Belgium - Transportation

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Belgium is located Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands. The climate is temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy. The terrain is flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast.

Airports

This entry gives the total number of airports or airfields recognizable from the air. The runway(s) may be paved (concrete or asphalt surfaces) or unpaved (grass, earth, sand, or gravel surfaces) but may include closed or abandoned installations. Airports or airfields that are no longer recognizable (overgrown, no facilities, etc.) are not included. Note that not all airports have accommodations for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control.
Airports : 43 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways - total : 27
Airports - with paved runways - over 3,047 m : 6
Airports - with paved runways - 2,438 to 3,047 m : 7
Airports - with paved runways - 1,524 to 2,437 m : 4
Airports - with paved runways - 914 to 1,523 m : 1
Airports - with paved runways - under 914 m : 9 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total : 16
Airports - with unpaved runways - 914 to 1,523 m : 1
Airports - with unpaved runways - under 914 m : 15 (2007)

Heliports

This entry gives the total number of heliports with hard- surface runways, helipads, or landing areas that support routine sustained helicopter operations exclusively and have support facilities including one or more of the following facilities
Heliports : 1 (2007)

Pipelines

This entry gives the lengths and types of pipelines for transporting products like natural gas, crude oil, or petroleum products.
Pipelines : gas 1,562 km; oil 158 km; refined products 535 km (2007)

Railways

This entry states the total route length of the railway network and of its component parts by gauge
Railways - total : 3,536 km
Railways - standard gauge : 3,536 km 1.435-m gauge (2,950 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways

This entry gives the total length of the road network and includes the length of the paved and unpaved portions.
Roadways - total : 152,256 km
Roadways - paved : 119,079 km (includes 1,763 km of expressways)
Roadways - unpaved : 33,177 km (2006)

Waterways

This entry gives the total length of navigable rivers, canals, and other inland bodies of water.
Waterways : 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2006)

Merchant marine

Merchant marine may be defined as all ships engaged in the carriage of goods; or all commercial vessels (as opposed to all nonmilitary ships), which excludes tugs, fishing vessels, offshore oil rigs, etc. This entry contains information in four fields - total, ships by type, foreign-owned, and registered in other countries. *** Total includes the number of ships (1,000 GRT or over), total DWT for those ships, and total GRT for those ships. DWT or dead weight tonnage is the total weight of cargo, plus bunkers, stores, etc., that a ship can carry when immersed to the appropriate load line. GRT or gross register tonnage is a figure obtained by measuring the entire sheltered volume of a ship available for cargo and passengers and converting it to tons on the basis of 100 cubic feet per ton; there is no stable relationship between GRT and DWT. *** Ships by type includes a listing of barge carriers, bulk cargo ships, cargo ships, chemical tankers, combination bulk carriers, combination ore/oil carriers, container ships, liquefied gas tankers, livestock carriers, multifunctional large-load carriers, petroleum tankers, passenger ships, passenger/cargo ships, railcar carriers, refrigerated cargo ships, roll-on/roll-off cargo ships, short-sea passenger ships, specialized tankers, and vehicle carriers. *** Foreign-owned are ships that fly the flag of one country but belong to owners in another. *** Registered in other countries are ships that belong to owners in one country but fly the flag of another.
Merchant marine - total : 79
Merchant marine - by type : bulk carrier 20, cargo 9, chemical tanker 1, container 6, liquefied gas 20, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 11, roll on/roll off 10
Merchant marine - foreign-owned : 6 (Denmark 4, France 2)
Merchant marine - registered in other countries : 111 (Bahamas 15, Cyprus 2, France 6, Gibraltar 2, Greece 16, Hong Kong 3, Liberia 4, Luxembourg 7, Malta 15, Mozambique 2, Netherlands 2, Netherlands Antilles 1, Panama 2, Portugal 1, Portugal 7, Russia 4, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 8, Vanuatu 4) (2008)

Ports and terminals

This entry lists major ports and terminals primarily on the basis of the amount of cargo tonnage shipped through the facilities on an annual basis. In some instances, the number of containers handled or ship visits were also considered.
Ports and terminals : Antwerp, Gent, Liege, Zeebrugge

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