 | |
| Continent | Europe |
|---|---|
| Region | Western Europe |
| Coordinates | 50°50′N4°00′E / 50.833°N 4.000°E /50.833; 4.000 |
| Area | Ranked 136th |
| • Total | 30,689 km2 (11,849 sq mi) |
| • Land | 99.36% |
| • Water | 0.64% |
| Coastline | 66.5 km (41.3 mi) |
| Borders | Total land borders: 1,380/1,385 km |
| Highest point | Signal de Botrange 695 m (2,280 ft) |
| Lowest point | De Moeren −3 m (−10 ft) |
| Longest river | Escaut 200 km |
Belgium is afederal state located inWestern Europe and is divided into three regions: theFlemish Region (Flanders), theWalloon Region (Wallonia), and theBrussels Capital Region (Brussels).
Belgium borders theNorth Sea and shares borders with the countries ofFrance (620 km), theNetherlands (450 km),Germany (162/167 km) andLuxembourg (148 km).
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Total renewable water resources: 20 cu km (2013)[1]
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 6.22 cu km/yr (12%/88%/1%)
per capita: 589.8 cu m/yr (2007)
Natural hazards:flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
Geography – note:crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels which is the seat of both the EU and NATO
Longest Distances: 280 km SE-NW/ 222 km NE-SW
Belgium has an area of 30,689 km² (11,849 sq mi), with 16,901 km2 (6,526 sq mi) or 55.1% for theWalloon Region, 13,626 km2 (5,261 sq mi) or 44.4% for theFlemish Region, and 162 km2 (63 sq mi) or 0.5% for theBrussels Capital Region.[2]
Its land area is 30,494 km² (11,774 sq mi) or 99.36%, and its water area is 195 km² (75 sq mi) or 0.64%. Belgium has also 3,454 km² (1,334 sq mi) of sea territories in theNorth Sea; including this, its total territory is 34,143 km² (13,183 sq mi).[3]
Byprovinces, the area (of 30,689 km²) is distributed as such:[2]
For the purpose of total area, theBrussels-Capital Region should also be included, though no longer a province since the Brabant was split.
On 29 May 2000, 2,000 square meters were granted by theNetherlands to Belgium (a piece of land inZelzate along theGhent–Terneuzen Canal).
Compared to other countries, Belgium is 44% larger thanWales in theUnited Kingdom and about the size ofMaryland in theUnited States. Belgium is actually used as anunusual unit of measurement in comparing country sizes.[4]
In November 2016, Belgium and the Netherlands agreed to cede small, uninhabited parcels of land to reflect a change in course of the riverMeuse (or Maas, in Dutch). The land swap is to take effect as of 2018.[5]
Belgium has three main geographical regions: the coastalplain in the north-west, the central plateau, and theArdennes uplands in the south-east. The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes andpolders. Polders are areas of land, close to or below sea level that have been reclaimed from the sea, from which they are protected bydikes or, further inland, by fields that have been drained with canals. The second geographical region, the central plateau, lies further inland. This is a smooth, slowly rising area that has many fertile valleys and is irrigated by many waterways. Here one can also find rougher land, including caves and smallgorges. The third geographical region, called the Ardennes, is more rugged than the first two. It is a thickly forested plateau, very rocky and not very good for farming, which extends into northern France and in Germany where it is namedEifel. This is where much of Belgium's wildlife can be found. Belgium's highest point, theSignal de Botrange is located in this region at only 694 metres (2,277 ft). Belgium has relatively few natural lakes and none of any great size.
Notable natural regions include the Ardennes,Campine andHigh Fens.
All of Belgium is drained into theNorth Sea, except the municipality ofMomignies (Macquenoise), which is drained by the riverOise into theEnglish Channel. Three major rivers flow into the sea: theScheldt (200 km in Belgium, 350 km in total), theMeuse (183 km in Belgium, 925 km in total) and theYser (50 km in Belgium, 78 km in total). Other rivers are theRupel,Senne,Sambre,Lesse,Ourthe,Lys andDijle. The main lakes include theLake Genval,Lake Bütgenbach,Lake Eau d'Heure,Lake Gileppe,Lake Eupen andLake Robertville.
Belgium also has many artificial waterways or canals, among others theBrussels–Scheldt Maritime Canal, theBrussels–Charleroi Canal, theCanal du Centre and theAlbert Canal inAntwerp.
The Belgian climate, like most of northwest Europe,[6] ismaritime temperate, with significant precipitation in all seasons (Köppen climate classification:Cfb; the average temperature is 3 °C (37.4 °F) in January, and 18 °C (64.4 °F) in July; the average precipitation is 65 mm (2.6 in) in January, and 78 mm (3.1 in) in July).[7] Belgium usually has cool winters but temperatures as low as −16 °C (3 °F) have been registered and summers are comfortably warm but temperatures can occasionally rise as high as 30 °C (86 °F).
| Climate data for Uccle (Brussels-Capital Region) 1991–2020 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.3 (59.5) | 20.0 (68.0) | 24.2 (75.6) | 28.7 (83.7) | 34.1 (93.4) | 38.8 (101.8) | 39.7 (103.5) | 36.5 (97.7) | 34.9 (94.8) | 27.8 (82.0) | 20.6 (69.1) | 16.7 (62.1) | 39.7 (103.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.1 (43.0) | 7.1 (44.8) | 10.9 (51.6) | 15.0 (59.0) | 18.4 (65.1) | 21.2 (70.2) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.0 (73.4) | 19.5 (67.1) | 14.9 (58.8) | 9.9 (49.8) | 6.6 (43.9) | 14.7 (58.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.7 (38.7) | 4.2 (39.6) | 7.1 (44.8) | 10.4 (50.7) | 13.9 (57.0) | 16.7 (62.1) | 18.7 (65.7) | 18.4 (65.1) | 15.2 (59.4) | 11.3 (52.3) | 7.2 (45.0) | 4.3 (39.7) | 10.9 (51.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.4 (34.5) | 1.5 (34.7) | 3.5 (38.3) | 6.0 (42.8) | 9.2 (48.6) | 12.0 (53.6) | 14.1 (57.4) | 13.9 (57.0) | 11.3 (52.3) | 8.1 (46.6) | 4.6 (40.3) | 2.1 (35.8) | 7.3 (45.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −21.1 (−6.0) | −18.3 (−0.9) | −13.6 (7.5) | −5.7 (21.7) | −2.2 (28.0) | 0.3 (32.5) | 4.4 (39.9) | 3.9 (39.0) | 0.0 (32.0) | −6.8 (19.8) | −12.8 (9.0) | −17.7 (0.1) | −21.1 (−6.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 75.5 (2.97) | 65.1 (2.56) | 59.3 (2.33) | 46.7 (1.84) | 59.7 (2.35) | 70.8 (2.79) | 76.9 (3.03) | 86.5 (3.41) | 65.3 (2.57) | 67.8 (2.67) | 76.2 (3.00) | 87.4 (3.44) | 837.2 (32.96) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 18.9 | 16.9 | 15.7 | 13.1 | 14.7 | 14.1 | 14.3 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 16.1 | 18.3 | 19.4 | 189.9 |
| Average snowy days | 3.8 | 4.9 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 3.7 | 17 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 84.1 | 80.6 | 74.8 | 69.2 | 70.2 | 71.3 | 71.5 | 72.4 | 76.8 | 81.5 | 85.1 | 86.6 | 77.0 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 59.1 | 72.9 | 125.8 | 171.3 | 198.3 | 199.3 | 203.2 | 192.4 | 154.4 | 112.6 | 65.8 | 48.6 | 1,603.7 |
| Averageultraviolet index | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Source 1:Royal Meteorological Institute[8][9] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Weather Atlas;[10] 2019 July record high fromVRT Nieuws[11] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Antwerp (1981–2010 normals), sunshine 1984–2013 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.2 (43.2) | 7.0 (44.6) | 10.8 (51.4) | 14.4 (57.9) | 18.4 (65.1) | 20.9 (69.6) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.1 (73.6) | 19.7 (67.5) | 15.3 (59.5) | 10.1 (50.2) | 6.6 (43.9) | 14.7 (58.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.4 (38.1) | 3.7 (38.7) | 6.8 (44.2) | 9.6 (49.3) | 13.6 (56.5) | 16.2 (61.2) | 18.5 (65.3) | 18.2 (64.8) | 15.1 (59.2) | 11.3 (52.3) | 7.0 (44.6) | 4.0 (39.2) | 10.6 (51.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.7 (33.3) | 0.5 (32.9) | 2.8 (37.0) | 4.8 (40.6) | 8.8 (47.8) | 11.7 (53.1) | 13.8 (56.8) | 13.2 (55.8) | 10.6 (51.1) | 7.4 (45.3) | 4.1 (39.4) | 1.5 (34.7) | 6.7 (44.1) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 69.3 (2.73) | 57.4 (2.26) | 63.8 (2.51) | 47.1 (1.85) | 61.5 (2.42) | 77.0 (3.03) | 80.6 (3.17) | 77.3 (3.04) | 77.2 (3.04) | 78.7 (3.10) | 79.0 (3.11) | 79.5 (3.13) | 848.4 (33.40) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 12.3 | 10.6 | 12.0 | 9.2 | 10.6 | 10.4 | 10.2 | 9.9 | 10.3 | 11.4 | 12.9 | 12.8 | 132.7 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 57 | 77 | 122 | 177 | 208 | 202 | 214 | 202 | 144 | 116 | 62 | 47 | 1,625 |
| Source:Royal Meteorological Institute[12] | |||||||||||||
Belgium's highest point is theSignal de Botrange at 694 metres above the sea level. Other hills in Belgium include theKemmelberg (159 m high) and theKoppenberg (77 m high) both known as part of the route of the cycle racesGent–Wevelgem and theTour of Flanders respectively.
This is a list of the extreme points of Belgium, the points that are farther north, south, east, west, high or low than any other location.
TheBelgian National Geographic Institute calculated that the central point of Belgium lies at coordinates50°38′28″N4°40′05″E / 50.64111°N 4.66806°E /50.64111; 4.66806, inNil-Saint-Vincent-Saint-Martin in the municipality ofWalhain.[13]
Natural resources in Belgium include construction materials,silica sand andcarbonates. Belgium used to have coal mines. As of 2012, the land use was as follows:
As of 2007, the estimated area of irrigated land was of 233.5 km2.
Because of its high population density and location in the centre of Western Europe, Belgium faces seriousenvironmental problems. A 2003 report[14] suggested that the water in Belgium's rivers was of the lowest quality in Europe, and bottom of the 122 countries studied. The environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities: urbanisation, dense transportation network, industry, extensive animal breeding, and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighbouring countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) have slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges.
In Belgiumforest cover is around 23% of the total land area, equivalent to 689,300 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, up from 677,400 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 251,200 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 438,200 hectares (ha). For the year 2015, 47% of the forest area was reported to be underpublic ownership, 53%private ownership and 0% with ownership listed as other or unknown.[15]
The main cities in Belgium in terms of population areBrussels,Antwerp,Ghent,Charleroi andLiège. Other notable cities includeBruges,Namur,Leuven,Mons andMechelen.
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