Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: Meuse River, a major source of drinking water,
polluted from steel production wastes; other rivers polluted by animal
wastes and fertilizers; industrial air pollution contributes to acid
rain in neighboring countries
natural hazards: flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal
land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified -
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note: crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals
within 1,000 km of Brussels which is the seat of the EU
@Belgium:People
Population: 10,081,880 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (female 875,079; male 919,939)
15-64 years: 66% (female 3,303,219; male 3,363,250)
65 years and over: 16% (female 969,966; male 650,427) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.17% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 11.46 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 10.22 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)