Odds & Ends

A collection of some of the more unusual uses of Belgium as a unit of measurement.

Icebergs

Many websites have reported that iceberg B-15 which calved from the Ross Ice Shelf in 2000 was larger than Belgium. However the dimensions given suggest it is only 11,000 sq km, about one-third the size of Belgium.

Golf Courses

“The world already possesses an astonishing 25,000 golf courses, covering an area the size of Belgium.”
http://www.monbiot.com/archives/1990/01/01/a-pox-on-the-planet/

A Mattress

“Our room was pure decadence, but plans to enjoy its overstuffed sofas, satellite TV and room service vanished on sight of the bed, a vast expanse of mattress the size of Belgium. Within minutes we were asleep, somewhere between Bruges and Brussels.”
http://travel.independent.co.uk/americas/south/article20554.ece

The Largest Cattle Station in the World

“Travel to William Creek and visit Lake Eyre North, access by a 4WD track through the vast Anna Creek Station, the largest cattle station in the world (the size of Belgium)”.
http://www.aussieleisuretime.com/8dayoutbk.htm

Area 51

“Area 51 has served as a bombing range since World War II and as the site of the experimentation of the Blackbird, Drone 2 and Stealth fighters, the latter of which reminds some conspirators of UFOs.”

“Covering an area the size of Belgium, it is one of many test sites in the region. Yet because the aviation tests are secret, U.S. citizens will not find it on any government-issue map. Using a marked Air Force map to note the haphazard numbering of the test sites, Patton noted, “No one knows why it is called Area 51.””
http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/Content/1999/02/15/news/Soichet.html

Wireless Technology Projects

“The first deployment experience of EHAS technologies and services took place in the province of Alto Amazonas in Loreto region of Peru. Alto Amazonas is a province with twice the surface area of Belgium.”
http://mocca.objectweb.org/attach?page=Deliverables%2FD2.1_V0.2_Think+Tank+report+FINAL.doc

Self-adhesive Labels

“RFID represents the greatest opportunity for the self-adhesive products industry in the next ten years, expects Jules Lejeune, Managing Director of FINAT (The Hague, Netherlands), the European association dedicated to the self-adhesive labeling industry. No less than 27 billion m2 of release liners were sold on the world market in 2004 – practically the size of Belgium or 2.7 million football pitches.”
http://www.degussa.com/en/products/archive/2005_09_07_labels.html

A book store

“Took the family to the Galleria, an up-up-upscale boutiquery in Edina. Had to get some things, exchange others. They have a Barnes and Noble the size of Belgium, which I love, and they love me; I’ll be doing a signing there next year for the GoRF book”
http://www.lileks.com/bleats/archive/00/1200/120200.html

Prairie dog communities

“Hundreds of prairie dogs live together in towns that can cover hundred of acres of land! One town discovered in the 19th century was as big as Belgium!
http://www.pbs.org/kratts/world/na/pdogs/

Holes in the Space-Time Continuum

“That could blow a hole in the space-time continuum, the size of–[The Tenth Doctor turns the TARDIS console screen towards him] … actually, the exact size of Belgium. That’s a bit undramatic, isn’t it? Belgium?‘””
Said by Doctor Who, when describing what would happen if the TARDIS were to explode. From the TV mini-episode called Time Crash.

The size of an Area Containing Only One Pub

“The people in Glen Helen were more stoic. Caught in a pool tournament with a bunch of helicopter pilots in the only pub in an area the size of Belgium, one of them was particularly unimpressed.”

http://www.travelinsights.org/printer/writing/alicesprings.html

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