Those who are going to visit this small country in Western Europe will not hurt to find out interesting facts about Belgium.
This will help you familiarize yourself in advance with the chosen place to relax and feel the atmosphere prevailing here.
Geographical position
What is Belgium on the map? This is a small piece of coast, indented by canals and sandwiched between Germany, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
It is in this territory that resembles a triangle, and Belgium is located. Interesting geographical facts about this country relate primarily to the landscape. Its diversity will amaze the imagination of any traveler. So, in the southeast is High Belgium. Here rise the mountain ranges of the Ardennes, cut by gorges and abysses. The height of this area above sea level is from 200 to 500 meters. The Ardennes Upland is also represented by a huge number of forests and hills. Due to its geographical features, High Belgium is practically uninhabited. Only here and there are still preserved peasant estates.
On the central plateau of the country is Central Belgium. It occupies territories near the valleys of rivers such as Sambra and Meuse. Here the landscape is represented by spacious fields and plantations of fertile trees.
Lower Belgium is a coastal plain that rises above sea level to a height of 100 m. It is located in the north-west of the country. Here, the traveler will see the sand dunes, amazing in their beauty, the height of which reaches 30 m. The strip of beaches, which stretches for 67 km, will delight vacationers. In the territory of Lower Belgium there are also lands located below sea level. They are extremely fertile and have long been used to produce a rich harvest.
An interesting fact is that Belgium belongs to the countries closest to the UK. You can get from London to Brussels on the Eurostar in just two hours. This is significantly less than from the capital of England to its northern territory.
Population
A small country with an area of only 305.19 square kilometers is Belgium. Interesting facts about a country with such a small territory, inferior to the Ryazan region of Russia, relate to the density of the population living here. This indicator is similar to those that exist in India, Japan, the Netherlands and England.
According to statistical studies, the number of inhabitants of the country has reached the figure of 10.5 million people. This is 321 times less than in the United States. However, in terms of population density, the country comes in eighth place in the world, being on the list between such American states as Ohio and Michigan.
Interesting facts about Belgium also apply to the field of population migration. Many wealthy Dutch and French move to this country for permanent residence. They even accept Belgian citizenship. All this is done in order to avoid the tax on wealth. At the same time, the French prefer to settle in Brussels, and the Dutch millionaires are prettier than Antwerp.
Interesting facts about Belgium can be found in the Guinness Book of Records. This country is home to the tallest man in Europe. This is Alain Delance. His height is 2 meters 30 centimeters. And one of the Brussels residents is the richest girl in the whole world. This is the only heiress and granddaughter of the famous Greek shipowner Onassis.
Languages
What else can bring the most interesting facts about Belgium? There are three official languages in the country. In the north, in Flanders, the population speaks Dutch. In Wallonia, located in the south, residents communicate in French. Only 0.6% of the Belgian population living in the eastern regions of the country speak German.
Brussels speaks three languages. Among them are French, English and Dutch. That is why many people in the country speak two or even three languages well.
Place in the global community
Due to its long neutrality and geographical location, Belgium has become the location of many international organizations. For example, there are meetings of members of the European Union and NATO.
Beer production and consumption
Interesting facts about Belgium relate to the attitude of its inhabitants to the intoxicated drink. The younger generation prefers beer with soda. Older people drink a drink after breakfast. Even monks are making beer in Belgium.
The traditions of preparing a foamy drink in this country date back to ancient times. The origins of brewing originate in 1100, that is, in those times when Belgium was not even a state. There are 10 interesting facts about this praised product.
About Belgium they say that it is in first place in terms of the number of beers produced per capita. So, in ten provinces of the country, a hoppy drink of 3043 varieties is brewed. This number includes 457 varieties produced in the province of Flemish Brabant, located in the northern part of the state. Here, beer was brewed at a time when the Catholic Church gave permission for its implementation in local monasteries. This made it possible to raise the necessary funds to support the cloister. Over time, the monks invented new methods for making a hop-drink and significantly increased the variety of its varieties.
At the beginning of the 20th century, there were about three thousand breweries in Belgium. To date, their number has decreased to 180.
The second interesting fact about the hop drink is its unusual variety, called the “lambic”. Its production was mastered in Belgium in the 14th century. This type is made by spontaneous fermentation. Unlike traditional methods, the drink is cooled outdoors. This is what allows natural yeast to get into the liquid. Lambic beer is produced in the Zenne river valley. Only here the air is saturated with some types of yeast, allowing you to create this amazing drink.
Only in Belgium, at the Taste M bar in Leuven, visitors can enjoy a beer cocktail. The owners of the institution use a whole list of hundreds of recipes for this drink. Moreover, each of the cocktails is able to emphasize a specific taste aspect of beer.
You can also find the longest bar in Europe in Leuven. This is the Old Market in the form of a stretching courtyard, inside which there are trading pavilions. More than forty of them are bars with private terraces. This retail space extends for almost half a kilometer.
For this, interesting facts about Belgium for tourists do not end there. On the outskirts of the city of Bruges, travelers will find a real beer pipeline. He pumps the intoxicated drink from the manufacturing plant to the spill site. The length of this beer line is three kilometers. Every minute, a hundred liters of a freshly brewed drink passes through its pipes.
Of interest to tourists is the production, located near the small town of Tildonk. Here is one of the most unusual breweries in the world. At first it was a barley farm. But over time, it gradually turned into an international production.
Unusual is a specialty dark beer, which was first brewed in the 17th century within the walls of a Trappist monastery. And today, among such varieties, it is considered the best in the world.
Very interesting facts about Belgium regarding addiction to the intoxicated drink can be found even in the Guinness Book of Records. So, according to the data provided by this publication, in the Brussels bar Delirium Cafe, you can taste 3162 beers.
Interesting facts about Belgium and the Belgians also relate to the godless use of the intoxicated drink. The country is in the eighteenth place in the world in the amount of beer that is consumed per capita. On average, every Belgian drinks 74 liters of this drink.
It is also interesting that for each beer in the bars of the country has its own specially designed glass. The appearance of each of them is very diverse. These are ordinary beer mugs, and elongated flasks, and special bowls.
Belgian chocolate
What other interesting facts about this amazing country can be given? The real “black gold” of Belgium is the chocolate produced here. It is produced in huge quantities, almost 220,000 tons per year. For each resident of the country this is approximately 22 kg.
Over 2,000 chocolate shops are open throughout the country. Travelers will also be pleased with numerous cafes, on the menu of which all dishes and drinks contain this sweetness. This is a cocoa bean soup, goose paste containing chocolate, and fish cooked in chocolate sauce. Even beer is served in unusual containers. Hops drink is poured into chocolate bottles.
With amazing and unusual fillings, sweets are produced in Belgium. It can be orange and thyme, olive oil and basil. Only in Belgium can you find exotic chocolate with salt. But foodies will appreciate sweets that taste like fish or onions, oysters or garlic. You can also taste chocolate pizza in this country .
Such a dish, no doubt, will appeal to little travelers. What else can surprise Belgium? Interesting facts for children and adults are covered by the Chocolate Museum located in Bruges. He offers his visitors:
- Get acquainted with the history of Belgian chocolate;
- visit the tasting rooms;
- look at the work of the pastry chef creating sweet masterpieces;
- independently create a chocolate product.
Belgian snacks
Residents of this Western European country are sure that they were the first to invent french fries. And that seems to be true. Practically in all settlements own fryers work.
What else can Belgium treat its guests to? Interesting facts for children and adults relate to nutrition. In this country, the McDonald's restaurants are negative. Their per capita is the smallest among all developed countries of the world. For 10,000 people, this is only 0.062, or 4 times less than in Japan, and 7 times less than in the United States.
Belgium is famous for bakeries. Customers are offered a variety of pastries, such as:
- bread with raisins and egg yolk;
- pies with various fillings;
- cakes;
- snacks from Wallonia;
- a variety of Belgian waffles.
Construction
There are many interesting facts about the country of Belgium. They relate to the construction industry. So, a very interesting and amazing construction is the Belgian system of freeways. This is the only artificial structure on Earth that can be observed at night from the moon due to the illumination of its highways.
But in the Belgian province of Hainaut, near the small town of Thieu, the largest elevator was built, allowing you to lift ships. Its height is 73.15 m.
The construction industry in Belgium was the first in Europe to master the construction of skyscrapers. The first such building appeared in 1928 in Antwerp.
Transport
It is also interesting that Belgium is in third place in the world in the number of cars per square kilometer. The country is second only to the Netherlands and Japan. But in terms of density of roads and railways, Belgium is put on the first place on the planet.
Tourists visiting the coast of the country can see an interesting attraction located between the Dutch and French borders. This is a tram line with a length of 68 km, which has no equal on Earth. Movement on it was opened in 1885.
Historical monuments
When teaching schoolchildren, a teacher can prepare a presentation "Interesting facts about Belgium" for grade 3. This will introduce the children to an amazing country located in Western Europe. It is noteworthy that on its territory there is a huge number of structures and historical monuments interesting in their architecture.
Each Belgian city has ancient castles or fortresses, cathedrals or buildings built in the Middle Ages. All these structures keep the memory of the wealth that distinguished Walloon counties and commercial Flanders.
Interesting facts about Belgium for Grade 3 should contain a story about Brussels. This is the political and cultural center of the state, as well as the entire European Community. Residents of the capital call its old part the "Pentagon", as it is surrounded by circular boulevards built on the site of ancient defensive structures. All excursions in Brussels begin with its largest square - Grand Place. Here you can admire the old town hall “Hotel de Ville” and its famous 15th century weather vane, depicting St. Michael, who defeats the dragon.
Sand castles
Traditionally, unusual festivals are held in Belgium. Participation in such events involves the creation of various sculptures and sand castles. Beach art attracts the attention of a large number of sculptors. Each of their creations is worth a huge expenditure of energy and strength. Carving, editing, sculpting plus the inspiration of the artist - and the audience is presented with fictional characters from films, as well as sculptures of various heroes and great people of our time. Only the awareness of the fragility of the created masterpieces casts a slight sadness on everyone.
North Venice
Numerous tourists are attracted to the capital of West Flanders - Bruges. This city is called Venice of the North, as its territory is cut up and down by many narrow channels.
Hospitable and sweet, romantic and welcoming Bruges is an unforgettable fairy tale for adults and children who visited it.