ny 17.2%, France 11.4%, UK 6.8%, Ireland
6.5%, US 5.4% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$9.626 billion (August 2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.053 trillion (30 June 2006 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $1.072 billion (2002)

Currency (code):
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the
euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of
member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole
currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

Currency code:
EUR

Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 0.79669 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004),
0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Belgium

Telephones - main lines in use:
4.801 million (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
9.46 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: 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: country code - 32; submarine cables - 5; satellite
earth stations - 7 (Intelsat - 3) (2005)

Radio broadcast stations:
FM 79, AM 7, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
8.075 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
4.72 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.be

Internet hosts:
2,870,770 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
61 (2000)

Internet users:
5.1 million (2005)

Transportation Belgium

Airports:
43 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 25
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 7 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 16 (2006)

Heliports:
1 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 1,561 km; oil 158 km; refined products 535 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 3,521 km
standard gauge: 3,521 km 1.435-m gauge (2,927 km electrified) (2005)

Roadways:
total: 150,567 km
paved: 117,442 km (including 1,747 km of expressways)
unpaved: 33,125 km (2004)

Waterways:
2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2003)

Merchant marine:
total: 66 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,952,159 GRT/6,521,645 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 19, cargo 4, chemical