"The Kingdom of Belgium" Belgium by Muya

Even if its size only reaches 32.545 km² for a population of +/-10.260.000 inhabitants, my home country has a lot to offer to you ! So many tiny villages (or spots) totally unknown by the tourists and ignored by tour-operators rushing from Brussels to Bruges. Definitely, Belgium is really worth a deeper visit. Take the time to wander in Flanders, stroll along the North Sea shores, discover our wonderful Ardennes, the Fagnes, and all the beautiful medieval cities scattered all around our little kingdom.

Map of Belgium

Mainly, Belgium is divided into 9 provinces and 3 regions : Bruxelles Capitale in the center and 2 others, dividing the country into two language communities : a Flemish-speaking part – Flanders, in the North of the country – and a French-speaking part – Wallonia, in the South. Things haven’t always been perfect between the two communities. In Flanders, some people (or should I say politicians ?) think they’d be better off without Wallonia and that’s exactly what some people in Wallonia think about Flanders. Such a small country and so many linguistic tensions ! In my opinion, one part is nothing without the other… and besides, the country has shown its ability of solidarity in the Dutroux case in 1996. There were no Walloons or Flemish anymore, just a united Belgian population marching the streets in memory of all the little girls killed by this monster. This makes me confident about the links that unite the people of my country, we still have a future together !

How Manneken Pis learns about geography

As you can see on the picture, Manneken Pis likes to see the world and discover different cultures, just like me… but seeing the world starts with a good knowledge of ones own country ! Writing pages for VT made me want to know my country better, discover places I had never been to and get more information about things I thought I knew. It really made me see things differently ! I’ll try to update this page each time go to a different spot in Belgium, so you can have a global view on the places worth going to (click on the link in the Must See Activities to get more information in the related travel page). So come by from time to time to see what’s new on my Belgium pages. I hope you’ll enjoy travelling with me through one of the smallest countries in Europe…as much as I enjoy writing those pages for you :-)

• Pros:A charming little country
• Cons:Bad weather...most of the time ;-)
• In a nutshell:A place where I like to live