Belgium may not be very high in tourism, but is a well-known country. It is known for their Belgian waffles and chocolates. The Belgian people are high in culture and are very proud of their country.
Belgium is located on the continent of Europe. Its official name is the Kingdom of Belgium and its capital is Brussels. Its population is nine hundred seventy-six thousand, five hundred thirty-six people. Belgium borders the Netherlands, Germany, France, and the North Sea.
Belgium is rich in culture. People in Belgium have freedom of religion and Ninety-eight percent of the people are Catholic. One hundred, fifty thousand people are Protestant, and forty thousand people are Jewish. Belgian people are big meat eaters and huge beer drinkers. In fact, Belgian people drink more beer than any other national group except Germany. Their favorite dishes are carbonades, which is beef stewed in beer and waterzooi, which is chicken or fish chowder. Belgian people speak either Dutch, French, or German. .
There are many festivals in Belgium. One of the most popular festivals is the March of the Gilles. During the March of the Gilles boys and men dress up in brightly colored suits and they wear hats filled with ostrich feathers. They throw oranges at people in the crowd and boys that aren't dressed up blow up sheep bladders and hit anyone not wearing a fancy hat. The Gilles supposedly represent the Inca Indians who were defeated and the oranges represent gold taken by the Spanish. Also, the towns people leave their doors open so some guests can call into the house and have a glass of champagne. Another popular festival is the Cat Festival, which is held each May in Ypres. During the Cat Festival people throw toy cats off of the Cloth Hall, which is a tall building. This festival represents the time in which people threw cats off of the Cloth Hall because there was too many. Also during the festival a mock witch is burned at the stake and there is a large firework show afterwards.