Head of state: Queen Beatrix Prime minister: Mark Rutte
President: Nguyen Minh Triet Secretary-general of the Communist Party : Nguyen Phu Trong
Population
16,730,632
91,519,289
Life Expectancy
80.910 years
72.410 years
Capital City
Amsterdam
Hanoi
Largest city
Amsterdam (population: 741,636)
Thanh pho Ho Chi Minh (population: 3,467,330)
Human Development Index
0.958
0.718
GDP per capita
$42,700 US
$3,400 US
Literacy Rate
99%
90.3%
Corruption Perception Index
8.9
2.7
Percentage of Women in Parliament
37.8%
25.8%
Wealthiest Citizens
Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken ($4.6bn US)
NA
Unemployment Rate
4.400%
2.300%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Legal
Political System
constitutional monarchy
Communist state
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)
2 September 1945 (from France)
Religions
Roman Catholic 30%, Dutch Reformed 11%, Calvinist 6%, other Protestant 3%, Muslim 5.8%, other 2.2%, none 42% (2006)
Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant 0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8% (1999 census)
Languages
Dutch (official), Frisian (official)
Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Exports
machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs
