Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830. It was occupied by Germany during the two world wars. In the past 50 years the country has become a prosperous Western European democracy. Its capital Brussels is the headquarters of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). However, there have been tensions between the mainly Dutch-speaking north and the mainly French-speaking south. With a population of about 10.5 million, Belgium’s small but highly developed market economy has benefited from its central geographic location, advanced transportation system and varied industrial, services and commercial base.