Belgium, officially titled the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal monarchy in Western Europe. Balancing the cultural boundary between Germanic and Latin Europe, Belgium is home to several linguistic groups, with most of its citizens speaking Dutch, French, and German. Covering an area of about 30,538 square kilometers, the Kingdom of Belgium has a population of approximately 11 million people. Belgium is surrounded by the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, and Germany, and ultimately declared their independence from the Netherlands in 1830 with the Belgian Revolution. Occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II, Belgium has experienced a significant economic boom during the past 50 years to become a model for Western European liberal democracy. However, there is a growing divide between the Dutch-speaking north and the French-speaking south.