King: Albert II Prime Minister-designate: Elio di Rupo
President: Dr Nicholas Liverpool Prime minister: Roosevelt Skerrit
Population
10,438,353
73,126
Life Expectancy
79.650 years
76.180 years
Capital City
Brussels
Largest city
Brussels (population: 1,019,020)
Roseau (population: 16,571)
Human Development Index
0.948
0.797
GDP per capita
$38,200 US
Literacy Rate
99%
94%
Corruption Perception Index
7.3
6
Percentage of Women in Parliament
36.2%
19.4%
Wealthiest Citizens
Albert Frere ($2.4bn US)
NA
Unemployment Rate
7.700%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Legal
Political System
federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
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)
Religions
Roman Catholic 75%, other (includes Protestant) 25%
Roman Catholic 61.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 6%, Pentecostal 5.6%, Baptist 4.1%, Methodist 3.7%, Church of God 1.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.2%, other Christian 7.7%, Rastafarian 1.3%, other or unspecified 1.6%, none 6.1% (2001 census)
Languages
Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)
English (official), French patois
Exports
machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs
External Debt
$1,399,000,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6802 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
2
0
Location
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about half way between Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago
