Head of state: Queen Beatrix Prime minister: Mark Rutte
Population
21,032
16,730,632
Life Expectancy
72.060 years
80.910 years
Capital City
Amsterdam
Largest city
Meyungs (population: 1,275)
Amsterdam (population: 741,636)
Human Development Index
0
0.958
GDP per capita
$42,700 US
Literacy Rate
92%
99%
Corruption Perception Index
NA
8.9
Percentage of Women in Parliament
0%
37.8%
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken ($4.6bn US)
Unemployment Rate
4.400%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished
Political System
constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 1 October 1994
constitutional monarchy
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)
Religions
Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei 8.8% (indigenous to Palau), Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, Latter-Day Saints 0.6%, other 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4% (2000 census)
Roman Catholic 30%, Dutch Reformed 11%, Calvinist 6%, other Protestant 3%, Muslim 5.8%, other 2.2%, none 42% (2006)
Languages
Palauan 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral (Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official), Filipino 13.5%, English 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%, Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000 census)
Dutch (official), Frisian (official)
Exports
machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs
External Debt
$2,655,000,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6734 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.600%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
16
Location
Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany
Area
459 km sq
41,543 km sq
Coastline
1,519 km
451 km
Climate
tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November
