Grand Place, Brussels © al / stock.adobe.com
Welkom in België! Bienvenue en Belgique!
Visit Belgium!
Belgium is a small country in the heart of Europe, located between the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France, and the North Sea / United Kingdom (80 km air-line distance).
In addition to the officially French- and Dutch-speaking Brussels-Capital Region (Région de Bruxelles-Capitale / Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest) in the center of the country, there are two other regions: Flanders (Vlaanderen) and Wallonia (Wallonie).
Each of these regions has five provinces: West-Vlaanderen, Oost-Vlaanderen, Antwerpen, Vlaams-Brabant, and Limburg in Flanders, as well as Hainaut, Namur, Brabant wallon, Liège, and Luxembourg in Wallonia.
Dutch-speaking (more specifically, Flemish-speaking) Flanders lies in the north, is flat, and rich in waterways. It is home to wonderful art cities like Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Leuven, and Mechelen. Flanders also includes Belgium’s North Sea coast with fine sandy beaches, dunes, and lively coastal towns.
The French-speaking Wallonia lies in the south, is mostly hilly to mountainous, and is traversed by river valleys. It is home not only to the historic industrial cities of Liège and Charleroi but also to picturesque towns such as Namur, Tournai, Dinant, Spa, and Bouillon. In the far east, there is a small German-speaking community with its capital Eupen.
Belgium is known for its historic cities and villages, scenic landscapes, culture, and art (from painting to comics to architecture), but above all for its culinary delights:
Fries (with dozens of different sauces), mussels, meatballs, sausages, ham, cheese, chocolate, pralines, Brussels and Liège waffles, speculoos, various baked goods and pastries, around 500 types of beer, and jenever. There are also numerous delicious dishes, depending on the region, especially featuring beef, chicken, fish, and seafood, often with Brussels sprouts and chicory (which originated in Belgium), and potatoes (served not only as fries but also as croquettes, mashed potatoes, etc.).
Belgium has an incredible amount to offer on its area of around 30,000 square kilometers. Visit Belgium .net wishes you a wonderful stay!
