Belgium, 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 south, and the North Sea to the west. It covers an area of 30,689 km2 (11,849 sq mi) and has a population of more than 11.7 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 383/km2 (990/sq mi). 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 metropolitan region is Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges, Namur, and Leuven.
Transport in Belgium is facilitated with well-developed road, air, rail and water networks. The rail network has 2,950 km (1,830 mi) of electrified tracks. There are 118,414 km (73,579 mi) of roads, among which there are 1,747 km (1,086 mi) of motorways, 13,892 km (8,632 mi) of main roads and 102,775 km (63,861 mi) of other paved roads. There is also a well-developed urban rail network in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and Charleroi. The ports of Antwerp and Bruges-Zeebrugge are two of the biggest seaports in Europe. Brussels Airport is Belgium's biggest airport.
Ghent is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, after Brussels and Antwerp. It is a port and university city.
The economy of Belgium is a highly developed, high-income, mixed economy.
The Gentse Feesten is an annual music and theatre festival in Ghent, Belgium. Besides stage events, there are street acts such as mimes and buskers. It has been held for more than 50 years and is attended by about 1–1.5 million visitors.
Marcel Honoree Nestor (ridder) Neels, known as Marc Sleen, was a Belgian cartoonist. He was mostly known for his comic The Adventures of Nero and Co., but also created gag comics like Piet Fluwijn en Bolleke, De Lustige Kapoentjes, Doris Dobbel, Oktaaf Keunink and De Ronde van Frankrijk.
Gentbrugge is a sub-municipality of the city of Ghent located in the province of East Flanders, Flemish Region, Belgium. It was a separate municipality until 1977. On 1 January 1977, it was merged into Ghent.
University College Ghent, commonly known as HOGENT, is the largest university college in Flanders, with seven faculties, one School of Arts and over 17,000 students as of 2022. Its establishment in 1995 is the outcome of two successful mergers that involved sixteen Belgian institutions of higher education. Many had been influential leaders in higher education for several decades. The current faculties are spread over the city center of Ghent and Aalst.
Marc Coucke is a Belgian businessman, multimillionaire and media figure. Founder of former BEL20 pharmaceutical company Omega Pharma, he has spread his business interests across several sectors including art, through his company Kamacoucka, and sports, through the co-ownership and sponsorship of the UCI ProTeam Soudal–Quick-Step cycling team, sponsorship of French Ligue 1 side Lille OSC and as major share holder of Belgian Pro League team Anderlecht.
The Belgian Chess Championship is a championship organised yearly by the Koninklijke Belgische Schaakbond/Fédération Royale Belge des Echecs. The winner of the championship is awarded the title: Chess Champion of Belgium.
Nic Balthazar is a Belgian film director and a TV/radio personality.
VDK Gent Damesvolleybalteam is a volleyball team from Ghent, Belgium.
The 2010 Gent–Wevelgem cycle road race took place on March 28, 2010. It was the 72nd edition of the international top classic Gent–Wevelgem. The final of Gent–Wevelgem was largely redrawn. An extra track was added in France, with a double passage over Mont des Cats and Mont Noir. The race was the sixth event in the UCI World Ranking.
Film Fest Gent, also known as International Film Fest Gent, is an annual international film festival in Ghent, Belgium. The festival held its first edition in 1974, under the name Internationaal Filmgebeuren Gent, and has since grown into the largest film festival in Belgium. The festival also puts the spotlight on film music; since 2001, Film Fest Gent has hosted the World Soundtrack Awards, a series of prizes for the best soundtracks for film and television.
A Joseph Plateau Award was an accolade presented by the Flanders International Film Festival Ghent, first awarded in 1985. The awards were given in several categories to honor cinematic achievements in the film industry. They were restricted to Belgian cinema and Belgian producers, directors, and actors. The name of the award comes from the physicist Joseph Plateau (1801–1883). They were considered to be the Belgian equivalent to the Academy Awards of the United States.
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country. It is the sixth most populous city in the country.
The first edition of the Tour of Flanders, a cycling race in Belgium, was held on 25 May 1913. Paul Deman won the event in a five-man sprint before Joseph Van Daele and Victor Doms. The event was created by sports journalist Karel Van Wijnendaele and organized by sports newspaper Sportwereld.
Events in the year 1986 in Belgium.
The following lists events that happened during 1908 in the Kingdom of Belgium.
