proper noun

• A country in western Europe on the south shore of the North Sea and English Channel; population 11,300,000 (estimated 2015; official languages, Flemish, French, and German; capital, Brussels. Flemish name België /ˈbɛlxiːə/, French name Belgique /bɛlʒik/.

Belgium became independent from the Netherlands after a nationalist revolt in 1830. Occupied and devastated during both world wars, Belgium formed the Benelux Customs Union with the Netherlands and Luxembourg in 1948 and became a founder member of the EEC. Flemish is spoken mainly in the north of the country, and French and Walloon in the south