Belgium |  |
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Belgium | |
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| capital: | Brussels |
| geographic coordinates: | 50 50 N, 4 20 E |
| time difference: | UTC + 1 |
| daylight saving time: | +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
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Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy. |