Belgium is located in Western Europe, bordering France and the Netherlands. Brussels is the capital and the official languages are French, Dutch, and German. Belgium is known for its waffles, chocolates, and intricate lace patterns. It is also home to the Atomium, built for the 1958 World's Fair, which symbolizes the structure of an iron crystal. Belgium joined the European Union in 1958.

1. BELGIUM

2. FACT FILE
Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between
France and the Netherlands
Capital: Brussels
Currency: Euro €
Climate: Temperate; mild winters ,cool summers , rainy
Religions: Roman Catholic-75%, Protestant or other-25%
Official languages: French-40%, Dutch-60%, German- less than
1%
Government type: federal parliamentary democracy under a
constitutional monarch
Important cities: Brussels, Antwerp, Namur, Ghent, Brugge

4. WAFFLES
The waffle is a Belgian culinary
specialty. Each part of the
country has its own recipe. The
most famous are the following:
the Liege's waffles, the
Brussels' waffles, the soft
waffles, the waffles made of
puff pastry, the hunting
waffles, the seasonal filled
waffles with fresh fruits
(cherries, prunes, apples, bluebe
rries, apricots), etc. The Liege's
waffles are smaller, sweeter and
heavier (more filling) than the
Brussels' waffles. The Brussels's
waffles are big, rectangular
(circular in the US) and very

5. BELGIAN
CHOCOLATES
Belgian chocolate is
considered to be the
gourmet standard by which
all other chocolate
confections are measured.
Even the Swiss, known for
their own high quality
chocolate, imported the
basic recipe from French &
Belgian chocolatiers.
Belgian chocolate pralines
were created by Jean
Neuhaus in 1912 & they
could be filled with a
variety of nougats or
creams, such as coffee
hazelnut , fruit or more
chocolate. Leonidas,

6. BELGIAN LACE
The intricate lace patterns in Belgium are unmatched in any other country. The lace trade
rose during the early Renaissance and reached its peak in the 18th century. Emperor
Charles V decreed that lace-making should be a compulsory skill for girls in convents and
beguinages throughout Flanders. Lace became fashionable on collars and cuffs for both
sexes. Belgian lace is bought today mainly as a souvenir, but despite the rise in machinemade lace from other countries, the quality here still remains as fine as it was in the
renaissance. Lace also has its place in museums. Situated close to the Grand Place, the
Musee du Costume et de la Dentelle (Museum of Costume & Lace) has a permanent
collection of fine lace.

7. EUROPEAN UNION
The European Union or EU is an international organisation of European
states, established by the Treaty on European Union . The original impetus for the
founding of (what was later to become) the European Union was the desire to rebuild
Europe after the disastrous events of World War II, and to prevent Europe from ever
again falling victim to the scourge of war. At present, the European Union comprises
15 member states- France, West Germany, Italy, Netherlands.
Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, UK, Denmark, Greece, Spain
, Portugal, Finland, Sweden and Austria.

8. ATOMIUM
The Atomium was the main pavilion and icon of
the World Fair of Brussels (1958), commonly
called Expo 58. It symbolised the democratic will
to maintain peace among all the nations, faith in
progress, both technical and scientific
and, finally, an optimistic vision of the future of
a modern, new, super-technological world for a
better life for mankind. At 102 metres high, with
its nine interconnected spheres, it represents an
elementary iron crystal enlarged 165 billion
(thousand million) times. It was dreamed up by
the engineer André Waterkeyn (1917-2005). The
spheres, though, were fitted out by the
architects André and Jean Polak.

9. MUSEUM OF MUSICAL
INSTRUMENTS
The Museum of Musical Instruments or
Musée des Instruments de Musique is
located in Brussels. With over 7000 pieces,
this museum houses one of the largest
collections of musical instruments in the
world. The first floor starts off with salon
room music, music boxes small and large,
which were normally reserved for the rich
households. There is also the beginnings of
musical history with displays of accordions
(the poor man’s piano) and some dulcimers
(domestic instruments). The second floor is
dedicated to musical history from all over
the world, Africa, Asia, Europe and Pacific.
The displays show that music has been with
us since the beginning of civilization. The
last floor is called “Strings and Keyboards”
showcases the guitar, violin and piano.
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