ABSTRACT
The kingdom of Belgium is a small but densely populated country in Western Europe that was established in 1830, after gaining independence from the Netherlands. In the course of its history this part of Europe was ruled by Celts, Romans, Franks, Carolingians, Spanish, Austrians, French and Dutch. Borders between Latin and Germanic cultures are still crossing the country. Most of the Dutch-speaking Belgians live in the north, French-speaking Belgians mainly live in the south and a small group of German-speaking Belgians inhabit the east of the country. This linguistic diversity resulted into still-active political conflicts forming the bases of a complex system of government, resulting in far-reaching reforms of the formerly unitary Belgian state into a federal state.
