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3. Belgium (French Belgique; Dutch
België), constitutional monarchy in
northwestern Europe. Belgium is one of
the smallest and most densely
populated European countries. It is also
the most urbanized; 97 percent of its
people live in urban areas. Together
with Netherlands and Luxembourg,
Belgium forms the Low, or Benelux,
Countries. The country’s name comes
from the Belgae, a Celtic people who
lived in the region and were conquered
by Roman general Julius Caesar in 57
BC. Its capital and largest city is
Brussels.

4. Belgium is situated between France
and the plains of northern Europe, and
it borders the North Sea. Because of its
geographic position as a crossroads of
Europe, Belgium has been a major
commercial center since the Middle
Ages. The North Sea has been the
country’s outlet for trade with the rest
of the world. Belgium’s geographic
location has also given it strategic
importance, and many battles have
been fought for control of the area.
Belgium became an independent
country in 1830.

5. BASIC FACTS
Official name Kingdom of Belgium
Capital Brussels
Area 30,528 sq km
11,787 sq mi

6. Life expectancy
Total 78.9 years (2007 estimate)
Female 82.2 years (2007 estimate)
Male 75.8 years (2007 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 5 deaths per 1,000 live births
(2007 estimate)
Population per physician 239 people (2004)
Population per hospital bed 145 people (2002)
Literacy rate
Total 99 percent (1995)

7. PEOPLE
Population 10,392,226 (2007 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 0.12 percent (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 10,453,261 (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 9,882,599 (2007 estimate)
Population density 343 persons per sq km
(2007 estimate)
889 persons per sq mi
(2007 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 97 percent (2005
estimate)
Share rural 3 percent (2005
estimate)

8. Ethnic groups
Flemish 55 percent
Walloon 33 percent
Mixed or other 12 percent
Religious affiliations
Roman Catholic 81 percent
Protestant 1 percent
Muslims 4 percent
Nonreligious 6 percent
Other 8 percent
Languages
Dutch (official) 56 percent
French (official) 32 percent
German (official) 1 percent
Legally bilingual (divided
along ethnic lines)
11 percent

9. GOVERNMENT
Form of government Constitutional monarchy
Head of state King
Head of government Prime minister
Legislature Bicameral legislature
Chamber of Representatives:
150 deputies
Senate: 71 senators
Voting qualifications Universal and compulsory at
age 18
Constitution 7 February 1831; revised 14
July 1993, June 2001
Highest court Supreme Court of Justice
Armed forces Army, Navy, Air Force
Total number of military
personnel
36,900 (2004)
Military expenditures as a
share of gross domestic
product (GDP)
1.3 percent (2003)
First-level political divisions Ten provinces in three
federal regions

11. Executive power is vested in the king, who
appoints the prime minister, cabinet ministers,
and judges. The king is commander in chief of
the armed forces and, with the approval of
parliament, has the power to declare war and
conclude treaties. The rights of the king,
according to the constitution, include
convening and dissolving parliament,
conferring titles of nobility, and granting
pardons. All royal acts, however, must be
countersigned by a minister, who in turn
assumes responsibility for those acts before
parliament. Inasmuch as the ministers are
responsible to parliament, the king must
choose a cabinet that represents a majority in
parliament. Cabinets are generally multiparty
coalitions.

13. Under constitutional changes that took
effect with the parliamentary elections of
1995, both houses of the Belgian
parliament were reduced in size. The
Senate was scaled back from 184
members to 71, while the Chamber of
Representatives dropped from 212
members to 150. All members of the
Chamber of Representatives are directly
elected, while the Senate’s membership is
elected through a combination of direct
and indirect methods. All citizens more
than 18 years of age are required to vote
in parliamentary elections and may be
fined for not doing so.

15. The Belgian constitution provides for an
independent judiciary with powers equal to
those of the executive and legislative
departments. The highest tribunals are the
five courts of appeal, which sit at Antwerp,
Brussels, Ghent, Liège, and Mons; the five
labor courts; and the Supreme Court of
Justice. Cases are referred to the courts of
appeal by the courts of assize, which review
both civil and criminal matters. In the assize
courts 12 jurors decide all cases by majority
vote. A special court was established in 1989
to resolve constitutional conflicts arising from
the transfer of power from the central
government to regional authorities.

17. Belgium is divided into the three federal regions of Brussels (population, 2006 estimate,
1,024,492), Flanders (6,095,416), and Wallonia (3,421,985). These regions are further
subdivided into the ten provinces of Antwerpen, Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant, East
Flanders, Hainaut, Liège, Limbourg, Luxembourg, Namur, and West Flanders, and into nearly
600 communes (administrative districts).
Belgium has devised a two-tiered system of regional government to address political and
cultural differences. Each of the three federal regions elects its own council, which is
responsible for territorial matters such as planning, transportation, water, energy,
municipalities, and regional development. In 2001 the regions were given greater authority
over taxation and expenditure. There are also independent language councils for the Dutch-,
French-, and German-speaking communities. These councils are in charge of education, health
care, and communications (such as broadcasting) for the communities.
Each of the ten provinces has a council of 50 to 90 members who are chosen by direct vote.
The provinces are subdivided into administrative districts, often based in cities and towns,
called communes. Each commune is administered by a burgomaster appointed by the king.
The town council, directly elected to six-year terms, advises the king on this appointment. The
council elects an executive body called the board of aldermen. Local government on all levels
possesses a large degree of autonomy, a tradition that originated in feudal times.

20. Sri Lanka, in full, Democratic Socialist
Republic of Sri Lanka, island republic
in the Indian Ocean, lying off the
southeastern tip of the Indian
subcontinent. The Palk Strait and Gulf
of Mannār separate Sri Lanka from
India. The Arabian Sea lies to the
west, the Bay of Bengal to the
northeast, and the Indian Ocean to
the south. Colombo, situated on the
western coast, is the largest city and
the commercial capital of Sri Lanka.
The administrative capital is Sri
Jayawardenepura (Kotte), located
about 16 km (about 10 mi) east of
BASIC FACTS
Official name
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri
Lanka
Capital
Sri Jayawardenepura (legislative
capital)
Colombo (administrative capital)
Area 65,610 sq km
25,332 sq mi

21. PEOPLE
Population 20,926,315 (2007 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 0.98 percent (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 23,707,228 (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 24,920,558 (2007 estimate)
Population density 323 persons per sq km (2007
estimate)
837 persons per sq mi (2007
estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 21 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 79 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Colombo 642,163 (2001)
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 209,787 (2001)
Jaffna 145,600 (1997 estimate)
Sri Jayawardenepura 115,826 (2001)
Kandy 110,049 (2001)

22. The principal ethnic groups in Sri Lanka are the Sinhalese, who form the
majority, and the Tamils, who form the largest minority. These two groups
tend to be concentrated in different areas of the country, depending on
where they settled historically. Their different languages and religions are
additional sources of isolation and ethnic tensions, which have existed for
centuries. In 1983 these ethnic tensions escalated into a civil war between
the Sinhalese-dominated government and Tamil separatists, who
demanded that the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka be made
an independent Tamil nation.
The Sinhalese constitute more than 70 percent of the population. They
form an even greater majority in southwestern Sri Lanka, where their
population is concentrated. They are descended from people who began to
migrate to the island from northern India about 500 bc. They speak a
distinct language, Sinhala, and traditionally practice Buddhism.

23. Tamils made up about 18 percent of the
population at the 1991 census. Their
proportion of the population has since
declined, mostly as a result of
immigration to India. Tamils speak a
language called Tamil. They traditionally
practice Hinduism, although a small
percentage are Christians. Tamils
originally immigrated to Sri Lanka from
southern India. Those known as Sri
Lankan Tamils trace their origins to
ancient migrations, whereas the so-
called Indian Tamils came as migrant
workers during the 19th century.

25. The president of Sri Lanka is head of state,
chief executive, and commander in chief of
the armed forces. The president is directly
elected to a six-year term and may serve no
more than two terms. The president appoints
the prime minister and the cabinet of
ministers, all of whom must be members of
the legislature.
The president has wide-ranging powers. She
or he can dismiss the prime minister or any
other minister, dissolve Parliament and call for
new parliamentary elections, suspend the
sitting of Parliament for a limited period of
time, and submit to a national referendum any
bill that Parliament has rejected.

27. The legislature of Sri Lanka is a unicameral
(single-chamber) body called Parliament. It has
225 members; 196 members are directly
elected and 29 are appointed from national
party lists that are compiled according to which
parties won at least 5 percent of the vote.
Members serve six-year terms. No term limits
are imposed. Members are elected under a
modified system of proportional
representation. The prime minister is
traditionally the leader of the political party
that obtains a majority of seats in Parliament. If
no party gains a majority, a member of
Parliament who obtains the support of a
majority of members may be appointed prime
minister.

29. The judicial system of Sri Lanka includes a Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High
Court, magistrates courts, and primary courts. The Supreme Court is the highest
court. It is comprised of seven judges, including a chief justice. The president of
the republic appoints the justices of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.
No term limits are imposed for the justices.
Under the 1978 constitution, oversight of the judiciary is provided by a three-
member Judicial Commission, comprised of the chief justice of the Supreme
Court and two other judges. The commission is responsible for reviewing judicial
appointments (except those to the Supreme Court) and protecting the judiciary
from political interference.
The laws of Sri Lanka reflect diverse cultural influences. Criminal laws are based
primarily on British law. Civil laws are based on Roman-Dutch law. Marriage,
divorce, and inheritance laws are communal, based on Tesavalami (Tamil law),
Kandyan law (Sinhalese), and Islamic family law.

31. In an upsurge of ethnic violence in August 1983, Sinhalese mobs killed more than
300 Tamils and destroyed Tamil properties. More than 100,000 Tamils fled as
refugees to the southern Indian state of Tamil Nādu. The LTTE launched a
guerrilla war, violently attacking Sinhalese and Muslim civilians, as well as
government security forces in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. Government
forces responded with violent retribution.
The Indian government became involved in attempts to resolve the conflict.
India’s predominantly Tamil southern states provided bases and supplies for the
Sri Lankan Tamil guerrillas. By the terms of an agreement between the
governments of India and Sri Lanka in July 1987, an Indian peacekeeping force
replaced Sri Lankan troops in the Jaffna Peninsula. Other terms of the agreement
included the eventual formation of a Tamil autonomous region in the Northern
and Eastern provinces.

33. The JVP and SLFP vehemently opposed
the agreement as an abandonment of Sri
Lanka’s territorial integrity. Protesting
against the deployment of foreign troops
in Sri Lanka, the JVP launched a well-
orchestrated guerrilla insurgency to
destabilize the government. Despite
massive disruption by the JVP,
presidential elections were held in
December 1988. Ranasinghe Premadasa
of the UNP won the election by a narrow
margin. The government subsequently
crushed the JVP insurgency, capturing
most of its leadership.

35. The Indian intervention failed to bring peace, and all Indian troops
were withdrawn from Sri Lanka by April 1990. Several major
battles were fought between the Sri Lankan army and the LTTE in
1991 and 1992. In May 1993 President Premadasa was
assassinated during the annual May Day parade. The government
alleged the assassin was a member of LTTE, but the LTTE denied
the charge.
In November 1993 LTTE forces seized a government military base
in Pooneryn, near Jaffna. Several days later government forces
drove the rebel forces back and recovered the base. The fighting
was some of the worst between the Sri Lankan government and
Tamil guerrillas, with heavy casualties on both sides.