Belgium Research Paper

Belgium The country of Belgium is well known around the world for their chocolate. However, Belgium is more than just chocolate. This paper will discuss Belgium; its culture, geography, military, and history. There is a wide variety or culture in Belgium divided by the two official languages; french and dutch. There are two main Ethnic groups in Belgium. The first is the Dutch-speaking called Flemings and the other is the French-speaking known as Walloons. The Flemings live in the north, the walloons like in the south, and a mix of both live in Brussels the capital. Also a group of people live in the east. Fleming and Walloons have many cultural difference, But the legal system in Belgium balances the rights of the different cultures (Berentsen) …show more content…
Most people in Belgium live in cities or towns and commute to other parts of the county for work. Since Brussels is the nation's largest metropolitan area most of the people commute from or to there. Other major cities are Bruges,, Charleroi, Ghent, and Liege (Berentsen). The constitution of Belgium guarantees freedom of religion but many claim no religion. 60% belong to the roman catholic church, but less than ten percent attend church regularly. Flemings send their children to catholic school. Catholic and public school starts at two and a half years old. Belgians six through eighteen must attend school according to law. Children six through eleven attend Elementary school. After Elementary they attend high school. These students take basic courses, technical, vocational or college preparatory subjects. Belgium’s climate is rainy, with cool summers and mild winters. The yearly precipitation is twenty eight inches in the coastal areas to forty inches in the inner areas. Snow rarely last long before melting. The temperature ranges from thirty-five degrees fahrenheit in the winter to sixty-four degrees fahrenheit in the summer