Belgium is a small but densely populated country in Western Europe that serves as the de facto capital of the European Union, hosting the EU's major institutions in Brussels. The country is divided into three linguistic communities — Dutch-speaking Flanders, French-speaking Wallonia, and a small German-speaking area — giving it a complex federal structure. Belgium is celebrated globally for its chocolate, beer, waffles, and its rich tradition of comic art.
Population and area are rounded.
Belgium's colours come from the arms of the Duchy of Brabant: a golden lion with red claws and tongue on a black field. They were used in the Brabant Revolution of 1789 and again in the 1830 revolution that won independence from the Netherlands. The vertical layout, adopted in 1831, was probably inspired by the French tricolour. The official 13:15 proportions are unusual and rarely followed; most Belgian flags are made at 2:3.
Vertical black-yellow-red stripes. Germany's similar colours are horizontal.
Belgium has more comic book artists per square kilometre than any other country.
Belgium's flag is often mixed up with these. Learn to tell them apart:
Every flag that has flown over Belgium, from today back through time.
Belgium's vertical black-yellow-red tricolor was adopted at independence in 1831. The colours derive from the ducal arms of Brabant — a golden lion on black — combined with red from the arms of Hainaut. It's unusually tall and narrow compared to most flags (13:15 ratio), and the black stripe is on the hoist side — the only national flag with black in that position.
After Napoleon's defeat, the Congress of Vienna merged the Austrian Netherlands (roughly modern Belgium) and the Dutch Republic into the United Kingdom of the Netherlands under King William I. The Dutch orange-white-blue flag (displayed as red-white-blue) flew over Belgian territory. The forced union proved deeply unpopular — language, religion, and economic policies all divided north from south, leading to the Belgian Revolution of 1830.
The 1789 Brabantine Revolution against Austrian rule briefly created the United Belgian States. The revolutionary flag took the black, yellow, and red from the coat of arms of the Duchy of Brabant and arranged them horizontally (black on top, as in the Brabant arms). After Belgium's eventual independence in 1830, the revolutionary tradition was honoured but the stripes were turned vertical — creating today's distinctive flag.
Empires, kingdoms and republics that once covered part of Belgium.
A neutral zinc-mining territory jointly administered by Prussia and the Netherlands (later Belgium) after the Congress of Vienna. Its flag is a black-white-blue tricolor.
A short-lived confederation born of the Brabant Revolution against Austrian rule; its black-yellow-red colors were the direct forerunner of the modern Belgian flag.
The 11 states, provinces and regions of Belgium with their own flags.
Brussels-Capital Region
Antwerp
Hainaut
Limburg
Liège
Luxembourg
Namur
West Flanders
East Flanders
Flemish Brabant
Walloon BrabantBelgium shares a land border with 4 countries: France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
2 other national flags use the same main colours as Belgium's.
Play Globalio and learn Belgium's flag
Germany
Cameroon
France
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Angola