Belgium Geography

What is the terrain and geography like in Belgium?

Overview

Belgium is an area of 11,799 square miles. The thirty-nine miles of Belgian coast are washed by the North Sea; 896 miles of the land frontier border the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and France. The Meuse River and its tributary, the Sambre, divide the country into two distinct geographic regions: a level, fertile area to the north and west, and the hilly, wooded region, the Ardennes, to the south and east. The capital, Brussels, is in the center of the Kingdom. With Ghent and Antwerp, it forms a triangle enclosing the most heavily built-up and densely populated area of Belgium. Approximately 50% (4 million acres) of Belgium is still farmland; forest covers less than one-fifth of the land.

Geography - note

Crossroads of Western Europe; the majority of West European capitals are within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and NATO

Climate

Belgium's climate is characterized by moderate temperatures, prevailing westerly winds, cloudy skies, regular rainfall, and a little snow. The weather is variable. Summer temperatures average 60°F (16°C). Rare annual extremes are l0°F (-12°C) and 90°F (33°C).

Belgium Use of Natural Resources

Belgium Environment

Climate:

Belgium's climate is characterized by moderate temperatures, prevailing westerly winds, cloudy skies, regular rainfall, and a little snow. The weather is variable. Summer temperatures average 60°F (16°C). Rare annual extremes are l0°F (-12°C) and 90°F (33°C).

Terrain:

Flat coastal plains in the northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast

Natural Resources:

Coal, natural gas, construction materials, silica sand, carbonates

Natural Hazards:

Flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes

Irrigated Land:

90 Square Miles
233 Square Kilometers

Environmental Issues:

The environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, extensive animal breeding, and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) have slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges

Environment - International Agreements:

Party To: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Belgium Geography

Geographic Location Europe
Total Area 11,787 Square Miles
30,528 Square Kilometers
Land Area 11,690 Square Miles
30,278 Square Kilometers
Water Area 97 Square Miles
250 Square Kilometers
Land Boundaries 861 Miles
1,385 Kilometers
Irrigated Land 90 Square Miles
233 Square Kilometers
Border Countries France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km
Coastline 41 Miles
66 Kilometers
Geographic Coordinates 50 50 N, 4 00 E
Terrain Flat coastal plains in the northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Highest Point 694 Meters
Highest Point Location Signal de Botrange 694 m
Lowest Point Location North Sea 0 m
Natural Resources Coal, natural gas, construction materials, silica sand, carbonates
Time Zone UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
All Countries
Afghanistan Akrotiri Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Clipperton Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Cook Islands Coral Sea Islands Costa Rica Cote d’Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Dhekelia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia, The Gaza Strip Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Holy See Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Jan Mayen Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Korea, South Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Sudan, South Suriname Svalbard Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States (US) Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands Wake Island Wallis and Futuna West Bank Western Sahara World Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe