:Geography of Belgium

{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2021}}

Total renewable water resources: 20 cu km (2013){{Cite web |title=Total Renewable Freshwater Supply, by Country / Pacific Institute |url=https://worldwater.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/data_table_1_total_renewable_freshwater_supply_by_country.pdf}}

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 6.22 cu km/yr (12%/88%/1%)

per capita: 589.8 cu m/yr (2007)

Natural hazards:

flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes

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

Longest Distances: 280 km SE-NW/ 222 km NE-SW

File:Belgium RegProv.png

Belgium has an area of 30,689 km² (11,849 sq mi), with {{cvt|16901|km²}} or 55.1% for the Walloon Region, {{cvt|13626|km²}} or 44.4% for the Flemish Region, and {{cvt|162|km²}} or 0.5% for the Brussels Capital Region.[https://statbel.fgov.be/en/land-use-according-land-register Land use according to the land register], STATBEL

Its land area is 30,494 km² (11,774 sq mi) or 99.36%, and its water area is 195 km² (75 sq mi) or 0.64%. Belgium has also 3,454 km² (1,334 sq mi) of sea territories in the North Sea; including this, its total territory is 34,143 km² (13,183 sq mi).[https://statbel.fgov.be/en/themes/environment/land-cover-and-use/land-use Land use], STATBEL

By provinces, the area (of 30,689 km²) is distributed as such:

• Luxembourg: {{cvt|4459|km²}}
• Liège: {{cvt|3857|km²}}
• Hainaut: {{cvt|3813|km²}}
• Namur: {{cvt|3675|km²}}
• West Flanders: {{cvt|3197|km²}}
• East Flanders: {{cvt|3007|km²}}
• Antwerp: {{cvt|2876|km²}}
• Limburg: {{cvt|2427|km²}}
• Flemish Brabant: {{cvt|2118|km²}}
• Walloon Brabant: {{cvt|1097|km²}}

For the purpose of total area, the Brussels-Capital Region should also be included, though no longer a province since the Brabant was split.

On 29 May 2000, 2,000 square meters were granted by the Netherlands to Belgium (a piece of land in Zelzate along the Ghent–Terneuzen Canal).

Compared to other countries, Belgium is 44% larger than Wales in the United Kingdom and about the size of Maryland in the United States. Belgium is actually used as an unusual unit of measurement in comparing country sizes.{{cite web |url=http://www.sizeofbelgium.com/pmwiki.php |title=A Web Site the Size of Belgium : Home Page |access-date=2010-04-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100221223914/http://www.sizeofbelgium.com/pmwiki.php |archive-date=2010-02-21 }}

In November 2016, Belgium and the Netherlands agreed to cede small, uninhabited parcels of land to reflect a change in course of the river Meuse (or Maas, in Dutch). The land swap is to take effect as of 2018.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/29/belgium-and-the-netherlands-agree-to-swap-land-to-restore-border|title=Belgium and Netherlands agree to swap land to simplify border|agency=Reuters|date=2016-11-29|work=The Guardian|access-date=2017-08-04|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}

File:Régions naturelles de Belgique.jpg

Image:Hautes-Fagnes.jpg, in the Ardennes]]

Image:Hoge-Blekker.Koksijde.jpgs in Koksijde, at the North Sea]]

Belgium has three main geographical regions: the coastal plain in the north-west, the central plateau, and the Ardennes uplands in the south-east. The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes and polders. Polders are areas of land, close to or below sea level that have been reclaimed from the sea, from which they are protected by dikes or, further inland, by fields that have been drained with canals. The second geographical region, the central plateau, lies further inland. This is a smooth, slowly rising area that has many fertile valleys and is irrigated by many waterways. Here one can also find rougher land, including caves and small gorges. The third geographical region, called the Ardennes, is more rugged than the first two. It is a thickly forested plateau, very rocky and not very good for farming, which extends into northern France and in Germany where it is named Eifel. This is where much of Belgium's wildlife can be found. Belgium's highest point, the Signal de Botrange is located in this region at only {{convert|694|m|ft|0}}. Belgium has relatively few natural lakes and none of any great size.

Notable natural regions include the Ardennes, Campine and High Fens.

{{see also|Rivers of Belgium}}

All of Belgium is drained into the North Sea, except the municipality of Momignies (Macquenoise), which is drained by the river Oise into the English Channel. Three major rivers flow into the sea: the Scheldt (200 km in Belgium, 350 km in total), the Meuse (183 km in Belgium, 925 km in total) and the Yser (50 km in Belgium, 78 km in total). Other rivers are the Rupel, Senne, Sambre, Lesse, Ourthe, Lys and Dijle. The main lakes include the Lake Genval, Lake Bütgenbach, Lake Eau d'Heure, Lake Gileppe, Lake Eupen and Lake Robertville.

Belgium has also many artificial waterways or canals, among others the Brussels–Scheldt Maritime Canal, the Brussels–Charleroi Canal, the Canal du Centre and the Albert Canal in Antwerp.

The Belgian climate, like most of northwest Europe,{{cite journal |author1 =Peel, M. C. |author2 =Finlayson, B. L. |author3 = McMahon, T. A. | year=2007 | title= Updated world map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification | journal=Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. | volume=11 |issue =5 | pages=1633–1644 | url=http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.html | issn = 1027-5606 | doi=10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007|bibcode =2007HESS...11.1633P | doi-access=free }} (direct: [http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf Final Revised Paper]) is maritime temperate, with significant precipitation in all seasons (Köppen climate classification: Cfb; the average temperature is {{convert|3|°C|°F|1|lk=on}} in January, and {{convert|18|°C|°F|1}} in July; the average precipitation is {{convert|65|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} in January, and {{convert|78|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} in July).[http://www.eurometeo.com/english/climate/city_EBBR/id_GT/meteo_brussels_belgium Eurometeo: The meteo at Brussels] Belgium usually has cool winters but temperatures as low as −16 °C (3 °F) have been registered and summers are comfortably warm but temperatures can occasionally rise as high as 30 °C (86 °F).

{{Weather box

|location = Uccle (Brussels-Capital Region) 1991–2020

|width=auto

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|collapsed = Yes

|Jan record high C = 15.3

|Feb record high C = 20.0

|Mar record high C = 24.2

|Apr record high C = 28.7

|May record high C = 34.1

|Jun record high C = 38.8

|Jul record high C = 39.7

|Aug record high C = 36.5

|Sep record high C = 34.9

|Oct record high C = 27.8

|Nov record high C = 20.6

|Dec record high C = 16.7

|year record high C = 39.7

|Jan high C = 6.1

|Feb high C = 7.1

|Mar high C = 10.9

|Apr high C = 15.0

|May high C = 18.4

|Jun high C = 21.2

|Jul high C = 23.2

|Aug high C = 23.0

|Sep high C = 19.5

|Oct high C = 14.9

|Nov high C = 9.9

|Dec high C = 6.6

|year high C =

|Jan mean C = 3.7

|Feb mean C = 4.2

|Mar mean C = 7.1

|Apr mean C = 10.4

|May mean C = 13.9

|Jun mean C = 16.7

|Jul mean C = 18.7

|Aug mean C = 18.4

|Sep mean C = 15.2

|Oct mean C = 11.3

|Nov mean C = 7.2

|Dec mean C = 4.3

|year mean C =

|Jan low C = 1.4

|Feb low C = 1.5

|Mar low C = 3.5

|Apr low C = 6.0

|May low C = 9.2

|Jun low C = 12.0

|Jul low C = 14.1

|Aug low C = 13.9

|Sep low C = 11.3

|Oct low C = 8.1

|Nov low C = 4.6

|Dec low C = 2.1

|year low C =

|Jan record low C = -21.1

|Feb record low C = -18.3

|Mar record low C = -13.6

|Apr record low C = -5.7

|May record low C = -2.2

|Jun record low C = 0.3

|Jul record low C = 4.4

|Aug record low C = 3.9

|Sep record low C = 0.0

|Oct record low C = -6.8

|Nov record low C = -12.8

|Dec record low C = -17.7

|year record low C = -21.1

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 75.5

|Feb precipitation mm = 65.1

|Mar precipitation mm = 59.3

|Apr precipitation mm = 46.7

|May precipitation mm = 59.7

|Jun precipitation mm = 70.8

|Jul precipitation mm = 76.9

|Aug precipitation mm = 86.5

|Sep precipitation mm = 65.3

|Oct precipitation mm = 67.8

|Nov precipitation mm = 76.2

|Dec precipitation mm = 87.4

|year precipitation mm =

|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 18.9

|Feb precipitation days = 16.9

|Mar precipitation days = 15.7

|Apr precipitation days = 13.1

|May precipitation days = 14.7

|Jun precipitation days = 14.1

|Jul precipitation days = 14.3

|Aug precipitation days = 14.3

|Sep precipitation days = 14.1

|Oct precipitation days = 16.1

|Nov precipitation days = 18.3

|Dec precipitation days = 19.4

|year precipitation days =

|Jan snow days = 3.8

|Feb snow days = 4.9

|Mar snow days = 2.7

|Apr snow days = 0.6

|May snow days = 0.0

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 0.1

|Nov snow days = 1.2

|Dec snow days = 3.7

|year snow days =

|Jan humidity = 84.1

|Feb humidity = 80.6

|Mar humidity = 74.8

|Apr humidity = 69.2

|May humidity = 70.2

|Jun humidity = 71.3

|Jul humidity = 71.5

|Aug humidity = 72.4

|Sep humidity = 76.8

|Oct humidity = 81.5

|Nov humidity = 85.1

|Dec humidity = 86.6

|year humidity =

|Jan sun = 59.1

|Feb sun = 72.9

|Mar sun = 125.8

|Apr sun = 171.3

|May sun = 198.3

|Jun sun = 199.3

|Jul sun = 203.2

|Aug sun = 192.4

|Sep sun = 154.4

|Oct sun = 112.6

|Nov sun = 65.8

|Dec sun = 48.6

|year sun =

| Jan uv = 1

| Feb uv = 1

| Mar uv = 3

| Apr uv = 4

| May uv = 6

| Jun uv = 7

| Jul uv = 6

| Aug uv = 6

| Sep uv = 4

| Oct uv = 2

| Nov uv = 1

| Dec uv = 1

|source 1 = Royal Meteorological Institute{{Cite web |title=Normales climatiques à Uccle |url=https://www.meteo.be/fr/climat/climatologie-generale/normales-climatiques-a-uccle/temperature/temperature-moyenne |language=fr |access-date=5 March 2021 |publisher=Royal Meteorological Institute |archive-date=3 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203022242/https://www.meteo.be/fr/climat/climatologie-generale/normales-climatiques-a-uccle/temperature/temperature-moyenne |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |title=Le climat de la Belgique |url=https://www.meteo.be/fr/climat/atlas-climatique/mois-apres-mois/janvier |publisher=Royal Meteorological Institute |language=fr |access-date=5 March 2021 |archive-date=14 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414225811/https://www.meteo.be/fr/climat/atlas-climatique/mois-apres-mois/janvier |url-status=dead }}

|source 2 = Weather Atlas;{{Cite web |publisher=Yu Media Group |title=Brussels, Belgium - Detailed climate information and monthly weather forecast |url=https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/belgium/brussels-climate |access-date=2019-07-02 |website=Weather Atlas |language=en}} 2019 July record high from VRT Nieuws{{Cite news |last=Kristien Bonneure, Johan Droessaert, Gianni Paelinck, Denny Baert |date=25 July 2019 |title=Herlees onze Hitteblog: warmste dag ooit eindigt met chaos door propvolle treinen die terugkeren van de kust |publisher=VRT Nieuws |url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2019/07/25/hitteblog-op-weg-naar-de-warmste-dag-ooit-in-belgie/}}

|date=June 2012

}}

{{Weather box

|width = auto

|location = Antwerp (1981–2010 normals), sunshine 1984–2013

|metric first = y

|single line = y

|collapsed = y

|Jan high C = 6.2

|Feb high C = 7.0

|Mar high C = 10.8

|Apr high C = 14.4

|May high C = 18.4

|Jun high C = 20.9

|Jul high C = 23.2

|Aug high C = 23.1

|Sep high C = 19.7

|Oct high C = 15.3

|Nov high C = 10.1

|Dec high C = 6.6

|year high C = 14.7

|Jan mean C = 3.4

|Feb mean C = 3.7

|Mar mean C = 6.8

|Apr mean C = 9.6

|May mean C = 13.6

|Jun mean C = 16.2

|Jul mean C = 18.5

|Aug mean C = 18.2

|Sep mean C = 15.1

|Oct mean C = 11.3

|Nov mean C = 7.0

|Dec mean C = 4.0

|year mean C = 10.6

|Jan low C = 0.7

|Feb low C = 0.5

|Mar low C = 2.8

|Apr low C = 4.8

|May low C = 8.8

|Jun low C = 11.7

|Jul low C = 13.8

|Aug low C = 13.2

|Sep low C = 10.6

|Oct low C = 7.4

|Nov low C = 4.1

|Dec low C = 1.5

|year low C = 6.7

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 69.3

|Feb precipitation mm = 57.4

|Mar precipitation mm = 63.8

|Apr precipitation mm = 47.1

|May precipitation mm = 61.5

|Jun precipitation mm = 77.0

|Jul precipitation mm = 80.6

|Aug precipitation mm = 77.3

|Sep precipitation mm = 77.2

|Oct precipitation mm = 78.7

|Nov precipitation mm = 79.0

|Dec precipitation mm = 79.5

|year precipitation mm = 848.4

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 12.3

|Feb precipitation days = 10.6

|Mar precipitation days = 12.0

|Apr precipitation days = 9.2

|May precipitation days = 10.6

|Jun precipitation days = 10.4

|Jul precipitation days = 10.2

|Aug precipitation days = 9.9

|Sep precipitation days = 10.3

|Oct precipitation days = 11.4

|Nov precipitation days = 12.9

|Dec precipitation days = 12.8

|year precipitation days = 132.7

|Jan sun = 57

|Feb sun = 77

|Mar sun = 122

|Apr sun = 177

|May sun = 208

|Jun sun = 202

|Jul sun = 214

|Aug sun = 202

|Sep sun = 144

|Oct sun = 116

|Nov sun = 62

|Dec sun = 47

|year sun = 1625

|source 1 = Royal Meteorological Institute

{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170125023508/http://www.meteo.be/resources/climateCity/pdf/climate_INS11002_ANTWERPEN_fr.pdf

| archive-date = 25 January 2017

| url = http://www.meteo.be/resources/climateCity/pdf/climate_INS11002_ANTWERPEN_fr.pdf

| title = Statistiques climatiques des communes belges: Antwerpen (ins 11002)

| publisher = Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium

| language = fr

| access-date = 25 January 2017}}

}}

{{see also|List of mountains and hills in Belgium}}

Belgium's highest point is the Signal de Botrange at 694 metres above the sea level. Other hills in Belgium include the Kemmelberg (159 m high) and the Koppenberg (77 m high) both known as part of the route of the cycle races Gent–Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders respectively.

File:Extreme points Belgium.png

This is a list of the extreme points of Belgium, the points that are farther north, south, east, west, high or low than any other location.

• Northernmost point — Dreef, municipality of Hoogstraten, Antwerp Province
• Southernmost point — Torgny, municipality of Rouvroy, Luxembourg
• Westernmost point — De Panne, West Flanders (also the northernmost point in France)
• Easternmost point — Krewinkel, municipality of Büllingen, Liège Province
• Highest point — Signal de Botrange (694 m)
• Lowest point — De Moeren (−3 m)

The Belgian National Geographic Institute calculated that the central point of Belgium lies at coordinates {{coord|50|38|28|N|4|40|05|E|region:BE_type:landmark}}, in Nil-Saint-Vincent-Saint-Martin in the municipality of Walhain.{{cite web |url=http://www.walhain.be/template.asp?m=2&sm=3&smenu=Centre%20g%E9ographique&tmp=4 |title=Centre géographique – Le Site |language=fr |publisher=Municipality of Walhain |access-date=2007-03-09 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5msIVitEZ?url=http://www.walhain.be/template.asp?m=2 |archive-date=January 18, 2010 |url-status=dead }}

{{main|Demographics of Belgium}}

{{main|Politics of Belgium}}

Natural resources in Belgium include construction materials, silica sand and carbonates. Belgium used to have coal mines. As of 2012, the land use was as follows:

• Arable land: 26.49%
• Permanent crops: 0.79%
• Other: 72.72%

As of 2007, the estimated area of irrigated land was of 233.5 km².

Because of its high population density and location in the centre of Western Europe, Belgium faces serious environmental problems. A 2003 report{{cite magazine

|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3458

|title=Sewage-laden Belgian water worst in world

|date=2003-03-05

|access-date=2006-05-09

|last=Pearce

|first=Fred

|magazine=New Scientist}} suggested that the water in Belgium's rivers was of the lowest quality in Europe, and bottom of the 122 countries studied. The environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities: urbanisation, dense transportation network, industry, extensive animal breeding, and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighbouring countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) have slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges.

In Belgium forest cover is around 23% of the total land area, equivalent to 689,300 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, up from 677,400 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 251,200 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 438,200 hectares (ha). For the year 2015, 47% of the forest area was reported to be under public ownership, 53% private ownership and 0% with ownership listed as other or unknown. {{Cite book |url=https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a6e225da-4a31-4e06-818d-ca3aeadfd635/content |title=Terms and Definitions FRA 2025 Forest Resources Assessment, Working Paper 194 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |year=2023}}

{{main|List of Belgian municipalities by population}}

The main cities in Belgium in terms of population are Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi and Liège. Other notable cities include Bruges, Namur, Leuven, Mons and Mechelen.

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/belgium/ CIA Factbook]
• [http://belgium.fgov.be/ Belgian Federal Govt Online] (accessed Dec. 24, 2006)
• [http://statbel.fgov.be/figures/d110_nl.asp Official statistics of Belgium website] (accessed Dec. 24, 2006)

• [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/europe/belgium.jpg Map of Belgium] from lib.utexas.edu

{{Belgium topics}}

{{Geography of Europe}}

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