For such a small country, Belgium has been a major European battleground over the centuries.
Occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II, it has experienced an economic boom in the last 50 years to become a model Western European liberal democracy.
However, there has also been a growing divide between the mainly Dutch-speaking north and the mainly French-speaking south, with some even speculating that the country could break up.
Brussels is the headquarters of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato). Thus, it is the polyglot home of an army of international diplomats and civil servants.
The country stretches from the dunes of the northern coastline through the Flemish lowlands and on to the forests of the rolling Ardennes hills in the south.
Belgium reconciles regional and cultural identities in a single federal structure.
The structure includes three communities - Flemish, French and German-speaking - and three regions: Flanders in the north where the official language is Dutch; Wallonia in the south where French is the official tongue and Brussels, the capital, where French and Dutch share official language status. Wallonia has a 70,000-strong German-speaking minority.
The Atomium - a Brussels landmark built for the 1958 World Fair
Tensions between the two main language communities sometimes run high, and the issue has brought down several governments, creating frequent political instability. Opinion polls suggest most Belgians want to maintain the federation, but separatist parties often score well in Flanders.
Belgium also has a small colonial legacy in Africa: in Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo - once Zaire.
It attracted international attention following the US-led war on Iraq in 2003 because of a controversial law allowing Belgian courts to try foreigners for war and human rights crimes, regardless of where the crimes were committed. The law led to suits against numerous high-profile international figures before undergoing radical revision.
Belgium is noted for its strong culinary traditions and is particularly famous for its fine chocolate and array of beers.
Mr Leterme handed in his resignation in April 2010 after the government collapsed when a key coalition partner pulled out in a row over francophone rights in Dutch-speaking areas near Brussels, thus paving the way for an early election.
Mr Leterme's premiership has been dogged by intercommunal tensions
He stayed on in a caretaker capacity until early parliamentary elections on 13 June. The separatist New Flemish Alliance emerged as the largest single grouping from the vote, although the French and Flemish Socialists together had more seats overall.
The fractured political landscape left negotiations to form a new government virtually deadlocked, and the country still did not have a government some 15 months after the election.
In September 2011, Mr Leterme said he would step down to run for a senior post at the OECD, sparking a fresh crisis in the long-running deadlock over forming a new coalition.
During the three years since the previous general election, in July 2007, Mr Leterme held the prime ministerial office twice and offered his resignation three times.
Though his Flemish Christian Democrats emerged as the clear winners in the 2007 election, a long period of deadlock followed as he struggled to form a coalition government, which then lurched from one crisis to another for most of 2008.
Mr Leterme made little headway on the vital issue of devolving more powers to Belgium's regions, and his premiership saw frequent flare-ups of tensions between the French- and Dutch-speaking communities.
The first time that Mr Leterme tendered his resignation, King Albert II refused to accept it. When he offered to resign for the second time, in December 2008, his departure was occasioned not by inter-communal tensions but by a banking bailout scandal at the height of the global financial crisis.
Mr Leterme was then succeeded by his Flemish Christian Democrat colleague Herman Van Rompuy, who a year later became President of the European Council, leaving the Belgian premiership vacant once more.
On re-assuming office in November 2009, Mr Leterme identified economic recovery and the threat of rising unemployment as his government's priorities. However, it was the divisive linguistic issue that brought about the fall of the government.
Belgian broadcasting mirrors the unique political and linguistic nature of the country. The cultural communities, rather than the federal authorities, are responsible for regulating radio and TV.
So, unlike most other European countries, Belgium does not have a single public broadcasting organisation, but two separate bodies, with their own regulations, running their own radio, TV and external broadcasting.
Some 95% of Belgians are hooked-up to cable TV; one of the highest take-up rates in the world. Cable offers dozens of domestic and foreign channels, including Dutch and French stations. Belgium aims to complete the conversion to digital TV by 2011.
The Belgian press is self-regulated by the Federation of Editors - to which all editors of major newspapers belong. A small number of media groups owns the main newspaper titles.
There were 8.1 million internet users by June 2010 (InternetWorldStats).
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