25 Curiosities of Belgium. The country of chocolate | With Images

Belgium, a small country in Europe located in the northwest of the continent, was named after the Celtic tribe that lived there before the Romans arrived: the Belgians. Join us to know 25 Curiosities of Belgium , the country of chocolate, waffles, mussels, French fries, but especially one of the pillars of the European community.

Belgium is a monarchy and its official name is "Kingdom of Belgium". It has a population of just over 11 million people who speak 3 different languages ​​that are official in the country: flamenco, French and German; It also has a border with four other European countries that are France , Germany , Luxembourg and Holland.

25 Curiosities of Belgium

1. The famous Battle of Waterloo in which Napoleon was defeated by the allied forces, ending the Napoleonic era, took place on Belgian soil in 1815.

2. Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1831 after the so-called "Belgian Revolution". It was invaded by Germany in both the First and Second World War.

3. The Belgium flag It consists of three vertical stripes of black, yellow and red. It is believed that the vertical arrangement was taken from the French flag and that the colors come from the shield of the Duchy of Brabant.

25 Curiosities of Belgium

4. Belgium was traditionally part of the so-called "Netherlands" with the Netherlands and Luxembourg. So, you will not be surprised to know that the highest point in Belgium, "Signal de Botrange" is 694 m., Well below the tallest building in the world that is located in Dubai and measures 828 m.

5. Brussels, the Belgian capital , is the headquarters of the European Union and NATO. But the city is much more than that, it is the second in international presence after New York. In it you can find about 120 international governmental institutions, more than 1,400 NGOs and 181 embassies.

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6. The great majority of Belgians live in cities. Belgium has the population that lives in urban areas and cities highest in Europe and that reaches 98% of its population.

7. Brussels, the capital of Belgium It was founded in the 12th century and has approximately 177,000 inhabitants, but the most populous city is Antwerp.

8. If you are a fan of shopping malls, you will like to know that the oldest commercial galleries (predecessors of shopping centers) in Europe, the "Galeries St Hubert" they opened in Brussels in 1847.

9. The symbol of the capital of Belgium is the " Manneken Pis ", A bronze fountain of a little boy urinating. You will find it near the magnificent "Grand Place", the heart of Brussels , with its medieval buildings.

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10. If you also like "spas" you will be interested to know this information: the name comes from the Belgian city of Spa. It opened the first health complex and casino of modern Europe, although its thermal waters were already known in Roman times.

11. Other cities worth visiting if you travel to Belgium are Ghent and Bruges . The Ghent Bell Tower and the entire historical center of Bruges have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

12. The most populous city in Belgium, Antwerp , it is also the diamond capital of the world and invoices more than 20,000 million euros annually. Antwerp has been trading in diamonds since 1447.

13. One of the curiosities of Belgium It is the city of Durbuy. It is considered the "smallest city in the world" because despite having less than 500 inhabitants it obtained the status of a city in medieval times and has never lost it. It also gives name to a municipality formed by several sub-municipalities that together have more than 11,000 inhabitants. This fact leads many people to confuse and laugh at the title of the proud city of Durbuy.

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14. Although the most famous are the French castles, Belgium is the country in the world with the most castles per square kilometer.

15. Belgium has the longest tram line in the world. They are 68 km. of coastal tram known as From Kusttram . It goes from the French border to the Dutch border and in summer it has a frequency of 10 minutes.

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16. Among the curiosities of Belgium it is important to point out that Charleroi airport in Brussels is the most punctual in Europe and one of the most punctual in the world.

17. Belgian men occupy the second place in height of the world after the Dutch. Its average is 181.7 cm. However, their women only occupy 21st place with an average height of 165.5 cm.

18. Another of the curiosities of Belgium is that it has the largest number of creators of comics in the world per km. square. Not in vain is the cradle of Tintin, Lucky Luck and the Smurfs. Oh! The "father" ???? of the famous Inspector Maigret, Georges Simenon, he was also Belgian.

19. Taxes in Belgium are among the highest in the world. Your tax rates for income and social contributions are very high, especially if you are single and have no children.

twenty. Beer It is one of the mainstays of Belgian gastronomy. Their beers, especially the Trappists, are world famous. In the country there are more than 1,100 varieties of beers.

twenty-one. The waffles They are another of the most famous products of the Belgians. They have 3 types: the one from Liège that is consumed as if it were a biscuit, the one from Brussels that is larger and is usually accompanied by ice cream, chocolate or fruit and the "galettes" that are thinner and eaten with jam for breakfast.

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22. The Belgians claim that French fries were invented in Belgium and not in France.

23. It has been produced for more than 400 years chocolate in Belgium . Its production began in 1635 and currently produces almost 200,000 tons a year and has more than 2,000 stores to market it.

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24. The fame of Belgian chocolate we have to look for it in the confectioner Jean Neuhaus who invented the praline chocolates in Brussels in 1912. Where more chocolate is sold in the world is in the stores at the Brussels international airport.

25. As the last of these curiosities of Belgium, we will add that the famous Brussels sprouts , which have as many fans as detractors, more than 400 years ago they are grown in Belgium.

Other curiosities of Europe | By countries

Have you also been astonished by the previous data from Belgium? If you wish, you can discover many more curiosities of Europe , maybe you do not know! Then a collection of bits of surprising information from different European countries. Discover it!

  • Curiosities of Spain
  • Curiosities of Italy
  • Curiosities of Germany
  • Curiosities of Greece
  • Curiosities of Norway
  • Iceland Curiosities
  • Fun Facts of England
  • Curiosities of Ireland
  • Curiosities of Scotland
  • Curiosities of Luxembourg
  • Curiosities of Denmark

We hope that all these data have brought you closer to this magnificent country that is an example of tolerance and integration, despite the terrible attacks at the airport and the metro network that it suffered in 2016. Did you know these? curiosities of Belgium ? Do you know any more? Share them with us! And if you visit Belgium do not forget to try their chocolates and their extraordinary waffles.

Images: Wikoli , BenZin


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