Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in
Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the
Netherlands to the north,
Germany to the east,
Luxembourg to the southeast,
France to the southwest, and the
North Sea to the northwest. It covers an area of and has a population of more than 11.5 million, making it the
22nd most densely populated country in the world and the
6th most densely populated country in Europe, with a density of . Belgium is part of an area known as the
Low Countries, historically a somewhat larger region than the
Benelux group of states, as it also included parts of northern France. The capital and largest city is
Brussels; other major cities are
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, ,
Ghent,
Charleroi
Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. ,
Liège
Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège.
The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...
,
Bruges,
Namur
Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration.
Namu ...
, and
Leuven
Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...