1994)

Debt - external: $31.3 billion (1992 est.)

Economic aid:
donor: ODA, $808 million (1993)

Currency: 1 Belgian franc (BF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: Belgian francs (BF) per US$1 - 33.067 (January 1997),
30.962 (1996), 29.480 (1995), 33.456 (1994), 34.597 (1993), 32.150
(1992)

Fiscal year: calendar year

@Belgium:Communications

Telephones: 5.691 million (1992 est.)

Telephone system: highly developed, technologically advanced, and
completely automated domestic and international telephone and
telegraph facilities
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable
network; limited microwave radio relay network
international : 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat

Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 39, shortwave 0

Radios: 100,000 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 32 (1987 est.)

Televisions: 3,315,662 (1993 est.)

@Belgium:Transportation

Railways:
total: 3,396 km (2,363 km electrified; 2,563 km double track)
standard gauge : 3,396 km 1.435-m gauge (1995)

Highways:
total: 142,563 km
paved: 142,563 km (including 1,667 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1995 est.)

Waterways: 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use)

Pipelines: crude oil 161 km; petroleum products 1,167 km; natural gas
3,300 km

Ports and harbors: Antwerp (one of the world's busiest ports), Brugge,
Gent, Hasselt, Liege, Mons, Namur, Oostende, Zeebrugge

Merchant marine:
total: 25 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 102,363 GRT/152,951 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 7, chemical tanker 4, combination bulk 2,
liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker 10 (1996 est.)

Airports: 42 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total : 39
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m : 21 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (1996 est.)

Heliports: 1 (1996 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie

Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49 : 2,559,951 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: 2,122,673 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males : 63,005 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $4.6 billion (1995)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.7% (1995)

Transnational Issues

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