Geography of Belgium have repercussions for neighboring countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) have slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges. The main cities in Belgium in terms of population are Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi and Liège. Other notable cities include Bruges, Namur, Leuven, Mons and Mechelen. Geography of Belgium Belgium is a federal state located in Western Europe, bordering the North Sea. Belgium shares borders with France (556 km), Germany (133 km), Luxembourg (130 km) and the Netherlands (478 km). Belgium comprises the regions of Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. Total renewable water resources: 18.3 cu km (2011) Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Second city of the United Kingdom Aristocrat-dominated Georgian Dublin was the second-most populous city at the time of the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801 (it was also the fifth-most populous in Europe), and was often described as the second city of the UK. Though it lost that position towards the end of the 19th century as the empire's Victorian cities grew through more rapid industrialisation. Dublin, and the rest of the Republic of Ireland, became independent of the UK in the 1920s. Later, the title Second City of Empire or Second City of the British Empire was claimed by