Belgium

Koninkrijk België (Dutch)

Royaume de Belgique (French)

Königreich Belgien (German)

Note: On December 19, 2009, Prime Minister Yves Leterme resigned amid accusations by the Supreme Court that his aides had improperly tried to lift an appeals court decision, delaying the sale of struggling Belgian-Dutch banking and insurance group Fortis. King Albert II named Herman Van Rompuy, speaker of the House of Representatives, as prime minster-designate on December 28. The composition of the ruling five-party coalition remains unchanged, as both Leterme and Rompuy are members of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party.

Political Status: Independence proclaimed October 4, 1830; monarchical constitution of 1831 most recently revised in 1970.

Area: 11,781 sq. mi. (30,513 sq. km.).

Population: 10,296,350 (2001C); 10,642,000 (2007E).

Major Urban Centers (2005E): BRUSSELS (urban area, 999,000), Antwerp (urban area, ...