ditures - dollar figure: $156 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.2% (FY98)
@Belarus:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly
for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to and
via Russia, and to the Baltics and Western Europe
______________________________________________________________________
BELGIUM
@Belgium:Introduction
Background: Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830
and was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. It has
prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically
advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions
between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the
French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to
constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition
and autonomy.
@Belgium:Geography
Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and
the Netherlands
Geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 30,510 sq km
land: 30,230 sq km
water: 280 sq km
Area - comparative: about the size of Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 1,385 km
border countries: France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km,
Netherlands 450 km
Coastline: 66 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: median line with neighbors
exclusive fishing zone: median line with neighbors (extends about 68
km from coast)
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
Terrain: flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills,
rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: North Sea 0 m
highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m
Natural resources: coal, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 21%
other: 34%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal
land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
Environment - current issues: the environment is exposed to intense
pressures from human activities: urbanization, dense transportation
network, industry, intense animal breeding and crop cultivation; air
and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries;
uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibili
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