Head of state: Queen Beatrix Prime minister: Mark Rutte
President: Ivan Gasparovic Prime minister-elect: Robert Fico
Population
16,730,632
5,483,088
Life Expectancy
80.910 years
76.030 years
Capital City
Amsterdam
Bratislava
Largest city
Amsterdam (population: 741,636)
Bratislava (population: 423,737)
Human Development Index
0.958
0.872
GDP per capita
$42,700 US
$23,600 US
Literacy Rate
99%
99.6%
Corruption Perception Index
8.9
5
Percentage of Women in Parliament
37.8%
19.3%
Wealthiest Citizens
Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken ($4.6bn US)
NA
Unemployment Rate
4.400%
13.500%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished
Political System
constitutional monarchy
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)
1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)
Religions
Roman Catholic 30%, Dutch Reformed 11%, Calvinist 6%, other Protestant 3%, Muslim 5.8%, other 2.2%, none 42% (2006)
Roman Catholic 68.9%, Protestant 10.8%, Greek Catholic 4.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%, none 13% (2001 census)
Languages
Dutch (official), Frisian (official)
Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%, Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)
Exports
machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs
vehicles 25.9%, machinery and electrical equipment 21.3%, base metals 14.6%, chemicals and minerals 10.1%, plastics 5.4% (2004)
External Debt
$2,655,000,000,000 $
$72,940,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6734 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Slovak koruny (SKK) per US dollar - 21.05 (2008 est.), 24.919 (2007), 29.611 (2006), 31.018 (2005), 32.257 (2004) note: on 1 January 2009 Slovakia adopted the euro as legal tender
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.600%
1.080%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
16
6
Location
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany
