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Compare Belgium (2001) - Reunion (2003)
Compare Belgium (2001) z Reunion (2003)
| Belgium (2001) | Reunion (2003) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 10 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Flemish: provincien, singular - provincie); Antwerpen, Brabant Wallon, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaams Brabant, West-Vlaanderen; note - the Brussels Capitol Region is not included within the 10 provinces | none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons |
| Age structure | 0-14 years:
17.48% (male 916,957; female 876,029) 15-64 years: 65.57% (male 3,390,145; female 3,336,908) 65 years and over: 16.95% (male 709,212; female 1,029,511) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 31.3% (male 121,119; female 115,501)
15-64 years: 62.8% (male 233,607; female 240,502) 65 years and over: 5.9% (male 18,036; female 26,406) (2003 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk | sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn |
| Airports | 42 (2000 est.) | 2 (2002) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total:
24 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 6 (2000 est.) |
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
18 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 16 (2000 est.) |
- |
| Area | total:
30,510 sq km land: 30,230 sq km water: 280 sq km |
total: 2,517 sq km
land: 2,507 sq km water: 10 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about the size of Maryland | slightly smaller than Rhode Island |
| Background | Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830 and was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. It has prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy. | The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration, supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians, gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route. |
| Birth rate | 10.74 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 20.17 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Budget | revenues:
$114.8 billion expenditures: $117 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.6 billion (1999) |
revenues: $1.26 billion
expenditures: $2.62 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998) |
| Capital | Brussels | Saint-Denis |
| Climate | temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy | tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April |
| Coastline | 66 km | 207 km |
| Constitution | 7 February 1831, last revised 14 July 1993; parliament approved a constitutional package creating a federal state | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) |
| Country name | conventional long form:
Kingdom of Belgium conventional short form: Belgium local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie local short form: Belgique/Belgie |
conventional long form: Department of Reunion
conventional short form: Reunion local long form: none local short form: Ile de la Reunion former: Bourbon Island |
| Currency | Belgian franc (BEF); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Belgium at a fixed rate of 40.3399 Belgian francs per euro and will replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002 |
euro (EUR) |
| Death rate | 10.1 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 5.49 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Debt - external | $28.3 billion (1999 est.) | $NA |
| Dependency status | - | overseas department of France |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant) embassy: 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels mailing address: PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE 09710 telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111 FAX: [32] (2) 511-2725 |
none (overseas department of France) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Alexis REYN chancery: 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-6900 FAX: [1] (202) 333-3079 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York |
none (overseas department of France) |
| Disputes - international | none | none |
| Economic aid - donor | ODA, $764 million (1997) | - |
| Economic aid - recipient | - | $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France |
| Economy - overview | This modern private enterprise economy has capitalized on its central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north, although the government is encouraging investment in the southern region of Wallonia. With few natural resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. About three-quarters of its trade is with other EU countries. Belgium's public debt is expected to fall below 100% of GDP in 2002, and the government has succeeded in balancing is budget. Belgium became a charter member of the European Monetary Union (EMU) in January 1999. Economic growth in 2000 was broad based, putting the government in a good position to pursue its energy market liberalization policies and planned tax cuts. | The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture, but services now dominate. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to one-third of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France. |
| Electricity - consumption | 75.089 billion kWh (1999) | 1.005 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - exports | 8.207 billion kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - imports | 9.055 billion kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - production | 79.829 billion kWh (1999) | 1.08 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
40.01% hydro: 0.42% nuclear: 58.33% other: 1.24% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 55.5%
hydro: 44.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point:
North Sea 0 m highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m |
| Environment - current issues | the environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, intense animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) have impeded progress in tackling environmental challenges | NA |
| Environment - international agreements | party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
- |
| Ethnic groups | Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11% | French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian |
| Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Belgian francs per US dollar - 34.77 (January 1999), 36.229 (1998), 35.774 (1997), 30.962 (1996) | euros per US dollar - 1.06 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998) |
| Executive branch | chief of state:
King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993); Heir Apparent Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch head of government: Prime Minister Guy VERHOFSTADT (since 13 July 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch and approved by Parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch and then approved by Parliament note: government coalition - VLD, PRL, PS, SP, AGALEV, and ECOLO |
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Gonthier FRIEDERICI (since NA)
head of government: President of the General Council Jean-Luc POUDROUX (since NA March 1998) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils |
| Exports | $181.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000) | NA (2001) |
| Exports - commodities | machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products | sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993) |
| Exports - partners | EU 76% (Germany 18%, France 18%, Netherlands 12%, UK 10%) (1999) | France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2000) |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
| Flag description | three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the design was based on the flag of France | the flag of France is used |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $259.2 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $4.174 billion (1999 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
1.4% industry: 26% services: 72.6% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 8%
industry: 19% services: 73% (2000 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $25,300 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $5,600 (2002 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 4.1% (2000 est.) | 2.5% (2002 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 50 50 N, 4 00 E | 21 06 S, 55 36 E |
| Geography - note | crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels which is the seat of both the EU and NATO | this mountainous, volcanic island has an active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise; there is a tropical cyclone center at Saint-Denis, which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean |
| Heliports | 1 (2000 est.) | - |
| Highways | total:
145,774 km paved: 116,182 km (including 1,674 km of expressways) unpaved: 29,592 km (1999) |
total: 2,724 km
paved: 1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road) unpaved: 1,424 km (1994) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
3.7% highest 10%: 20.2% (1992) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Illicit drugs | growing producer of synthetic drugs; transit point for US-bound ecstasy; source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine, heroin, hashish, and marijuana entering Western Europe | - |
| Imports | $166 billion (c.i.f., 2000) | NA (2001) |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals and metal products | manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products |
| Imports - partners | EU 71% (Germany 18%, Netherlands 17%, France 14%, UK 9%) (1999) | France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (2000) |
| Independence | 21 July 1831 (from the Netherlands) | none (overseas department of France) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 5.5% (2000 est.) | NA% |
| Industries | engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum, coal | sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction |
| Infant mortality rate | 4.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 8.13 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.89 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.2% (2000 est.) | NA% |
| International organization participation | ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC | FZ, InOC, WFTU |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 61 (2000) | 1 (2000) |
| Irrigated land | NA sq km | 120 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) or Cour de Cassation (in French) (judges are appointed for life by the monarch) | Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel |
| Labor force | 4.34 million (1999) | 309,900 (2000) |
| Labor force - by occupation | services 73%, industry 25%, agriculture 2% (1999 est.) | agriculture 13%, industry 12%, services 75% (2000) |
| Land boundaries | total:
1,385 km border countries: France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km |
0 km |
| Land use | arable land:
24% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 20% forests and woodland: 21% other: 34% |
arable land: 13.2%
permanent crops: 2% other: 84.8% (1998 est.) |
| Languages | Dutch 58%, French 32%, German 10%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French) | French (official), Creole widely used |
| Legal system | civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations | French law |
| Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in Dutch, Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly elected by popular vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members serve four-year terms) and a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch, Chambre des Representants in French (150 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 13 June 1999 (next to be held in NA 2003) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - VLD 15.4%, CVP 14.7%, PRL 10.6%, PS 9.7%, VB 9.4%, SP 8.9%, ECOLO 7.4%, AGALEV 7.1%, PSC 6.0%, VU 5.1%; seats by party - VLD 11, CVP 10, PS 10, PRL 9, VB 6, SP 6, ECOLO 6, AGALEV 5, PSC 5, VU 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - VLD 14.3%, CVP 14.1%, PS 10.2%, PRL 10.1%, VB 9.9%, SP 9.5%, ECOLO 7.4%, AGALEV 7.0%, PSC 5.9%, VU 5.6%; seats by party - VLD 23, CVP 22, PS 19, PRL 18, VB 15, SP 14, ECOLO 11, PSC 10, AGALEV 9, VU 8, FN 1 note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six governments each with its own legislative assembly; for other acronyms of the listed parties see Political parties and leaders |
unicameral General Council (49 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held 15 and 22 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - various right-wing candidates 13, PCR 10, PS 10, UDF 8, RPR 6, other left-wing candidates 2; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PCR 19, UDF 9, RPR 8, various right-wing candidates 4, various left-wing candidates 5 note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held NA 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, UMP 1, PCR 1 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population:
77.96 years male: 74.63 years female: 81.46 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 73.43 years
male: 70.03 years female: 77 years (2003 est.) |
| Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.9% male: 87% female: 90.8% (2003 est.) |
| Location | Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands | Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar |
| Map references | Europe | World |
| Maritime claims | continental shelf:
median line with neighbors exclusive fishing zone: median line with neighbors (extends about 68 km from coast) territorial sea: 12 NM |
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Merchant marine | total:
21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 32,912 GRT/53,161 DWT ships by type: cargo 6, chemical tanker 9, petroleum tanker 6 (2000 est.) |
- |
| Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of France |
| Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Medical Service | no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $2.5 billion (FY01) | - |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.2% (FY99) | - |
| Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
2,517,596 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 198,341 (2003 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
2,079,624 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 101,116 (2003 est.) |
| Military manpower - military age | 19 years of age | 18 years of age (2003 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
63,247 (2001 est.) |
males: 6,795 (2003 est.) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 21 July (1831) | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
| Nationality | noun:
Belgian(s) adjective: Belgian |
noun: Reunionese (singular and plural)
adjective: Reunionese |
| Natural hazards | flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes | periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano |
| Natural resources | coal, natural gas | fish, arable land, hydropower |
| Net migration rate | 0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Pipelines | crude oil 161 km; petroleum products 1,167 km; natural gas 3,300 km | - |
| Political parties and leaders | AGALEV (Flemish Greens) [Dos GEYSELS]; ECOLO (Francophone Greens) [no president]; Flemish Christian Democrats or CVP (Christian People's Party) [Stefaan DE CLERCK, president]; Flemish Liberal Democrats or VLD [Karel DE GUCHT, president]; Flemish Socialist Party or SP [Patrick JANSSENS, president]; Francophone Christian Democrats or PSC (Social Christian Party) [Joelle MILQUET, president]; Francophone Liberal Reformation Party or PRL [Daniel DUCARME, president]; Francophone Socialist Party or PS [Elio DI RUPO, president]; National Front or FN [Daniel FERET]; Vlaams Blok or VB [Frank VANHECKE]; Volksunie or VU [leader vacant]; other minor parties | Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | Christian and Socialist Trade Unions; Federation of Belgian Industries; numerous other associations representing bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical professions; various organizations represent the cultural interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as Pax Christi and groups representing immigrants | NA |
| Population | 10,258,762 (July 2001 est.) | 755,171 (July 2003 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | 4% | NA% |
| Population growth rate | 0.16% (2001 est.) | 1.47% (2003 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Antwerp (one of the world's busiest ports), Brugge, Gent, Hasselt, Liege, Mons, Namur, Oostende, Zeebrugge | Le Port, Pointe des Galets |
| Radio broadcast stations | FM 79, AM 7, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001) |
| Radios | 8.075 million (1997) | - |
| Railways | total:
3,437 km (2,446 km electrified; 2,563 km double track) standard gauge: 3,437 km 1.435-m gauge (1998) |
0 km |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25% | Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995) |
| Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment:
highly developed, technologically advanced, and completely automated domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable network; limited microwave radio relay network international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat |
general assessment: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis
domestic: modern open-wire and microwave radio relay network international: radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 4.769 million (1997) | 268,500 (1999) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 974,494 (1997) | 197,000 (September 2000) |
| Television broadcast stations | 25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997) | 35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001) |
| Terrain | flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast | mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast |
| Total fertility rate | 1.61 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 2.53 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 8.4% (2000 est.) | 36% (1999 est.) |
| Waterways | 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) | none |
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