Top 10 Amazing Facts About Belgium
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Welcome to Countries Facts in this installment we're going to dive into the small European country of Belgium probably best known for its chocolate and waffles but did you know that the country is also home to a man who ran 365 marathons in just one year here's our choice of the top ten Amazing facts about Belgium.
1 Belgium chocolate production although ingredients such as cocoa beans and sugar are grown abroad for the sweet to be considered Belgian the actual production of the chocolate must take place in that country Belgian chocolate is world renowned as being some of the best in the world and has been made as early as the 17th century one source even adds that it's an important part of Belgium's culture and economy their association with chocolate may have started in 1635 when the country was under Spanish occupation by the mid 18th century it had become extremely popular among the upper and middle class especially in the form of hot chocolate the early 20th century was vital to the beginnings of Belgians reign as being one of the largest chocolate exporters in the world at that time large quantities of cocoa were imported from Africa Belgians are also known for their version of praline which is a hard shelled chocolate exterior with liquid filly.
2 Diamond capital of the world an twerp's diamond district is an area within the city of Antwerp Belgium also known as the diamond quarter it consists of several square blocks which cover an area of about one square mile or 2.6 square kilometers as of 2012 most of the gem cutting and polishing work historically done within the district had moved on to low-wage centers in other regions an astounding 84 percent of the world's rough diamonds passed through Antwerp at one point this allows for it to be given the title of largest diamond center in the world and has a turnover of over 50 billion dollars in revenue and while on the subject of statistics it should be also known that around 380 Antwerp diamond workshops cater to 1500 different companies in the business this is such a minut number in comparison to the 3500 plus brokers and merchants in the diamond quarter.
3 Famous Belgium's Audrey Hepburn was born on May 5th 1929 in Brussels Belgium she was a British actress than humanitarian who was active during Hollywood's golden age the American Film Institute ranked Hepburn as the third greatest female screen legend in the history of American cinema she has also been placed in the international best-dressed list hall of fame and is a film and fashion icon Audrey Hepburn won an Oscar and was nominated for multiple others some of her best-known films include Breakfast at Tiffany's and charade another famous Belgian is Monsignor George Lemaitre born in shaloha Belgium on July 17th 1894 he was a Jesuit priest astronomer and professor of physics he is the first known teacher to propose the theory of the expansion of the universe Monsignor LeMond today also proposed the theory known today as the Big Bang which he called his hypothesis of the primeval atom other famous belgium's include jean-claude van damme Gautier and Johnny Galecki.
4 Belgium billiard balls Belgium is known around the world by pool players and enthusiasts for their arimathea your balls which have been manufactured in the country for several decades as many sources point out they have a reputation for outstanding endurance and uncompromised quality around 80 percent of players across the globe use them and they are recognized as the reference of the industry the original company that made these balls salic was founded in 1923 as a chemical industry that specialized in tannery products but some 27 years later billiard balls became their replacement arimathea scents branched out and makes all sorts of industrial balls including those used for bowling.
5 The mannequin piss the mannequin piss or little man pee is a small bra statue located in Brussels Belgium it depicts a naked boy urinating into a basin of a fountain several legends surround the bizarre bust but one states that the troops of two-year-old Duke Godfrey Leuven were in battle against an old night generation called Bert houts whose family name has since died out as the story goes Godfrey the thirds men hung the infant from a basket in a nearby tree to encourage them and help lead them to victory legend has it that the toddler urinated on the enemy combatants who eventually lost the battle it's customary for the statue to be dressed in costumes several times a week his wardrobe consists of many different styles there are even pictures of mannequin piss dressed in judo attire along with the mayor's outfit the most current version of the statue was built in 1965 due to vandalism and kidnapping.
6 Belgium cuisine like most other country's cuisine Belgium's is heavily influenced by that of the countries around it in this case those countries are Germany France and the Netherlands as one source points out is often said that Belgian food is served in the quantity of Germany and the quality of France around the world Belgium is known for its chocolate waffles and beer a very popular more hearty of dishes is carbonate lemon which is a traditional Belgian sweet and sour stew made with beef onions and beer an old brown beer is recommended and this gives it a more bitter flavor french fries called pommes Fritz are hands down the best accompaniment to this meal and taste best soaked in the broth there are six Trappist breweries in Belgium all of which are monasteries the first one opened in 1595 and since then nine more have followed one being in Austria two in the Netherlands and another in the United States.
7 Castle over population Belgium has more castles per square mile or kilometer than any other country in the world France and Germany may be better known for other fortified buildings of this type but it's nearly impossible just to step out the door in Belgium without seeing some sort of Citadel there are approximately 3,000 castles in Belgium a country a little less than 12,000 square miles or 31,000 square kilometres over 400 of these castles are open to the public many of which hold receptions and act as hotels or restaurants some areas in Belgium are so densely populated by these structures that certain villages average two castles which is an extraordinarily high number compared to the rest of Europe.
8 Belgian inventions the contraceptive pill has been voted the best of all Belgian inventions by listeners of the flemish station Radio one to be fair this pill wasn't only invented by a Belgian medical doctor ferdinand peters he took the partially developed concept from the united states and developed upon it perhaps one of the biggest inventions from belgium is the saxophone inspired by antoine joseph sax who also invented the sex at rambha the sax horn and sax tuba.
9 An indoor ocean Nemo 33 is an indoor swimming facility in okhla Elgin it once held that record for being the deepest swimming pool in the world since its opening on May 1st 2004 but lost the title when the y40 was completed in the summer of 2014 in Padua Italy Nemo 33 s maximum depth is 113 feet or 34 and a half metres this massive swimming pool contains approximately 600 60,000 US gallons or two and a half million litres of heavily filtered non-chlorinated spring water which is kept at a constant temperature of 86 degrees Fahrenheit or 30 degrees Celsius the complex was designed by Belgian diving expert John Bennett as a multi-purpose diving instruction recreational and film production facility all divers are welcome amateur or professional as long as the individual is over 12 years of age this is a prime location to visit for all those interested in one day exploring the world's oceans and other different instructional classes.
10 A marathon every day for most of us one marathon a year or in a lifetime is more than enough a Belgian runner by the name of Stefan Engels get the term Marathon Man a whole new meaning the 49 year old runner set a new world record after completing an astonishing 365 marathons one for each day of the year Engels ran across several different countries in Europe and North America as a child he was diagnosed with asthma and doctors advised him not to do sports he said that he took this incredible challenge as an example to others there were many times when he didn't think he could go on any longer Engels is quoted for saying that he just focused on the marathon that day and didn't think about the ones soon to follow this is a feat that will never be broken that is unless one decides to tackle the record on a leap year.
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