|
Country
|
Belgium | 
Australia |
|
Leader
|
King: Albert II Prime Minister-designate: Elio di Rupo
|
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General Quentin Bryce Prime minister: Julia Gillard
|
|
Population
|
10,438,353
| 22,015,576
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
79.650 years
| 81.900 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Brussels
| Canberra
|
|
Largest city
|
| Brussels (population: 1,019,020) | Sydney (population: 4,394,580) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.948
| 0.965
|
| GDP per capita |
$38,200 US
| $40,800 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
99%
| 99%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
7.3
| 8.7
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
36.2%
| 29.6%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
Albert Frere ($2.4bn US)
| Frank Lowy & family ($2.7bn US)
|
| Unemployment Rate |
7.700%
| 5.100%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished
| Abolished
|
| |
|
Political System
|
federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
| federal parliamentary democracy
|
|
Independence date
|
4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne)
| 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
|
| Religions |
Roman Catholic 75%, other (includes Protestant) 25%
| Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%, Buddhist 1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 12.7%, none 15.3% (2001 Census)
|
| Languages |
Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)
| English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)
|
| Exports |
machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs
| coal, iron ore, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat, machinery and transport equipment
|
| External Debt |
$1,399,000,000,000 $
| $1,376,000,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6802 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
| Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2059 (2008 est.), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
1.300%
| 3.000%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
2
| 46
|
| Location |
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands
| Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
|
| Area |
30,528 km sq
| 7,741,220 km sq
|
| Coastline |
67 km
| 25,760 km
|
| Climate |
temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
| generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
|
|
|
|
