When talking of tourism, many people think of France, Germany, or England, etc. Unfortunately, many people skip over one of the more important countries in the EU (European Union), Belgium! Other than Europeans, many people don't realize that Belgium is the capital of the EU, sort of like the Washington D.C. of Europe. Belgium is run by a parliamentary system, although they still have the traditional king and queen. Currently the king of Belgium is King Albert II. Belgium is a country that is split into two main regions; Flanders to the north, and Wallonia to the south. There is also a small German speaking portion along the south eastern border near Germany. Flanders is traditionally known for their beautiful tapestries, beautiful medieval towns, and their World War 1 battle sites. The people of flanders speak a dialect of Dutch known as Flemish. Some great tourist cities of Flanders include Gent and Brugge. Wallonia to the south is the French speaking part of Belgium. This is the part that I lived in, for the two years that I was there. I lived in a town called Waterloo which many people may know to be where Napoleon Bonaparte was finally beaten by the English. Another big historical town of Wallonia is Bastogne, where the World War II battle of the bulge took place. Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is the centerpiece of the entire country, literally. Brussels splits the country into it's respective two regions. There is no language barrier here, however, most of the people will be found speaking French.
http://astro.temple.edu/~dcm/european-union-flag.gif (European Union Flag)
http://www.33ff.com/flags/XL_flags/Belgium_flag.gif (Belgian Flag)
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