Belgium factsHere are some basic Belgium facts visitors might want to be familiar with. Belgium cultural heritage is very rich but the nation has simply not been around long enough to acquire the cultural roots to which the label ‘Belgian’ can be attached and made readily identifiable.
Map of BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a state in Western Europe. It has a northern border with The Netherlands; in the east it has a border with Germany. Luxembourg can be found in the south east and France will be found south.The North Sea is west of Belgium.The capital is Brussels. It has a federal state system that exists of Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels.
The Name The belgae is a name derived from the book ‘commentarii de bello gallo’ written by Julius Caesar where he stated that the Belgae were the most brave of all Gauls. It’s possible that the origin of the name is the pre-Celt ‘belo’ which means as much as clear. Like in Belarus; this means something as white-russia. Another possibility is that it comes from ‘bel’ which means something as alliance. The affix ga could mean man or warrior. So you’d get something as ‘warrior of the alliance’. This would make sense when you compare this to the content of Caesar’s book. There are other explications as some going back to the character of the old Belgae. Bel is the root to words that means irritant, bitter and angry in several languages. Belgae liked war and did it all the time. This could be the reason that the Romans called them that way. The History History of Belgium: From the first historical records to the Roman Empire The Weather The Food The Beer Return form Belgium Facts to Home Page
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