Regional info

Belgium/Luxembourg

'Belgica' was already mentioned on Roman military maps Julius Caesar used, but the country had to wait till 1830 before becoming an independent nation. That year it freed itself from the north Netherlands which were ruled by King William I since the defeat of Napoleon. Though the Walloons were leading the revolution, the border between Belgium and Holland was set far north from the language barrier, which led to a country with a French speaking (Walloon) and a Dutch speaking section (Flanders). Officially Belgium is even a three-lingual country, because in the east some 75.000 Belgians speak German. Brussels has a status of its own being the capital of the entire country. They organised the World Expo 1958 and the 'Atomium' still stands today – the strange building with its huge metalic spheres. Brussels has more examples of architectural art (modern and classic) like the royal palace, and both NATO and the European Union have their home in the Belgian capital. Geographically speaking Luxembourg is a continuation of Walloon, but the country has its own identity and, apart from French and German, people also speak their own 'Lëtzebuergesch' that was recognised as an official language 1984.