Part 70

Age structure: 0-14 years: 18% (male 930,919; female 886,632) 15-64 years: 66% (male 3,380,105; female 3,326,853) 65 years and over: 16% (male 663,760; female 981,972) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.33% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 10.3 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female all ages: 0.96 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.09 years male: 73.86 years female: 80.51 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.69 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality: noun: Belgian(s) adjective: Belgian

Ethnic divisions: Fleming 55%, Walloon 33%, mixed or other 12%

Religions: Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%

Languages: Dutch 56%, French 32%, German 1%, legally bilingual 11% (divided along ethnic lines)

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.) total population: 99% male: NA% female: NA%

Government ----------

Name of country: conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium conventional short form: Belgium local long form: Royaume de Belgique local short form: Belgique

Data code: BE

Type of government: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Brussels

Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Flemish: provincien, singular - provincie); Antwerpen, Brabant, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen, West-Vlaanderen note: constitutional reforms passed by Parliament in 1993 increased the number of provinces to 10 by splitting the province of Brabant into two new provinces, Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant

Independence: 4 October 1830 (from the Netherlands)

National holiday: National Day, 21 July (ascension of King LEOPOLD to the throne in 1831)

Constitution: 7 February 1831, last revised 14 July 1993; parliament approved a constitutional package creating a federal state

Legal system: civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch: chief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993) is a constitutional monarch head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Luc DEHAENE (since 6 March 1992) was appointed by the king and then approved by Parliament cabinet: Cabinet is appointed by the king and approved by Parliament

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament Senate (Flemish - Senaat French - Senat): elections last held 21 May 1995 (next to be held by the end of 1999); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (71 total, 40 directly elected; 31 will be indirectly elected at a later date) CVP 7, SP 6, VLD 6, VU 2, AGALEV 1, VB 3, PS 5, PRL 5, PSC 3, ECOLO 2; note - before the 1995 elections, there were 184 seats Chamber of Deputies(Flemish - Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordig: elections last held 21 May 1995 (next to be held by the end of 1999); results - CVP 17.2%, PS 11.9%, SP 12.6%, VLD 13.1%, PRL 10.3%, PSC 7.7%, VB 7.8%, VU 4.7%, ECOLO 4.0%, AGALEV 4.4%, FN 2.3%; seats - (150 total) CVP 29, PS 21, SP 20, VLD 21, PRL 18, PSC 12, VB 11, VU 5, ECOLO 6, AGALEV 5, FN 2; note - before the 1995 elections, there were 212 seats

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Flemish - Hof van Cassatie, French - Cour de Cassation), judges are appointed for life by the Belgian monarch