The Kingdom of Belgium, or Belgium for short. It is a small country located in Western Europe, the capital of Brussels, with a land area of 30,500 square kilometers and a population of 11.49 million.
1. The vast majority of Belgium are Flemish and Wallonians, accounting for 58% and 41% of the total population respectively, while the rest are a small number of Germans, Italians and other minorities.
2. The distance between the farthest ends of the country is only 280 kilometers, which is equivalent to the distance from Chongqing to Chengdu, so in the Belgian concept, driving more than an hour is very far away.
3. There is no Belgian language, the official languages are Dutch, French and German, the English penetration rate is also high, and many Belgians have mastered 3-4 languages.
4. Belgium is a developed industrial country, a founding member of the European Union and NATO, the economic volume ranks eighth in the European Union, and the diamond and chemical plastics industries rank first in the world and second in Europe, respectively.
5. The economy is highly dependent on foreign countries, 80% of raw materials rely on imports, and exports account for 90% of GDP. The main trading partners are, in order, the European Union, the United States, Japan and India.
6. Belgium was once a permanent neutral country, but at the beginning of the First World War, when Germany attacked France through Belgium, Belgium accepted the persuasion of France and Britain to block Germany with all its might, and the result was a big defeat, and permanent neutrality ended.
7. The French love to make jokes and ridicule the Belgians. There is a joke that the French throw stones to annoy the crocodile, the French turn and run, but the Belgian next to them does not move. The French shouted, the crocodile is coming, run! The Belgian said, I didn't throw stones.
Brussels is home to the headquarters of the European Union and NATO, as well as 2,500 other international organizations and 288 diplomatic missions, making it the second most international city (after New York).
9. Graffiti art is spread throughout many cities, and paintings on the outer walls of buildings can be seen everywhere, and some works have achieved the effect of fake and real, which makes people shoot cases.
10. Why was the EU headquarters chosen in Belgium? Because Belgium is a small country in the center of Europe, most like a "neutral place" between the major powers, no one will have an opinion on setting up its headquarters here.
11. Belgium has 3,000 flavors of chocolate and is known as the "Kingdom of Chocolate". Godiva, Pierre Marcolini, Neuhaus and other brands are well-known all over the world, and the "Global Chocolate United Nations" is also based in Belgium.
12. Without producing cocoa beans, how to start becoming a chocolate country? At the end of the 19th century, Belgium took over the Congo in a very disgraceful way, plundered its rich cocoa bean industry, and began to do so.
13. Belgium has the world's largest diamond industry chain, about 80% of the world's uncut diamonds are processed here, with an annual transaction volume of 45 billion euros, and a number of diamond banks have been established.
14. In recent years, Belgium has continued to invest in scientific research and has become the only country among the larger European economies where the number of European patents filed has declined.
15. In the Hallebos Forest, when the local bluebell flowers bloom, it is like laying a blue carpet, but the flowering period is only two weeks, although it is magnificent, it is little known to outsiders.
16. The Belgian Shepherd is a guard dog, and some say it can rival the German Shepherd. In fact, whether it is IQ, body shape or appearance, it is much inferior to Mu in comparison.
17. Antwerp is the second largest port in Europe, after the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Since more French goods are transshipped from here than any French port, it is also said that it is "the largest port in France".
18. Waffle is a kind of scone derived from the Belgian Middle Ages, with a highly recognizable plaid pattern, so it is also called tartan cake, generally served with strawberry jam, chocolate, ice cream or cream.
19. Belgium is rich in beer, but the narrow land is crowded with nearly two hundred wineries, most of which are small workshops, and brands such as Westmalle, De ranke, and Duvel are widely spread.
20. When Belgians drink, each beer will be paired with a special wine glass, one can better fit the taste of the beer, and the other greatly increases the sense of ritual of drinking beer.
21. From satellites, the brightest in all of Europe is Belgium. It is said that the Belgian highways are lit up at night.
22. Audrey Hepburn and Shanggwinton, both born in Brussels, Belgium, later went to the United States to develop a film career.
23. Belgium has long held the number one in the world in the FIFA rankings, but has never won a single title in the World Series, successfully proving that this ranking is not rigorous.
24. This unique "transparent church", viewed from a certain angle, is like a pixel square floating in the air, which looks mysterious and amazing.
25. French fries are called French fries by Americans, but they actually originated in Belgium. Because after the Americans came to Belgium in World War II, many people in the local area spoke French, so they called it French fries.
26. This is a canal bridge, the ships are driving on the bridge, and the cars are passing under the bridge, I have to say that the waterproofing is really good.
28. Bruges preserves a large number of medieval-style buildings, the most famous of which is the Church of the Holy Blood, which is said to contain the Holy Blood of Christ during his passion.
27. The Smurfs are the memories of most people's youth, and because the TV station broadcast the American version, it is considered to have been created by the Americans, but in fact, the Smurfs were created by Belgian cartoonists.
29. As the highest area in the Ardennes, the highest point is only 694 meters above sea level, and even so, many Dutch people still come to climb the mountain, because it is still much higher than the highest point in the Netherlands at 321 meters.
30. The Dutch love to make jokes and tease the Belgians. There is a joke: the Dutch and belgians meet to cross the English Channel. The Dutch swam 10%, said they were too tired, and went back. Belgians swim 90% before saying they are too tired to go back!