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Turn the pages of the guide.
 
What is a Personal Planner?
Other Resources
Plug-In Belguim:
a wonderful e-zine covering all aspects of Belgian culture.
Ping:
a Belgian Internet service provider with many cool homepages.
Tintin:
this famous comic strip character was Belgian.
Belgian Culture:
a well written essay on the Belgian character.
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The Berkeley Guides:
Berkeley Guide to Europe:
Belgium
By Joshua Skov
The most obvious difference between Belgium's two very distinct population groups--the Flemish in the north and the Walloons in the south--is language: Northerners speak Flemish, a Dutch dialect, and southerners speak French. But you'll notice further differences in everything from architecture to politics. The two regions don't even share a common history: Each has been controlled by different ruling families (from Burgundy, Spain, Vienna, and elsewhere) at various periods. A mild war of independence with the Netherlands in 1830 established the new country, but Belgium hasn't developed a national identity that supersedes regional loyalties. In fact, the country recently transformed itself into a federation composed of Flanders, Wallonie, and Brussels, and a number of Flemish and Walloons want two completely separate countries. Luckily, Belgium's political problems haven't led to any kind of violence, and the chances of this country becoming the next Yugoslavia, torn apart by civil war, are slim.
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