Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO.  Belgium covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres (11,787 sq mi), and it has a population of about 10.7 million people.

Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Latin Europe, Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups, the Dutch-speakers, mostly Flemish, and the French-speakers, mostly Walloons, plus a small group of German-speakers. Belgium's two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region, officially bilingual, is a mostly French-speaking enclave within the Flemish Region.  A small German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia.  Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the political history and a complex system of government.