Belgium

Belgium

The Kingdom of Belgium (Dutch: Koninkrijk België, French: Royaume de Belgique, German: Königreich Belgien) is a country in Western Europe that is bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France, and the North Sea. Belgium has a population of over ten million people in only thirty thousand square kilometres, making it the 17th most densely populated country in the world. It ranked sixth on the 2004 UN Human Development Index.

Belgium straddles the cultural boundary between Germanic and Romance Europe. As a result, the country is linguistically and culturally split. It has two main languages: Dutch in Flanders to the north and French in the Wallonia to the south. To the east is an officially recognised minority of German speakers; the capital of Belgium, the Brussels-Capital Region, is legally bilingual. This linguistic diversity, which often leads to political conflict, is reflected in Belgium's complex institutions and political history. Belgium is the host of three prominent international organisations: NATO, the European Union and EUROCONTROL.

History of Belgium

Belgium is at the crossroads of Europe, both geographically and culturally; for 2,000 years it has been a pathway for the vast cultural shifts that have moved across the continent. Consequently, Belgium is one of Europe's true melting pots. Politically, during its history, Belgium has been part of the Low Countries, which also comprises the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Independence

Though Belgium takes its name from the first named inhabitants of the Low Countries, the Belgae, a group of mostly Celtic tribes, and of the Gallia Belgica, the Roman province in northern Gaul created at their approximative territories, the history of Belgium began to be distinct of the history of the Low Countries (and of the Burgundian Netherlands) much later, during the 16th century.

Following the Campaigns of 1794 of the French Revolutionary Wars, the entire region (including territories that were never under Habsburg rule, like the Bishopric of Liège) was overrun by France, ending the existence of this territory as the Spanish/Austrian Netherlands. The civil uprising called the Flemish peasants war (boerenkrijg) against the French conquerors is seen by many as the birth of the Flemish movement. The reunification of the Low Countries, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, was decided during the Congress of Vienna in 1815, after the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. However, after the Belgian Revolution of 1830, the southern provinces separated and became the independent state of Belgium.

From Independence to World War II

The Belgian Revolution was a conflict in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands that began with a riot in Brussels in August 1830 and eventually led to the establishment of an independent, Catholic and neutral Belgium. William I, king of the Netherlands, refused to recognise a Belgian state until the Treaty of London in 1839.

Since 1831, Belgium has been a constitutional monarchy. From the revolution to World War II, the democratic system evolved from an oligarchy characterised by two main parties, the Catholics and the Liberals, to a universal parliamentary democracy which has included a further party, the Belgian Labour Party, and a strong role for the trade unions.

The country experienced a fast expanding industrialisation, particularly in the French-speaking regions of Liège and Charleroi, with the development of steel and mining industries. By the 1840s, however, the textile industry of Flanders was in severe crisis. Famine in Flanders (1846-1850) forced many Flemings to emigrate, mostly to Wallonia.

Originally, Belgium had only one official language, French, which was the adopted language of the nobility and the bourgeoisie. The country has since evolved a bilingual system and Dutch now enjoys official status in addition to French.

Belgium possessed one primary foreign colony, the Congo Free State, later called the Belgian Congo, which was given to King Leopold II in 1885. The local population was brutalised in the quest for rubber, which had a growing market with the development of rubber tyres. Leopold's ruthless exploitation represents one of the worst legacies of European colonialism and the king's reputation has suffered accordingly [1].

Belgium's neutrality was violated in 1914, when Germany invaded Belgium as part of the Schlieffen Plan. The former German colonies, Ruanda-Urundi (now Rwanda and Burundi), were occupied by the Belgian Congo in 1916. They were mandated in 1924 to Belgium by the League of Nations. Belgium tried to return to neutrality in the 1930s, but was once again invaded by Germany in 1940. Belgium did not put up much resistance to the German blitzkrieg offensive.

During the war and the early Cold War, Belgium became an important partner of the United States on account of the huge reserves of uranium in Katanga, (a province of the Belgian Congo). These reserves were of huge importance to theManhattan Project.

From World War II

After World War II, the policy of neutrality was abandoned, and Belgium joined NATO and Benelux. It was also one of the founding members of the European Economic Community. Belgium hosts the headquarters of NATO and a major part of the European Union's institutions and administrations, including the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and most of the sessions of the European Parliament.

After World War II, Belgium, and in particular Flanders, benefited massively from American support through the Marshall Plan and subsequent massive American investment. The Belgian Congo gained its independence in 1960 during the Congo Crisis, while Ruanda-Urundi became independent in 1962. Till the 1970s, the Belgian economy was prosperous. The Belgian steel industry has since undergone a prolonged and serious crisis. This has been responsible for limiting the economic development of Wallonia.

During the 20th century, and in particular since World War II, the history of Belgium became more and more dominated by the increasing autonomy of its two main communities, the Dutch- and the French-speaking segments of the population. Since around 1970, there are no longer significant national Belgian political parties, but only Dutch- or French-speaking parties (and one German-speaking party). As such, the political landscape shows a near-perfect dual political system, reflecting the two underlying dominant communities. The period has also seen a rise in intercommunal tensions and the continual unity of the Belgian state has come under scrutiny as a result

Politics of Belgium

Guy Verhofstadt, Prime Minister since July 1999Belgium is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy which evolved after World War II from a unitary state to a federal state. The bicameral Belgian Federal Parliament is composed of the Senate and the Chamber of Representatives. The former corresponds to a mix of directly-elected senior politicians and representatives of the communities and regions, while the latter proportionally represents all Belgians older than 18. Voting is compulsory.

The Belgian federal government, formally nominated by the king, must have the confidence of the Chamber of Deputies. It is chaired by the Prime Minister. The numbers of Dutch- and French-speaking ministers are equal. The judicial system is a civil law system, originally based on the Napoleonic Code. The Court of Appeals is one level under the Court of Cassation, based on the model of the French Court of Cassation which is similar to a supreme court.

Belgium's political institutions are complex, but the majority of political power is organised with the two main communities: the Flemings and their political parties; and the French speakers and their parties. Nearly all political parties in Belgium belong to one of these two communities. The political landscape within each community is basically shared among three political parties: the Liberals (right wing), the Christian Democrats (centrists) and the Social Democrats (left wing). Other important younger parties are the Green parties and, especially in Flanders, the nationalist and far right parties. Politics is strongly influenced by many powerful lobbies, like the trade unions, the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium, and numerous other associations.

The current king, Albert II, succeeded King Baudouin in 1993. Guy Verhofstadt (VLD) has been Prime Minister since 1999. From the 1999 election to the 2003 election, Verhofstadt chaired a Liberal-Social Democrat-Greens six-party coalition called the rainbow government. This has been the first government without the Christian Democrats since 1958 [4]. Since 2003, he has been leading a Liberal-Social Democrat coalition of four parties:

VLD (Flemish Liberals)

PS (French-speaking Social Democrats)

MR (French-speaking Liberals)

SP.a-Spirit (cartel of Flemish Social Democrats and Flemish nationalists).

The opposition is made up of six parties:

CD&V (Flemish Christian Democrats)

Vlaams Belang (Flemish far right nationalists, qualified as racists in 2004 by the Ghent court of appeal [5] [6])

CDH (French-speaking Christian Democrats)

Ecolo (French-speaking Green Party)

N-VA (Flemish nationalists)

National Front (French-speaking far right)[7].

Among some representative achievements of the two successive Verhofstadt governments can be listed:

the maintaining of a balanced budget;

a thorough reform of the police and the justice;

an active diplomacy in Africa and during the Iraq disarmament crisis;

the creation of the Belgian Food Agency [8];

the nuclear phase-out legislation;

the recognition of same-sex marriages; and new legislations with respect to euthanasia and war crimes. Both legislatures are also marked by disputes between both Belgian communities. The major ones are the disagreements concerning nocturnal air traffic routes at the Brussels Airport and the status of the contentious electoral district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde.

Communities, regions and provinces of Belgium

The constitution was revised on 14 July 1993 to create a federal state and several governmental entities have been created. Apart from the Belgian federal government, there are subdivisions into Communities according to language:

the French Community of Belgium (French);

the Flemish Community of Belgium (Dutch); and

the German-speaking Community of Belgium (German).

Another subdivisions, based on regions, are:

the Walloon Region;

the Flemish Region; and

the Brussels-Capital Region.

The Flemish Community absorbed in the Flemish Region in 1980 to form one government (see Flanders, [9]). Furthermore, two peculiarties are to be noted: the territory of the Brussels-Capital Region is included in both Flemish and French Communities and the territory of the German-speaking Community is utterly included in the Walloon Region.

The different governments share their competences according to the following scheme (conflicts between the different bodies are solved by the Court of Arbitration):

Federal government: Jurisdiction over foreign affairs, development aid, defence/military, police, economy, social welfare, security (including pensions, health care, social aid and employment controls), transport (including railways and air transport), energy, telecommunications, scientific research (partially), limited competencies in education and culture, as well as strict control over taxation by regional authorities; the federal government controls more than 90 per cent of all taxation. Community governments: Language, culture and education. (e.g. schools, libraries, theatres, etc.) Regional governments: Land- and property-based issues within their area (regional economy, zoning, housing, transportation, etc.) and international trade. A school building in Brussels belonging to the public school system, for example, would be regulated by the regional government of Brussels. But the school as an institution would fall under the regulations of either the Flemish government, if the primary language of teaching is Dutch, or the French Community government, if the primary language is French. It is a complex, somewhat unstable and expensive, but peaceful compromise that allows distinctly different cultures to live together.

Geography of Belgium

Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges and Namur are the seven largest cities of Belgium, with populations above 100,000Belgium, with an area of 30,528 km², has three main physical regions:

the coastal plain (located in the north-west);
the central plateau; and
the Ardennes uplands (located in the south-east).
The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes and polders. Polders are areas of land, close to or below sea level, that have been reclaimed from the sea from which they are protected by dikes or, further inland, fields that have been drained by canals.

The second physical region, the central plateau, lays further inland. This is a smooth, slowly rising area which has many fertile valleys and is irrigated by many waterways. Here one can also find rougher land, including caves and small gorges.

Landscape in the Hautes Fagnes, in the ArdennesThe third physical region, called the Ardennes, is somewhat more rugged than the first two. It is a thickly forested plateau, very rocky and not very good for farming, which extends into northern France. This is where much of Belgium's wildlife can be found.

The two main rivers in Belgium are the Scheldt (on which Antwerp lies) and the Meuse. Although generally flat, the terrain becomes increasingly hilly and forested in the south-east (Ardennes) region, where one can find Belgium's highest point, the Signal de Botrange at only 694 metres.

The climate is maritime temperate, with significant precipitation in all seasons (Köppen climate classification: Cfb; average temperature in January: 3°C, in July: 18°C; average; precipitations in January: 65mm, in July: 78mm

Economy of Belgium

Densely populated, Belgium is located at the heart of one of the world's most highly industrialised regions.

Built in 1958 in Brussels, the Atomium represents a cell of an iron crystal and stands for a symbol of the Belgian economic success and, in particular, its flourishing steel industry in the 1950sBelgium was the first continental European country to undergo an industrial revolution in the early 1800s. Liège and Charleroi developed a rapidly growing mining and steel-making industry which flourished till the mid-20th century. After WW II, Ghent and Antwerp exhibited a fast expansion of the chemical and petroleum industry. In the 1980s and 1990s, the economic centre of the country continued to shift northwards to Flanders. Now industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north.

The 1973 and 1979 oil crises sent the economy into a period of prolonged recession. In the 1980s, the successive governments reacted with poor macroeconomic policies. As a result, cumulative government debt reached 121% of GDP by the end of the 1980s [11]. Now public debt is nearly 100% of GDP. On the positive side, the government has succeeded in balancing its budget. In 2004, the GDP-real growth rate was estimated at 2.7% [12] but is expected to fall to 1.4% in 2005 .

Belgium developed an excellent transportation infrastructure of ports, canals, railways, and highways to integrate its industry with that of its neighbours. Antwerp is the second largest European port.

One of the founding members of the European Union, Belgium strongly supports deepening the powers of the EU to integrate European economies. Belgium adopted the euro, the single European currency, in January 1999, and the Belgian franc was completely replaced by euro coins and banknotes in early 2002.

The economy in Belgium greatly depends on its imports and exports. Its main imports are food products, machinery, rough diamonds, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, clothing and accessories, and textiles. Its main exports are automobiles, food and food products, iron and steel, diamonds, textiles, plastics, petroleum products, and nonferrous metals. Trade is made together with Luxembourg, because these two countries created a customs and currency union in 1922. Its main trading partners are Germany, The Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States and Spain.

Demographics of Belgium

The population density (342 per km²) is one of the highest in Europe, after the Netherlands and some smaller countries such as Monaco. The areas with the highest population density are around the Brussels-Antwerp-Ghent-Leuven agglomerations, as well as other important urban centres as Liège, Charleroi, Kortrijk, Bruges, Hasselt and Namur. The Ardennes have the lowest density. In 2005, the Flemish Region has a population of about 6,043,161, Wallonia 3,395,942 and Brussels 1,006,749.[14] Almost all the population is considered as urban (97.3% in 1999[15]). The main cities and their population are Brussels (1,006,749), Antwerp (457,749), Ghent (230,951), Charleroi (201,373), and Liège (185,574)

Belgium has three official languages, one for each community: Dutch, French and German. About 60 per cent of the country is Dutch-speaking. French is the second most spoken language (by about 40%) and German is spoken by less than 1 per cent of the population. But these figures must be taken with care because the most recent linguistic census was before 1960, and the mother tongue is not always the same as the language used in public or in official life. This applies especially to the many minority groups who more or less kept their cultural identity, the oldest being the Jews (20,000), established in Antwerp since the Middle Ages,[17] and various, more recent migrant communities such as:

Italians (280,000);

Moroccans (105,000);

Portuguese (80,000);

Spaniards (70,000);

Turks (63,600);

Kabyles (49,000);

Kurdish (22,000);

Chinese (14,000);

Algerians (10,800);

people from Democratic Republic of the Congo (10,000); and

other smaller ethnic groups

Brussels, the capital, is officially French-Dutch bilingual, but mostly French speaking. It evolved from a Dutch-speaking place, when the Belgian state became independent in 1830, to its current dominantly French character.

Both the Dutch spoken in Belgium and the Belgian French have small vocabulary and semantic nuances from the varieties spoken in France and the Netherlands. Many can still speak Flemish or Walloon dialects, which are often difficult to understand for people from other areas. The regional languages officially recognised in Wallonia are Walloon, Champenois, Gaumais, and Picard. Some authorities, such as the SIL International, consider that a proportion of the people along the border with Luxembourg, speak Luxembourgish and that the provinces of West Flanders and Limburg also have their own Flemish and Limburgish languages [19]. In contrast to the Netherlands, where Limburgish is an official regional language, Limburgish is not recognised by the Flemish government; it neither has been codified, nor is it being used in public life.

98 per cent of the adult population is literate [20]. Education is compulsory from the age of 6 until the age of 18, but many keep on studying until the age of about 23. Among the OECD countries, Belgium, in 1999, had the third highest proportion of 18- to 21-year-olds enrolled in postsecondary education at 42 percent [21]. Nevertheless, in recent years, concern is rising over certain forms of illiteracy, such as functional illiteracy (people lacking functional literacy skills: 18.4% 1994-98.

Basilica of the Sacred Heart, BrusselsThe Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. The population is predominantly Roman Catholic. According to the 2001 Survey and Study of Religion [23], approximately 47 percent of the population identify themselves as belonging to the Catholic Church. According to these figures, the Muslim population numbers approximately 3.5%, and there are an estimated 380 mosques in the country. Protestants number between 1.2 and 1.3%. Other religions, taken together, do not account for more than 2%. Since 1830, Catholicism has had also an important role in Belgium's politics, in particular via the Chritian trade union (CSC/ACV) and the Christian Democrat parties (CD&V, CDH). Examples include the two so-called "school wars" ("Schoolstrijd" in Dutch, "guerres scolaires" in French) between the Liberals and the Catholics which took place between 1879 and 1884, and between 1954 and 1958, respectively (for details see Religion of Belgium).

Culture of Belgium

A discussion of Belgian culture may lead to a discussion of both those aspects of cultural life shared by 'all' or most Belgians, regardless of their language, and also the differences between the cultural communities. Each community has its own administrative and political representation: the Flemish community, the German-speaking community of Belgium and the French Community in Belgium.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, cultural life has tended to concentrate within each community. The shared element is clearly much less important as there are no universities that are both Dutch and French speaking (except the royal military academy), no common media, and no single, common large cultural or scientific organisation where both main communities are represented.

As for cultural generalities shared by all Belgians, the country is well-known for its fine art, its comics, its architecture, its beer, its food, and its chocolate. Did you know?

Belgium has had a variety of famous painters. These include Constant Permeke, René Magritte, James Ensor, Paul Delvaux. Magritte, together with Paul Delvaux, were two major artists of the surrealistic style. The Belgian museums (in particular in Brussels and Antwerp) exhibit many first rank Flemish Primitives and Flemish Baroque painting.

Literature

Belgium has produced several well-known authors such as poets: Emile Verhaeren, Jacques Brel and writers: Hendrik Conscience, Georges Simenon. The poet and playwright Maurice Maeterlinck won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1911.

Cinema

Some representative directors: Chantal Akerman, Stijn Coninx, Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne; actors: Jan Decleir, Marie Gillain; and films: Toto le héros, Man bites dog.

Comics

Major representatives of this popular art movement are Hergé, Edgar P. Jacobs, Jijé, and André Franquin. See also: Franco-Belgian comics.

Music

Cesar Franck is a major romantic composer. Adolphe Sax is famous for inventing the saxophone in 1846. The music scene is very active in Belgium. See also: music of Belgium.

Architecture

In architecture, Victor Horta was one of the originators of Art Nouveau, a style of architecture which had a major impact upon 20th century buildings. Many major building of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque architectures, dating from before independence, can be found. In particular, the well-known Grand Place of Brussels or the city hall of Leuven are milestones in the history of art.

Fashion

Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts has produced important trendsetters: (Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs, Marina Yee, Martin Margiela.

Folklore

Festivals play a major role in Belgium's cultural life. Examples are the Carnival of Binche, the Ducasse of Ath, the procession of the Holy Blood in Bruges, the 15th-of-August festival in Liège, and the Walloon festival in Namur. A major non-official holiday is the Saint Nicholas Day which is the festival of the children (Saint Nicholas is the ancestor of Santa Claus) and, in Liège, of the students.

Sport

Belgium is well-represented in the world of sport, football (soccer) and cycling being very popular. The national football team is the Red Devils, and it is ranked 45th by FIFA. One of the greatest cyclists ever, Eddy Merckx, who won five Tours de France, was a Belgian. Belgium also has two female tennis champions, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne. The country also produced world and Olympic champions in tennis, athletics, motocross, judo, table tennis, swimming and cyclo-cross.

Food

Many "gourmets" claim that Belgium has the best food in Europe. Many highly ranked restaurants can be found within famous gastronomic guides (e.g. the Michelin Guide). Brands of Belgian chocolate, like Neuhaus, Côte d'Or, Leonidas, Godiva, are world renowned and widely distributed. In Belgium there are over 450 different kinds of beer (ales, pils), those of the Trappist monks being among the most prestigious. Belgians have a reputation for loving waffles and french fries (originally from Belgium), and their national food is mussels with french fries or rabbit with prumes.

See Timor -Leste for East Timor
Ecuador - Republic of Ecuador
Egypt - Arab Republic of Egypt
El Salvador - Republic of El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea - Republic of Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea - State of Eritrea
Estonia - Republic of Estonia
Ethiopia - Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (federal state)

F
Falkland Islands (overseas territory of the United Kingdom, also claimed by, and a former possession of Argentina named Islas Malvinas)
Faroe Islands (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
Fiji - Republic of the Fiji Islands
Finland - Republic of Finland
France - French Republic
French Polynesia (overseas country of France)

G
Gabon - Gabonese Republic
Gambia, The - Republic of The Gambia
Georgia (see also Abkhazia and South Ossetia)
Germany - Federal Republic of Germany (federal state)
Ghana - Republic of Ghana
Gibraltar (overseas territory of the United Kingdom)
Greece - Hellenic Republic
Greenland (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
Grenada (Commonwealth Realm)
Guam - Territory of Guam (unincorporated organized territory of the United States)
Guatemala - Republic of Guatemala
Guernsey - Bailiwick of Guernsey (British Crown dependency, including its self-governing dependencies Alderney, Herm and Sark)
Guinea - Republic of Guinea
Guinea-Bissau - Republic of Guinea-Bissau
Guyana - Co-operative Republic of Guyana

H
Haiti - Republic of Haiti
Honduras - Republic of Honduras
Hong Kong - Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (diplomatically known as Hong Kong, China)
Hungary - Republic of Hungary

I
Iceland - Republic of Iceland
India - Republic of India (federal state)
Indonesia - Republic of Indonesia
Iran - Islamic Republic of Iran
Iraq - Republic of Iraq
Ireland (also commonly referred to as the Republic of Ireland as the official "description" of the state in order to distinguish it from the island of Ireland as a whole)
Israel - State of Israel
Italy - Italian Republic
See Côte d'Ivoire for Ivory Coast

J
Jamaica (Commonwealth Realm)
Japan
Jersey - Bailiwick of Jersey (British Crown dependency)
Jordan - Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

K
Kazakhstan - Republic of Kazakhstan
Kenya - Republic of Kenya
Kiribati - Republic of Kiribati
Korea (North) - Democratic People's Republic of Korea (popularly known as North Korea)
Korea (South) - Republic of Korea (popularly known as South Korea)
Kosovo - Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohia (autonomous province of Serbia and Montenegro under UN interim civilian administration)
Kuwait - State of Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan - Kyrgyz Republic (sometimes also rendered as Kirghizia)

L
Laos - Lao People's Democratic Republic
Latvia - Republic of Latvia
Lebanon - Republic of Lebanon
Lesotho - Kingdom of Lesotho
Liberia - Republic of Liberia
Libya - Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Liechtenstein - Principality of Liechtenstein
Lithuania - Republic of Lithuania
Luxembourg - Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

M
Macau - Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (diplomatically known as Macau, China)
Macedonia - Republic of Macedonia (referred to by UN and a number of countries and international organizations as The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia)
Madagascar - Republic of Madagascar
Malawi - Republic of Malawi
Malaysia (federal state)
Maldives - Republic of Maldives
Mali - Republic of Mali
Malta - Republic of Malta
Mann, Isle of - Isle of Man (British Crown dependency, also known as Mann)
Marshall Islands - Republic of the Marshall Islands (US associated state)
Mauritania - Islamic Republic of Mauritania
Mauritius - Republic of Mauritius
Mayotte (overseas collectivity of France)
Mexico - United Mexican States (federal state)
Micronesia - Federated States of Micronesia (federal state, US associated state)
Moldova - Republic of Moldova (see also Pridnestrovie)
Monaco - Principality of Monaco
Mongolia (sometimes also rendered as Outer Mongolia (together with Tuva) in order to distinguish it from Inner Mongolia of the People's Republic of China)
Montserrat (overseas territory of the United Kingdom)
Morocco - Kingdom of Morocco (see also Western Sahara)
Mozambique - Republic of Mozambique
Myanmar - Union of Myanmar (formerly and popularly known as Burma)

N
Nagorno-Karabakh - Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (de facto independent state inside Azerbaijan)
Namibia - Republic of Namibia
Nauru - Republic of Nauru
Nepal - Kingdom of Nepal
Netherlands, the - Kingdom of the Netherlands (legally the Netherlands refers to the mainland European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with the latter consisting of the Netherlands and two overseas countries, namely Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles)
Netherlands Antilles (overseas country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
New Caledonia (sui generis collectivity of France)
New Zealand (Commonwealth Realm)
Nicaragua - Republic of Nicaragua
Niger - Republic of Niger
Nigeria - Federal Republic of Nigeria (federal state)
Niue (self-governing state in free association with New Zealand)
Norfolk Island - Territory of Norfolk Island (overseas territory of Australia)
Northern Cyprus - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (de facto independent state inside Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey)
Northern Mariana Islands - Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (unincorporated organized territory (commonwealth) in political union with the United States)
Norway - Kingdom of Norway

O
Oman - Sultanate of Oman

P
Pakistan - Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Palau - Republic of Palau (US associated state)
Palestine - State of Palestine (currently recognized by over 90 countries and further supported by other countries according the Palestinian National Authority a pivotal role in the process that may involve their eventually recognizing the State as sovereign)
Panama - Republic of Panama
Papua New Guinea - Independent State of Papua New Guinea (Commonwealth Realm)
Paraguay - Republic of Paraguay
Peru - Republic of Peru
Philippines, the - Republic of the Philippines
Pitcairn Islands - Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands (overseas territory of the United Kingdom)
See Transnistria for Pridnestrovie
Poland - Republic of Poland
Portuguese - Republic
Puerto Rico - Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (unincorporated organized territory (commonwealth) associated with the United States)

Q
Qatar - State of Qatar

R
Romania
Russia - Russian Federation (federal state)
Rwanda - Republic of Rwanda

S
Saint Helena (overseas territory of the United Kingdom)
Saint Kitts and Nevis - Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis (federal state, Commonwealth Realm)
Saint Lucia (Commonwealth Realm)
Saint Pierre and Miquelon (overseas collectivity of France)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Commonwealth Realm)
Samoa - Independent State of Samoa
San Marino - Most Serene Republic of San Marino
São Tomé and Príncipe - Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe
Saudi Arabia - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Senegal - Republic of Senegal
Serbia and Montenegro - State Union of Serbia and Montenegro (federal state, its province of Kosovo is under UN interim civilian administration)
Seychelles - Republic of Seychelles
Sierra Leone - Republic of Sierra Leone
Singapore - Republic of Singapore
Slovakia - Slovak Republic
Slovenia - Republic of Slovenia
Solomon Islands (Commonwealth Realm)
Somalia (the whole country is presently fragmented with its Transitional National Government in exile, see also Somaliland)
Somaliland - Republic of Somaliland (de facto independent state inside Somalia)
South Africa - Republic of South Africa
South Ossetia - Republic of South Ossetia (de facto independent state inside Georgia)
Spain - Kingdom of Spain
Sri Lanka - Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Sudan - Republic of the Sudan
Suriname - Republic of Suriname
Svalbard (overseas territory of Norway recognized by international treaty)
Swaziland - Kingdom of Swaziland
Sweden - Kingdom of Sweden
Switzerland - Swiss Confederation (federal state)
Syria - Syrian Arab Republic

T
Taiwan (ROC) - Republic of China (diplomatically sometimes known as Chinese Taipei (or other names), regarded by UN as "Taiwan, Province of China", the political status of the ROC and the legal status of the Taiwan Island (and its outlying islands) are in dispute)
Tajikistan - Republic of Tajikistan
Tanzania - United Republic of Tanzania (federal state)
Thailand - Kingdom of Thailand
Timor-Leste - Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (popularly known as East Timor)
Togo - Togolese Republic
Tokelau (overseas territory of New Zealand)
Tonga - Kingdom of Tonga
Transnistria - Transnistrian or Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic (the Transnistrian government uses as translation Pridnestrovie, de facto independent state inside Moldova)
Trinidad and Tobago - Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Tristan da Cunha (dependency of Saint Helena, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom)
Tunisia - Tunisian Republic
Turkey - Republic of Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands (overseas territory of the United Kingdom)
Tuvalu (Commonwealth Realm)

U
Uganda - Republic of Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates (federal state)
United Kingdom - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Commonwealth Realm)
United States - United States of America (federal state)
Uruguay - Oriental Republic of Uruguay
Uzbekistan - Republic of Uzbekistan

V
Vanuatu - Republic of Vanuatu
Vatican City - State of the Vatican City (administered by a Pontifical Commission appointed by the Pope who is concurrently the head of the Holy See and that of the Vatican City)
Venezuela - Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (federal state)
Vietnam - Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Virgin Islands (British) - British Virgin Islands (overseas territory of the United Kingdom)
Virgin Islands (U.S.) - United States Virgin Islands (unincorporated organized territory of the United States, popularly known in its abbreviated terms as U.S. Virgin Islands)

W
Wallis and Futuna (overseas collectivity of France)
Western Sahara - Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (currently recognized by over 40 countries, the SADR only exercises effective control over the territory east of Moroccan Wall, whereas large portion of the territory is occupied by and integrated in Morocco)

Y
Yemen - Republic of Yemen

Z
Zambia - Republic of Zambia
Zimbabwe - Republic of Zimbabwe