12,104
edits
m
Edited History and Timeline
m (Edited History and Timeline) |
|||
| Line 14: | Line 14: | ||
Belgium obtained possession of the Congo in 1884. It was incorporated into Belgium in 1908, and its citizens became Belgian citizens. When the independence of the Belgian Congo was recognized in 1960 it became known as Zaire, and has subsequently become known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Belgium was the scene of fighting in both the First and Second World Wars. | Belgium obtained possession of the Congo in 1884. It was incorporated into Belgium in 1908, and its citizens became Belgian citizens. When the independence of the Belgian Congo was recognized in 1960 it became known as Zaire, and has subsequently become known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Belgium was the scene of fighting in both the First and Second World Wars. | ||
<br> | |||
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgium] | |||
=== Population Statistics === | === Population Statistics === | ||
| Line 21: | Line 22: | ||
The area of Belgium was 11,373 square miles in 1900. By reclaiming the sea it has reached 11,799 square miles today, about twice the size of Massachusetts. The population density is 864 inhabitants per square mile. | The area of Belgium was 11,373 square miles in 1900. By reclaiming the sea it has reached 11,799 square miles today, about twice the size of Massachusetts. The population density is 864 inhabitants per square mile. | ||
The capital is Brussels (pop. 950,500), which is officially bilingual. Other important cities include Antwerp (pop. 453,000), Ghent (225,500), Charleroi (205,000), and Liege (189,500). The metropolitan areas of each of these cities is much larger. | The capital is Brussels (pop. 950,500), which is officially bilingual. Other important cities include Antwerp (pop. 453,000), Ghent (225,500), Charleroi (205,000), and Liege (189,500). The metropolitan areas of each of these cities is much larger. | ||
===Timeline=== | ===Timeline=== | ||
1568 - 1648 - The Eighty Years' War divided the Low Countries into the northern United Provinces Federated Netherlands and the Southern Netherlands the Royal Netherlands. The latter were ruled successively by the Spanish and the Austrian Habsburgs and comprised most of modern Belgium<br> | |||
1815 - The reunification of the Low Countries as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands occurred at the dissolution of the First French Empire<br> | |||
1898 - French was originally the single official language until Dutch recognition became official in 1898<br> | |||
1914 - Germany invaded as part of the Schlieffen Plan to attack France, and much of the Western Front fighting of World War I occurred in western parts of the country<br> | |||
1940 - German forces again invaded the country and 40,690 Belgians, over half of them Jews, were killed during the subsequent occupation and The Holocaust<br> | |||
== References == | == References == | ||