for kids – Catius

What/where is Belgium?

Belgium is a country in Europe. It is a monarchy and a member of the European Union. The country has borders with France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Belgium on model of Earth

The country is made up of three regions which are organised and run separately. Brussels is the capital city and has its own region. Brussels is famous for being the base for the European Union, as well as other institutions like NATO.

Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium

Above is a picture of the Grand Place in Brussels, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The other two regions in Belgium are the French-speaking Wallonia, and the Dutch-speaking Flanders. The third official language is German.

The population of Belgium is just over 11 million people.

The Belgian flag.

Flag of Belgium

For more further reading, please click link below.

Wikipedia entry on Belgium

If you would like a list of facts on Belgium, please click on the link below.

Fun facts from Eupedia on Belgium

Who was Mozart?

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an Austrian classical musical composer born in 1756. He started composing from 5 years of age and was considered a musical genius.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart cartoon character. Vector Illustration. Kids Collection.

Mozart was born in Salzburg and lived there in the early part of his life. He is often associated with Vienna, where he moved to in his late teens.

He wrote many symphonies, operas and concertos and his music is very well known the world over and still to this day.

He was only 35 when he died in 1791. He died of an unknown illness.

For a video on his life and some clips of his music, please see below.

Who was St Andrew?

In the Bible, Andrew the Apostle was one of the disciples of Jesus Christ. He was one of the closest disciples to Christ and was at the Last Supper.

Saint Andrew Figure at Osorno Church in Chile

He is associated with Scotland as it is believed his remains were taken there in around 700AD to the place now known as St Andrews. The Scottish Flag, also known as the Saltire, is based on the Cross of St Andrew. St Andrew was meant to have been crucified on a cross of that shape.

Scottish flag blowing in the wind

He is also the patron saint of other countries too, including Romania, Ukraine and Bulgaria. The 30th of November is St Andrew’s Day.

For a video of his story, please see below.

Are there any countries with exactly the same number of boys and girls?

Worldwide there are more boys than girls. It is believed that for every 100 girls born, 107 boys are born. Over time, the populations even out a bit due to differing factors, for example war, accidents etc.

Due to populations being measured in millions, the chance of having exactly the same number of each is highly unlikely. Studies over the years have seen some trends in certain parts for the world. Caribbean countries like Barbados, Haiti and Aruba have tended to have more girls than boys. China and India tend to have more boys than girls. Central African countries like Zambia and DPR Congo tend to have a split closer to 50/50.

Six happy children

Click here for more in depth reading from Science ABC

For a video explanation, please see below.