1. Beer: There are over 800 different types of beer brewed in Belgium. An average Belgian consumes 150 liters of beer per year. The world’s first beer academy opened in 1999 in Herk-de-Stad, Belgium
2. Education: Belgium is one of the few countries in the world where schooling is compulsory until the age of 18
3. Chocolate: Belgium produces 220,000 tons of chocolate per year, which equates to 22 kg per capita. The world-famous ‘pralines’ were invented by Swiss Jean Neuhaus in Brussels in 1912. Brussels Airport is the world’s largest chocolate retailer (800 tons per year)
4. BMI: The Body Mass Index was invented between 1830 and 1850 by Belgian scientist Adolphe Quételet and is still used today to indicate a person’s ideal weight
5. The saxophone: The saxophone was invented in 1846 by Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax (who also gave his name to the instrument)
Fact: The cartoon character Tintin was created by Belgian artist Hergé
6. Tintin: The comic book character Tintin was created by Belgian artist Hergé (whose real name was Georges Prosper Remi). More than 200 million copies of the ‘Adventures of Tintin’ album series have been sold
7. Citizenships: Next to Canada, Belgium is the country in the world that grants the most new citizenships every year
8. UNESCO: There are 11 locations in Belgium which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
9. Regions: Belgium is divided into 3 regions: Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. Flanders and Wallonia are the largest regions and are each divided into 5 provinces, which in turn are divided into municipalities. Brussels is the capital region
10. Language disputes: Although the official language border between Dutch, French and German was established in 1963, there has always been a language dispute between the French and Flemish-speaking Belgians. The reasons for the dispute are not only linguistic, but also social, political, economic and historical
The inventor of the saxophone, Adolphe Sax, came from the town of Dinant in Belgium
