Belgium Lana Jessica

Royaume de Belgique Belgium-  Capitol : Brussels ( largest city)  Official Languages: Dutch,French and German  Government: Federal Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy King- Albert II Prime Minister-Elio Di Rup  Independence: Declared from the Netherlands 21 July 1831  Population: Est ,041,266

Life in Belgium Belgium is not a homogeneous country with one national identity. As such, it is therefore difficult to give a general overview that applies to all Belgians. Each area will have its own particularities. The three predominant cultures are: 1) in north, Flanders - primarily Dutch, 2)in the south, Wallonia - primarily French and 3) the northeast - primarily German influenced. The following are brief aspects that are applicable to all areas. Belgian Family Values o Family plays a central role in most Belgians' lives. o The obligation to the family is a person's first priority. o Many people remain in the town in which they were raised, which creates close extended families. Appearances Matter o Appearances are important to Belgians. o They can often be seen washing the pavement or steps in front of their house or even sweeping the street. o Cleanliness is a matter of national pride. o Belgians take great pride in their houses. To have overgrown hedges or untidy gardens would disgrace the family and insult their neighbours. o Belgians take pride in their personal appearance too. They dress well and are concerned with the impression they make on others

Belgian cuisine Belgian cuisine is widely varied with significant regional variations while also reflecting the cuisines of neighbouring France, Germany and the Netherlands. It is sometimes said that Belgian food is served in the quantity of German cuisine but with quality of French food.[1][2] Outside the country, Belgium is best known for its chocolate and beer. Belgian cuisine traditionally prises regional and seasonal ingredients, leading to distinctive dishes like Carbonade flamande in Flanders or couque biscuit of the town of Dinant. Belgians typically eat three meals a day, with a light breakfast, light or medium sized lunch and large dinner.

Religion Christianity, in particular Catholicism, is the biggest religion in Belgium with about 57% of the population adhering to the Catholic Church, 1.7% to Protestantism, and 0.3% to Orthodox Christian Churches in the 2000s. Belgium has a separation between the Church and State, and freedom of religion. Consequently, the State cannot force someone to adhere to a certain religion nor can it ask someone to which he or she adheres. The second largest religion is Islam with 6% of the resident population being Muslim, or even 8.1% as of 2011 (considering all the immigrant people with Islamic background).

Geographic Features Belgium is a federal state located in Western Europe, bordering the North Sea. Belgium shares borders with France (620 km), Germany (167 km), Luxembourg (148 km) and the Netherlands (450 km). Belgium comprises the regions of Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. Belgium has three main geographical regions: the coastal plain in the north-west, the central plateau, and the Ardennes uplands in the south-east. The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes and polders. Polders are areas of land, close to or below sea level that have been reclaimed from the sea, from which they are protected by dikes or, further inland, by fields that have been drained with canals. The second geographical region, the central plateau, lies further inland. This is a smooth, slowly rising area that has many fertile valleys and is irrigated by many waterways. Here one can also find rougher land, including caves and small gorges. The third geographical region, called the Ardennes, is more rugged than the first two. It is a thickly forested plateau, very rocky and not very good for farming, which extends into northern France and in Germany where it is named Eifel. This is where much of Belgium's wildlife can be found. Belgium's highest point, the Signal de Botrange is located in this region at only 694 meters (2,277 ft). Belgium has relatively few natural lakes, and none of any great size.

Why is French spoken here? The second-most spoken primary (Belgian) language, used natively by almost 40% of the population, is French. It is the official language of the French Community (which, like the Flemish Community, is a political entity), the dominant language in Wallonia (having also a small German- speaking Community) as well as the Brussels-Capital Region. Almost all of the inhabitants of the Capital region speak French as either their primary language (50%) or as a lingua franca (45%).There are also many Flemish people who speak French as a second language. Belgian French is in most respects identical to standard, Parisian French, but differs in some points of vocabulary, pronunciation, and semantics.

Belgium Fashion Week 2013 Anthony VaccarelloChristian Wijnants

Belgium Fashion Week 2013 Models present a creation by Belgian designer Raf Simons as part of his Fall-Winter women's ready-to-wear fashion show for French house Dior during Paris fashion

Peter Philips "Makeup, like fashion, is a nonstop moving organism, so textures and formulas evolve," "I just need to update it with time." Born in Antwerp in Belgium, Peter Philips was the global creative director of Chanel Make-up.He had range of trend-setting collections has recently included the 2009 sell- out nail polish colour Jade Le Vernis - a bottle of which was reportedly resold on eBay for $100. —don't forget the waiting-list-only temporary tattoos from the recent Spring show. Chanel’s cotton candy Marie-Antoinette The Chanel 2013 resort collection held at the Palace of Versailles was all about Marie-Antoinette. The collection was a joke, but the poppy Marie- Antoinette makeup with cotton candy colored wigs and the interlocking c’s on some of the model’s cheeks were immediately trending on all beauty blogs. The pinks in the collection became the main theme in the Chanel beauty resort collection with a beautiful rose petal blush, a pink lip stick and a soft pink nail polish stressing the freshness of the rebellious young French queen.

“.” Belgian Celebrities Audrey Hepburn I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles Actress, fashion icon, and philanthropist Audrey Hepburn was born on May 4, 1929, in Brussels, Belgium. At age 22, she starred in the Broadway production of Gigi. Two years later, she starred in the film Roman Holiday (1953) with Gregory Peck. In 1961, she set new fashion standards as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Hepburn is one of the few actresses to win an Emmy, Tony, Grammy, and Academy Award.