1. Its official name is the “Kingdom of Belgium” and King Philippe of Belgium is the current monarch.
2. Belgium became an independent country in 1830.
3. The Belgian national symbol is a peeing boy, Manneken Pis of Brussels.
4. Belgium has world’s best chocolate.
5. Belgium can function without a government for 589 days and people find it acceptable.
6. Belgium has three official languages and none of them is called Belgian. People speak Dutch, French, and German in different parts of the country.
7. You can find more than 30 types of different waffles and 10 types of potatoes in an average Belgian supermarket.
8. Belgium’s highways are lit at night.
9. Belgians are pretty open and will talk about pretty much anything, except money.
10. The ultimate Belgian dream is to retire at 50 and run a B&B in the South of Europe.
11. Napoleon was defeated in Waterloo, a city south of Brussels.
12. Brussels has the highest number of diplomats and foreign press correspondents in the world.
13. The largest agricultural, forestry and agri-food fair in Europe, the Foire de Libramont, is held in Belgium.
14. Belgium has some of the highest income and social contribution tax rates in the world.
15. Three famous Belgian comics are Tintin, The Smurfs and Lucky Luke.
16. Television was introduced in Belgium in 1953 with two channels, one in Dutch and one in French.
17. The North Sea is the lowest point in Belgium.
18. The first Belgian car was built in 1894, it was called the Vincke. The brand Vincke stopped existing in 1904.
19. Belgium has the lowest salary gap between man and women in the EU.
20. The 80% of billiard players use the Aramith pool balls made in Belgium.
21. Tomorrowland is the world’s largest Electronic Dance Music festival and Belgium is a real festival country.
22. The small Belgium is the sixth largest importer of coffee with 4.3 million bags/year.
23. Belgium produces over 220,000 tonnes of chocolate each year.
24. Belgium is one of the few countries in the world with compulsory voting.
25. Brussels sprouts have been grown in Belgium for over 400 years.
26. Belgium has more comic book makers per square kilometer than any other country in the world.
27. Belgium has the highest density of art collectors of any country.
28. The city of Brussels was founded in the 13th century.
29. The Belgian city of Spa had the first casino in Europe.
30. Belgians make carpets from flowers and they are really good at it. Don’t miss the 2016 Brussels flower carpet in August!
31. Some of the world’s most famous painters are Belgian: Rubens, Ensor, Magritte, Delvaux, van Eyck… to name just a few.
32. The world's biggest chocolate selling point is Brussels National Airport.
33. Belgium has the smallest gap in pay equality throughout the European Union at a rate of 8.6%.
34. Belgium was the scene of Napoleon’s final defeat, at Waterloo, south of Brussels.
35. Some of the breweries in Belgium are operated by monks, who create a unique style known as Trappist beer.
36. The Euro got its name and symbol thanks to the Belgian people.
37. Belgium was the 6th country to ever host the Olympics in Antwerp during 1920.
38. The first lottery in history was organized in Belgium as a means to raise income for the poor.
39. Durbury in Belgium is the smallest town in the world.
40. Belgium has the highest density of art collectors of any country.
41. Europe's first skyscraper ("Torengebouw") was built in Antwerp in 1928.
42. Belgium became the first European city to receive a charter of rights, making it the oldest free city on the continent.
43. Belgian physicist and mathematician Ingrid Daubechies (1954-) developed the mathematical model used by the FBI to stock fingerprints.
44. The Belgian divorce rate is the highest in Western Europe – only Latvia and Lithuania surpass its 58 percent rate.
45. Belgium's population is highly educated – seventy percent of adults aged 25–64 possess the equivalent of a high school diploma, with men and women scoring equally.
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