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Front: King Baudouin (1930-1993), King of Belgium 1951-1993 and Queen Fabiola (1928-), Queen consort of King Baudouin I

King Baudouin was born Albert Charles Léopold Axel Marie Gustave, son of King Léopold III and Princess Astrid of Sweden. He became king when his father King Léopold abdicated in 1951. Baudouin married Doña Fabiola Fernanda Maria de las Victorias Antonia Adelaïda Mora y Aragon, a former nurse and a writer of children's stories, in 1960. Queen Fabiola is immensely popular for her good cheer, personal modesty, and devotion to social causes. The couple were unable to conceive, and had no children. King Baudouin reigned for 42 years until he died of heart failure in 1993.

Back: Parliament building in Brussels

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Front: Hendrik Beyaert (1823-1894), architect

Back: Geometric design

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Front: James Ensor (1860-1949), Belgian expressionist painter

Ensor was born in Ostend, Belgium and lived there all his life except for three years spent at the Brussels Academy. His early works were in the traditional style, deep colors enriched by a subdued but vibrant light.

In the mid-1880s, Ensor turned toward avant-garde themes and styles. Portraying individuals as clowns or skeletons or replacing their faces with carnival masks, he represented humanity as stupid, smirking, vain, and loathsome. He deliberately used harsh, garish colors and violent, broken brushstrokes to heighten the violent effect of his subjects. His style paved the way for surrealism and expressionism.

Back: Beach scene

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Front: Adolphe Sax (1814-1894), musical instrument maker and inventor of saxophone

Adolphe Sax was born in Dinant, Belgium, son of a musical instrument designer. Early in life, Aldolphe began to experiment with new instrument designs. His first important invention was an improved bass clarinet, which he patented at the age of 20.

Adolphe moved to Paris in 1841 and began work on a new set of instruments. The best-known instrument, which now carries his name, is the saxophone.

Back: saxophone players, church and houses in Dinant

Belgium, located in northwest Europe, derived it's name from the Celtic tribe called Belgae. Belgae eventually capitulated to Rome and remained for centuries as part of the Roman Empire known as Belgica. It was united with the Netherlands in 1815. Gained independence and established constitutional monarchy in 1830. For a more detailed country profile, see CIA World Factbook on Belgium.

Beginning on January 1, 2002 Euro becomes the official currency for Belgium.