BELGIUM ( Koninkrijk België/ Royaume de Belgique / Königreich Belgien )

Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Western Europe. It is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the southwest, and the North Sea to the northwest. It covers an area of 30,689 km² (11,849 sq mi) and has a population of more than 11.5 million, making it the 22nd most densely populated country in the world and the 6th most densely populated country in Europe, with a density of 376 per square kilometre (970/sq mi). The capital and largest city is Brussels. 

Legally, Belgium is a sovereign state and a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. Its institutional organization is complex and is structured on both regional and linguistic grounds. It is divided into three highly autonomous regions: the Flemish Region in the north, Wallonia in the south, and the Brussels-Capital Region. Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups or communities: the Dutch-speaking Flemish Community, which constitutes about 60 percent of the population, and the French-speaking Community, which comprises about 40 percent of all Belgians. A small German-speaking Community, numbering around one percent, exists in the East Cantons. The Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual (French and Dutch), although French is the dominant language. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in its political history and complex system of governance, made up of six different governments.

Belgium began using national postage stamps on July 8, 1849, when two imperforate stamps, a 10c. brown and 20c. blue, collectively known as Epaulettes, were introduced. A few months later a 40c. red stamp with a new design was issued, for postage to foreign destinations. In 1850 two new stamps of 10c. and 20c. were issued. Initially, all Belgian stamps were issued with the French name "Belgique" only, as the French was the original language of government. Under the government of Auguste Beernaert, however, stamps began to be issued with the Dutch language "België" too from 1889. Belgian stamps are rarely issued with German text ("Belgien") too, including overprinted German Germania stamps during World War I.

The cover posted on October 17, 2016 and I received on November 02, 2016.