Belgium
Covering an area that is about the size of Maryland, and with 10,263,414 inhabitants in 2001, Belgium stands out as one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Its small territory is squeezed between the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east and France to the south and west. This geographical location positions Belgium firmly in the center of the European Union. Brussels, the federal capital of Belgium, hosts the majority of European Union institutions. Although Belgium is characterized by a dramatic level of urbanization and industrialization, it also offers opportunities to ski, swim, and hike.
Due to its strategic location, the country has long been a favorite spot for invasive neighboring nations. In the first century B.C.E. the troops of the Roman emperor Julius Caesar conquered the Belgae, one of the various Celtic tribes of early Gaul. In the fourth century C.E., with Rome in decline, control of Gaul was ceded to the Franks, a Germanic tribe, although the region south of what is now Belgium remained under the influence of Rome. That German-Latin duality gives Belgians their somewhat schizophrenic cultural identity. First controlled by the Romans, followed by the Burgundians, Spanish, Austrians, French, and Dutch, the Belgians finally gained independence after the 1830 revolution.
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