Head of state: Queen Beatrix Prime minister: Mark Rutte
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a Governor-General. Prime minister : Peter O'Neill
Population
16,730,632
6,310,129
Life Expectancy
80.910 years
66.460 years
Capital City
Amsterdam
Port Moresby
Largest city
Amsterdam (population: 741,636)
Port Moresby (population: 283,733)
Human Development Index
0.958
0.516
GDP per capita
$42,700 US
$2,600 US
Literacy Rate
99%
57.3%
Corruption Perception Index
8.9
2
Percentage of Women in Parliament
37.8%
0.9%
Wealthiest Citizens
Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken ($4.6bn US)
NA
Unemployment Rate
4.400%
1.900%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished in practice
Political System
constitutional monarchy
constitutional parliamentary democracy
Independence date
23 January 1579 (the northern provinces of the Low Countries conclude the Union of Utrecht breaking with Spain; on 26 July 1581 they formally declared their independence with an Act of Abjuration; however, it was not until 30 January 1648 and the Peace of Westphalia that Spain recognized this independence)
16 September 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship)
Religions
Roman Catholic 30%, Dutch Reformed 11%, Calvinist 6%, other Protestant 3%, Muslim 5.8%, other 2.2%, none 42% (2006)
Roman Catholic 27%, Evangelical Lutheran 19.5%, United Church 11.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, Pentecostal 8.6%, Evangelical Alliance 5.2%, Anglican 3.2%, Baptist 2.5%, other Protestant 8.9%, Bahai 0.3%, indigenous beliefs and other 3.3% (2000 census)
Languages
Dutch (official), Frisian (official)
Melanesian Pidgin serves as the lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2%, Motu spoken in Papua region note: 820 indigenous languages spoken (over one-tenth of the world's total)
Exports
machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs
