 200 m above sea level (Brabant Upland). Haute Belgium includes the heavily weathered Paleozoic Ardennes massif, whose characteristic uplands are intersected by numerous river valleys. Coastline North Sea is weakly expressed - the coast consists of flat sandy beaches. A wide strip of sand dunes stretching along the coast protects areas located below sea level - the so-called Belgian polders - from flooding. The area of Belgium is 30519 square meters. km. The capital is the city of Brussels. The most high point Belgium - Botrange (694 m) - located in the Ardennes. The main rivers of the country are the Scheldt and the Meuse, originating in France. The country has large reserves of mineral resources, such as coal, diamonds, granite, lime, clay, sandstone, marble and quartz sands.

The Kingdom of Belgium is a federal state, a constitutional parliamentary monarchy. The head of state is the king, his power is limited by the constitution. Legislative power is exercised jointly by the king and a bicameral parliament consisting of the House of Representatives (150 deputies) and the Senate (71 senators and Crown Prince Philip, Duke of Brabant, who is a “senator in right”). There are three major political parties in the country: the Social Christian Party and the Christian People's Party, forming the Democratic Christian Movement, the Socialist Party (Francophone and Flemish) and the Liberal Movement, consisting of the Flemish Liberals and Democrats and the Reform Liberal Party.

Belgium has a great influence on the life of Europe: NATO headquarters are located in Brussels and the EU Parliament meets. Belgium is a member of the UN and all specialized agencies of this organization, NATO, EU, CFE.

Administrative division

The country is divided into 9 provinces: Antwerp, Brabant, East Flanders, West Flanders, Hainaut, Liege, Limbourg, Namur and Luxembourg, 43 districts and 596 communes. The names of the provinces have been preserved since the Middle Ages and correspond to the names of the ancient fiefs that became part of Belgium. Each province is governed by a governor, who is appointed and recalled by the king on the proposal of the government and reports to the minister of the interior. The governor controls the activities of all administrative bodies in the territory of a given province, including the provincial council, elected simultaneously with parliament, and city burgomasters.

Population size and reproduction

Belgium is a densely populated, urban country, with a population of more than 10 million (104,14,336-06/01/2009) people. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The average population density is over 340 people per square meter. km - it ranks second in Europe after the Netherlands, not counting microstates. Central Belgium is especially populated: the valley of the Sambre and Meuse rivers, the Antwerp-Brussels-Charleroi strip and the area between the cities of Antwerp-Ghent-Brussels. The main industrial, trade and transport life of the country is concentrated here. The population density in such urbanized and industrial areas exceeds 700-1000 people per 1 sq. km. In rural areas the density is slightly lower. Over 1 million foreigners live in Belgium. Mostly Italians and Moroccans come, and to a lesser extent the French, Dutch, Spaniards and Germans.

Belgians living in border areas sometimes find work in neighboring countries, where about 50 thousand Belgians work. There is a particularly large flow of workers from Campina to the Netherlands and from South Flanders to France.

Age structure of the population of Belgium

0-14 years: 16.1% (boys 892,995, girls 857,373);

15-64 years old: 66.3% (men 3,480,072, women 3,419,721);

65 years and older: 17.6% (men 760,390, women 1,047,447).

Average age

Overall: 50.0 years

Male: 39.6 years

Female: 42.1 years (2009 figures)

Population growth

The population grew by 0.7% from 2007 to 2008.

The birth rate in Belgium is 11.7 births per 1,000 inhabitants.

There are 9.5 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants.

Natural population growth in 2008 was 2.2% (23,392 people).

Net migration in Belgium is 1.22 migrants per 1,000 inhabitants (based on 2008 data)

Sex ratio

At birth: 1.04 male/female

Up to 15 years: 1.04 male/female

15-64 years old: 1.02 male/female

65 years and over: 0.71 male/female

Ratio of total population: 0.96 male/female (as of 2009)

Infant mortality rates

Overall: 4.62 deaths/1,000 births

Male: 5.2 deaths/1,000 births

Female: 4.01 deaths/1,000 births (2006 data)

average life expectancy

Overall: 79.22 years

Male: 76.06 years

Female: 82.53 years (as of 2009)

Total Fertility Rate

On average, Belgian women have 1.64 children according to 2006 data. The same figure for 1994 was estimated at 1.50 children. It follows from this that Belgium belongs to countries with the first type of reproduction, which is characterized by low birth and death rates and, accordingly, low natural increase.

Urbanization

Almost the entire population of Belgium is urban - 97% in 2004. In Belgium there are 5 large urban agglomerations with a population of over 500 thousand people: Brussels (capital), Antwerp, Liege, Ghent and Charleroi. Almost a third of the country’s population lives in them: Brussels – 1018 thousand people, Antwerp – 466 thousand people. and others. Brussels has a population of 1,018,804 people (population density 6,312 people/sq.km) in 19 metropolitan district municipalities, two of which have more than 100,000 inhabitants. The highest population density in the country is observed in the area bounded by the cities of Brussels-Antwerp-Ghent-Leuven (the so-called “Flemish diamond”, Dutch Vlaamse ruit). The lowest population density is in the Ardennes Mountains (Luxembourg province).

Education and employment

Since 1988, the field of education has been within the competence of the constituent communities of the Belgian Federation. Education until the age of 18 in Belgium is compulsory and free. There are 7 academies and 8 universities.

Higher education in Belgium has old traditions: the first higher education institution, the Catholic University of Louvain, was created in 1425 on the initiative of Pope Martin V and on the instructions of the Duke of Brabant, Jean IV. In 1517, Erasmus of Rotterdam also founded the School of Three Languages (Hebrew, Latin, Greek) in Louvain, on the model of which the French College in Paris was created. Today in Belgium, with a population of about 10 million people, there are almost 180 universities, where 280 thousand people study.

Since 1970, the country's constitution has enshrined the existence of four linguistic regions: French-speaking Wallonia, Dutch-speaking Flanders, bilingual Brussels and the German-speaking region in East Wallonia on the border with Germany. From now on Federal Ministry Education only exercises control over compulsory secondary education and determines the conditions for issuing diplomas and certificates of education at all levels. All other educational issues fall within the competence of language communities. Thus, higher education matters are the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Public Service of the Flemish Community, the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, International Relations and Sports of the French Community and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Scientific Research and Monuments and Sites of the German-Speaking Community.

Some of the country’s universities are state, or “official” educational institutions, the financing of whose activities is included in the budgets of the governments of the above-mentioned communities. The rest were founded by individuals and organizations and were called "independent" or "free". Many of them were created under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church, which traditionally plays a large role in organizing and financing education at all levels, including higher education, in Belgium. Some independent educational institutions, particularly Catholic universities, receive financial support from community governments.

In accordance with the law of July 7, 1970, universities are divided into university-type educational institutions and higher schools. There are 7 actual Belgian universities: Liege State University, Mons-Hainaut University, Ghent State University, Free Brussels (French-speaking and separately Flemish), Louvain Catholic (French-speaking and separately Flemish). Along with them, there are branches of several foreign universities (in Brussels and Antwerp), as well as a number of Belgian universities equated to universities (usually they are called university faculties, centers, associations or foundations). The Royal Military School is also a university institution. Having a university diploma in accordance with current legislation is necessary to occupy certain government positions and obtain permission to work in professions of public importance (lawyer, doctor, etc.). The features of the sectoral structure of the Belgian economy are quite clearly reflected in the contribution of sectors to GDP (2001): agriculture - 1%, industry - 24%, services - 74%. A similar picture emerges when analyzing employment - 2.25, 73%, respectively.

The most difficult problems of the Belgian economy are related to employment (the total number of workers was 4.44 million people in 2001); in terms of unemployment, the country constantly ranks 1-2" in the EU (in 1999 - 11.7%, in 2000 - 10 .9%, in 2001 - 10.6% and only in 2002 some progress was achieved - 7.2%).The main reason for this phenomenon is related to the structural weakness of the national economy ("old-fashioned specialization").

Ethnic and religious composition of the population

The two main groups that make up the country's population are the Flemish (about 58% of the population, 6 million people) and the Walloons (about 31% of the population, 3,400 million people). 11% are representatives of other nationalities. The Flemings live in the five northern provinces of Belgium (see Flanders) and speak the Dutch language and its many dialects (see Flemish). The Walloons live in the five southern provinces that make up Wallonia and speak French, Walloon and several other languages. The fragmentation index value (F) is 0.50. [A. Lijphart, "Democracy in Multiple Societies"]

After independence, Belgium was a French-oriented state, and the only official language at first was French, although the Flemings always formed the majority of the population. Even in Flanders, French remained for a long time the only language of secondary and higher education. After the First World War, a movement arose in Belgium for the emancipation of the Dutch-speaking population. The result was the so-called “language struggle” (Dutch taalstrijd). The struggle began to bear fruit by the sixties of the 20th century. In 1963, a package of laws was adopted regulating the use of languages in official situations. In 1967, an official translation of the Belgian constitution into Dutch was created for the first time. By 1980, both main languages of the country were effectively equal in rights. Since 1993, Belgium has been divided into federal districts. The only official language in the Flemish District is Dutch.

Despite the progress achieved, language problems still lead to escalating tensions between the two main groups of the country's population. Thus, in 2005, the problem of dividing the bilingual electoral district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde almost led to the resignation of the government and a political crisis.

The most important national minority in Belgium is the Germans. Their number is approximately 73,000 people. Places of compact residence of Germans (in the east of Wallonia) are part of the German-speaking community, which has greater autonomy, especially in matters of culture.

The largest national minorities are Italians (171,918), French (125,061), Dutch (116,970), Spanish (42,765), Germans (37,621), Turks (39); people from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly the Belgian Congo), Morocco (80,579), Algeria and others Arab countries. At the moment, just over 100,000 people from the former Soviet Union live in Belgium. The most numerous diasporas are Chechens, Armenians, and Georgians. At the beginning of 2007, the population of Belgium included 92% of Belgian citizens and 6% of citizens of other EU countries. Overall, the proportion of Belgian residents of non-European origin is approximately 4%.

According to various sources, between 150 and 200 thousand migrants from Turkey live in Belgium, including both ethnic Turks and members of the Kurdish minority. Clashes and conflicts arise from time to time between representatives of the two ethnic communities. Religious composition of the population

The majority of believers (about 70% of the population) are Catholics. Islam (250 thousand people), Protestantism (about 70 thousand), Judaism (35 thousand), Anglicanism (40 thousand), Orthodoxy (20 thousand) are also officially recognized.

Walloon-Flemish question

The most striking example of a bilingual country in foreign Europe is Belgium, where interethnic relations have become a complex problem almost since the formation of this independent state in 1830. The national emblem of Belgium bears the motto: “There is strength in unity.” But such unity has not been achieved for many decades. The fact is that Belgium is a binational and bilingual country, inhabited mainly by Flemings and Walloons; in addition, a small part of the population in the east of the country speaks German. The Flemings live in the north of the country, in Flanders. Their language is very close to that spoken in the neighboring Netherlands. The Walloons live in the southern half of the country, in Wallonia, and their native language is French. But Belgium has long had linguistic inequalities that reflect differences in the socio-economic development of its two parts.

During the 19th and first half of the 20th century. Wallonia was the economic core of the country. Here coal was mined, metal was smelted, trade and crafts flourished, the bourgeoisie grew rich and multiplied, and the aristocracy and bureaucracy concentrated. Walloon was considered not only the state language, but also the literary language, in which such world-famous writers and poets as Charles de Coster, Maurice Maeterlinck, and Emile Verhaerne wrote. Flanders served as an agricultural appendage to the rapidly developing industrial south. Its population was subjected to cultural and national discrimination. Suffice it to say that the Flemish language was recognized as the second official language only in 1898. But after the Second World War, both parts of the country seemed to change roles. In Wallonia, where mainly coal, metallurgical and other old industries were represented, an economic decline began, affecting Liege and other big cities. At the same time, Flanders' potential has grown significantly, mainly through the development of new and innovative industries. The importance of Antwerp, Ghent and other cities also increased. It can be added that, thanks to the higher birth rate, Flanders increased its superiority over Wallonia in the country's population. Now 58% of all residents live in it, while in Wallonia - 33%; the rest is mainly in the Brussels metropolitan area, which is part of the province of Brabant. All this again sharply aggravated the contradictions between the Walloons and the Flemings.

To overcome the crisis, it was decided to make a transition to a federal government system, which was carried out in several stages and ended in early 1993, when the Belgian parliament approved the constitutional reform. From now on, the central (federal) government retains powers in the field of external relations, defense, security, financial and monetary policy, while all issues of economics, scientific research, environmental protection, education, culture, health, sports and tourism came under the jurisdiction of Flanders and Wallonia. At the same time, Flemish became the official language in Flanders, and French in Wallonia. As for trade, services, transport, etc., there is no regulation here, and you can use both languages. A special status has been introduced for the Brussels region, where 80% of the population speaks French and 20% speaks Flemish. In order not to infringe on the rights of the Flemish minority, bilingualism is guaranteed in all institutions. Street names, road signs, and signs are made in two languages. They are also used in trade and consumer services. In addition, in the east of the country there is a small area with a German-speaking population, which also enjoys equal rights with the Flemings and Francophones (as French speakers are called here).

With the creation of a two-part federation in Belgium instead of the previous unitary state, a basis arose for the normalization of relations between the Flemings and Francophones.

But this did not solve all the problems of this long-standing ethnic conflict. Among his " bottlenecks"The Flemish position regarding Brussels and the Francophone position regarding the area around Brussels (the so-called borderland) and the linguistic border between the two parts of the federation still apply. Some Flemish politicians still insist on self-determination or at least a transition from federation to confederation In 2008, this conflict again escalated so much that it threatened to divide Belgium into three parts.

Population of Belgium in 1995 it was 10,081,880 people (1995). The average population density is about 330 people per km2. The main ethnic groups are Flemings (55% of general population) and Walloons (33%), Germans and French also live in the country. There are three official languages in Belgium: Dutch or Flemish (spoken by about 60% of the country's population), French (32%) and German. The main religion is Catholic (75%), Protestantism, Islam, Judaism and Orthodoxy are also common. The birth rate in 1995 was 11.5 newborns per 1,000 people, the mortality rate was 10 deaths per 1,000 people (the infant mortality rate was 7 deaths per 1,000 newborns). Average life expectancy: men - 74 years, women - 81 years. The working population is 4,126,000 people, of which 64% are employed in the service sector, 28% in industry, 6% in construction, agriculture- about 2%.

The two main groups that make up the country's population are the Flemings (about 60% of the population) and the Walloons (about 40% of the population). The Flemings live in the five northern provinces of Belgium (see Flanders) and speak the Dutch language and its many dialects (see Flemish). The Walloons live in the five southern provinces that make up Wallonia and speak French, Walloon and several other languages.

After the First World War, a movement arose in Belgium for the emancipation of the Dutch-speaking population. The result was the so-called “language struggle” (Dutch taalstrijd). The struggle began to bear fruit by the sixties of the 20th century. In 1963, a package of laws was adopted regulating the use of languages in official situations. In 1967, an official translation of the Belgian constitution into Dutch was created for the first time. By 1980, both main languages of the country were effectively equal in rights. Since 1993, Belgium has been divided into federal districts. The only official language in the Flemish District is Dutch.

The Walloons are a people in Belgium inhabiting the southern provinces of the country. The population is about 3.9 million people. There are also Walloon communities in France and the USA. The total number of Walloons in the world is 4.1 million people (data given for 1992). They speak French and Walloon. Believers belong to the Catholic denomination.

The Flemings are a people of the Germanic linguistic group, the indigenous population of Belgium, along with the French-speaking Walloons. The total population is 7 million 230 thousand. They inhabit the northern part of Belgium - Flanders (5 million people), 250 thousand live in the north of France (French Flanders), 1 million 720 thousand - in the south of the Netherlands (Zeeland Flanders. Language -- Dutch. 79% of the faithful are Catholics. However, many Flemings continued to feel like second-class citizens in their country, where they not only outnumbered, but in the post-war period achieved a higher level of prosperity compared to the Walloons. Antagonism between the two communities intensified , and in 1971, 1980 - 1993 the constitution was amended to give each of them greater cultural and political autonomy.

Ethnically, the Flemings are descendants of the Franks, Saxons and Frisians. How the ethnic group was formed in the 15th - 16th centuries. In the Middle Ages, the territory of modern Belgium was divided into scattered principalities: Flanders, Hainaut (Geneau), Brabant, Namur, Limbourg, Luxembourg, Cambrai, Tournai, and the bishopric of Liege. They were partly subordinate to France, partly to Germany.

The ethnic composition in Belgium is divided into: 58% Flemings, 31% Walloons and 11% mixed and other ethnic groups.

Languages

Belgium has three official languages. French is spoken in the southern part of the country, in the provinces of Hainaut, Namur, Liege and Luxembourg, and the Flemish version of the Dutch language is spoken in West and East Flanders, Antwerp and Limburg. The central province of Brabant, with the capital Brussels, is bilingual and is divided into northern Flemish and southern French parts. The French-speaking areas of the country are united under the general name of the Walloon region, and the north of the country, where the Flemish language predominates, is usually called the Flanders region. There are approx. people living in Flanders. 58% Belgians, in Wallonia - 33%, in Brussels - 9% and in the distribution area German language, which went to Belgium after the First World War, less than 1%.

After the country gained independence, friction constantly arose between the Flemings and Walloons, which complicated the social and political life of the country. As a result of the revolution of 1830, the task of which was the separation of Belgium from the Netherlands, French became state-owned. In the following decades, Belgian culture was dominated by France. Francophonie strengthened the social and economic role of the Walloons, and this led to a new rise of nationalism among the Flemings, who demanded equal status of their language with French. This goal was achieved only in the 1930s after the adoption of a series of laws that gave the status of the state language to the Dutch language, which began to be used in administrative matters, legal proceedings and teaching.

In 1973, the Flemish Cultural Council decided that the Flemish language should be officially called Dutch rather than Flemish.

Religion

The Belgian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion.

The majority of believers (about 75% of the population) are Catholics. The following religions are also officially recognized: Islam (250 thousand people) and Protestantism (about 70 thousand). In addition, about 35 thousand people are adherents of Judaism, 40 thousand are Anglican, and 20 thousand are Orthodox. The church is separated from the state.

Population of Belgium: size, density, ethnic composition. The peoples of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg: a brief description The population of Belgium for the year is

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