| Location | Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands |
| Geographic coordinates | 50 50 N, 4 00 E |
| Map references | Europe |
| Area | total: 30,528 sq km land: 30,278 sq km water: 250 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about the size of Maryland |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,297 km border countries (4): France 556 km, Germany 133 km, Luxembourg 130 km, Netherlands 478 km |
| Coastline | 66.5 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: geographic coordinates define outer limit continental shelf: median line with neighbors |
| Climate | temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy |
| Terrain | flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Botrange 694 m lowest point: North Sea 0 m mean elevation: 181 m |
| Natural resources | construction materials, silica sand, carbonates, arable land |
| Land use | agricultural land: 44.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 27.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 16.1% (2018 est.) forest: 22.4% (2018 est.) other: 33.5% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 230 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 18.3 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes |
| Geography - note | crossroads of Western Europe; most West European capitals are within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and NATO |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
