Belgium: Capital, Flag and Fun Facts

About Belgium

Belgium is a small country in western Europe with a short coast on the North Sea. The north is flat and low, while the south rises into the forested Ardennes hills. It is known for chocolate, waffles, comics and medieval towns.

About Brussels

Brussels is in the centre of Belgium and is officially bilingual in French and Dutch. It is known for the Grand-Place and as home to the main institutions of the European Union and NATO headquarters.

Fun facts about Belgium

1. Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French and German.
2. The Atomium in Brussels, built for the 1958 World's Fair, shows an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times.
3. Adolphe Sax, born in Dinant, Belgium, invented the saxophone in the early 1840s.
4. Belgian priest and scientist Georges Lemaître first proposed what became known as the Big Bang theory.
5. The comic heroes Tintin and the Smurfs were both created by Belgian cartoonists.
6. The Grand-Place in Brussels, a square surrounded by grand old guild houses, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.