bourg
Economic Union;

commodities--iron and steel, transportation equipment,
tractors, diamonds, petroleum products;

partners--EC 74%, US 5%, Communist countries 2% (1989)

_#_Imports: $108 billion (c.i.f., 1989) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic
Union;

commodities--fuels, grains, chemicals, foodstuffs;

partners--EC 73%, US 4%, oil-exporting less developed countries 4%,
Communist countries 3% (1989)

_#_External debt: $28.8 billion (1990 est.)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 1.3% (1991 est.); accounts
for almost 30% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 17,325,000 kW capacity; 62,780 million kWh produced,
6,350 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: engineering and metal products, processed food and
beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum, coal

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 2% of GDP; emphasis on livestock
production--beef, veal, pork, milk; major crops are sugar beets, fresh
vegetables, fruits, grain, and tobacco; net importer of farm products

_#_Economic aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $5.8
billion

_#_Currency: Belgian franc (plural--francs); 1 Belgian franc (BF) =
100 centimes

_#_Exchange rates: Belgian francs (BF) per US$1--31.102 (January
1991), 33.418 (1990), 39.404 (1989), 36.768 (1988), 37.334 (1987), 44.672
(1986), 59.378 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications
_#_Railroads: Belgian National Railways (SNCB) operates 3,667 km
1.435-meter standard gauge, government owned; 2,563 km double track;
1,978 km electrified; 191 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned and
operated

_#_Highways: 103,396 km total; 1,317 km limited access, divided
autoroute; 11,717 km national highway; 1,362 km provincial road; about
38,000 km paved and 51,000 km unpaved rural roads

_#_Inland waterways: 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use)

_#_Ports: Antwerp, Brugge, Gent, Oostende, Zeebrugge

_#_Merchant marine: 69 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,785,066
GRT/2,927,618 DWT; includes 12 cargo, 6 roll-on/roll-off, 6 container, 7
petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 9 liquefied gas, 3
combination ore/oil, 9 chemical tanker, 11 bulk, 6 combination bulk

_#_Pipelines: refined products 1,167 km; crude 161 km; natural gas
3,300 km

_#_Civil air: 47 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 42 total, 42 usable; 24 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 14 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with
r