King: Albert II Prime Minister-designate: Elio di Rupo
Population
6,961,049
10,438,353
Life Expectancy
63.170 years
79.650 years
Capital City
Brussels
Largest city
Lome (population: 749,700)
Brussels (population: 1,019,020)
Human Development Index
0.479
0.948
GDP per capita
$38,200 US
Literacy Rate
60.9%
99%
Corruption Perception Index
2.7
7.3
Percentage of Women in Parliament
11.1%
36.2%
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Albert Frere ($2.4bn US)
Unemployment Rate
7.700%
Death Penalty
Abolished in practice
Abolished
Political System
republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule
federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Independence date
4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne)
Religions
Christian 29%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 51%
Roman Catholic 75%, other (includes Protestant) 25%
Languages
French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina (the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north)
Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)
Exports
machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs
External Debt
$1,399,000,000,000 US
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
1
2
Location
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands
