About Belgium |
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For centuries Belgium has been influenced by its larger neighbours. This region has been fought over in countless wars and occupied by many different foreign powers, including the dukes of Burgundy, the Spanish Habsburgs, and the French. Some of the fiercest battles in European history have been fought on Belgian soil: Waterloo in 1815, the Ypres Salient between 1914 and 1918, and the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. After centuries of foreign domination, Belgium finally gained independence in 1830. This small kingdom grew into one of the most prosperous countries in Europe, particularly under King Leopold II, who used wealth from the Congo to embellish Brussels, Antwerp, and Ostend. Devastated by two world wars, Belgium was a founding member of the European Economic Community and NATO; most of the institutions of the modern European Union are located in Brussels. |
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