Belgium–France border provinces of West Flanders (Flemish Region) and Hainaut, Namur and Luxembourg (Walloon Region). The French side of the border is shared by, from north to south, the departments of Nord and Aisne (region of Hauts-de-France) and Ardennes, Meuse and Meurthe-et-Moselle (region of Grand Est). Belgium–France border The <dfn>Belgium–France border</dfn> separates France and Belgium countries and is 620 km long. Part of it is defined by the Leie river. The western end is at the North Sea ( near De Panne and Bray-Dunes). The eastern end is at the Belgium–France–Luxembourg tripoint (at near Athus and Mont-Saint-Martin). The straight distance between these
History of Belgium empire in the Belgian Congo, which the government took over after a major scandal in 1908. Belgium was neutral but its strategic location as a pathway to France made it an invasion target for Germany in 1914 and 1940. Conditions under the occupation were severe. In the postwar period Belgium was a leader in European unification, as a founding member of what has become the European Union. Brussels is now host to the headquarters of NATO and is the "de facto" capital of the European Union. The colonies became independent in the early 1960s. Politically the country was once polarized