Belgium

Belgium occupies a compact territory at the heart of northwestern Europe, where flat coastal polders give way to the rolling hills and dense forests of the Ardennes. Three linguistic communities — Dutch-speaking Flanders, French-speaking Wallonia, and a small German-speaking east — coexist within borders smaller than many American states. The country's contradictions are part of its character: world-class art museums share streets with industrial-era canal towns, and a fierce pride in local identity runs alongside Brussels' role as the administrative centre of the European Union.