Netherlands

Geography

Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany

Map references: Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area 37,330 sq km
land area 33,920 sq km
comparative area slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Land boundaries: total 1,027 km, Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km

Coastline: 451 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf not specified
exclusive fishing zone 200 nm
territorial sea 12 nm

International disputes: none

Climate: temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters

Terrain: mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast

Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, fertile soil

Land use:
arable land 26%
permanent crops 1%
meadows and pastures 32%
forest and woodland 9%
other 32%

Irrigated land: 5,500 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues water pollution in the form of heavy metals, organic compounds, and nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates; air pollution from vehicles and refining activities; acid rain
natural hazards the extensive system of dikes and dams, protects nearly one-half of the total area from being flooded
international agreements party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Law of the Sea

Note: located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, Schelde)

People

Population: 15,367,928 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.58% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 12.62 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 8.5 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population 77.75 years
male 74.69 years
female 80.97 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.58 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Nationality:
noun Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)
adjective Dutch

Ethnic divisions: Dutch 96%, Moroccans, Turks, and other 4% (1988)

Religions: Roman Catholic 34%, Protestant 25%, Muslim 3%, other 2%, unaffiliated 36% (1991)

Languages: Dutch

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1979 est.)
total population 99%
male NA%
female NA%

Labor force: 6.7 million (1991)
by occupation services 50.1%, manufacturing and construction 28.2%, government 15.9%, agriculture 5.8% (1986)

Government

Names:
conventional long form Kingdom of the Netherlands
conventional short form Netherlands
local long form Koninkrijk de Nederlanden
local short form Nederland

Digraph: NL

Type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Amsterdam; The Hague is the seat of government

Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (provincien, singular - provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland

Dependent areas: Aruba, Netherlands Antilles

Independence: 1579 (from Spain)

National holiday: Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)

Constitution: 17 February 1983

Legal system: civil law system incorporating French penal theory; judicial review in the Supreme Court of legislation of lower order rather than Acts of the States General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER, Prince of Orange, son of Queen Beatrix (born 27 April 1967)
head of government Prime Minister RUDOLPHUS (Ruud) F. M. LUBBERS (since 4 November 1982); Vice Prime Minister Willem (Wim) KOK (since 2 November 1989) - resigned after 3 May 1994 parliamentary elections; no new government has been formed to date
cabinet Ministry of General Affairs; appointed by the prime minister

Legislative branch: bicameral legislature (Staten Generaal)
First Chamber (Eerste Kamer) elections last held on 9 June l991 (next to be held 9 June 1995); results - elected by the country's 12 provincial councils; seats - (75 total) percent of seats by party NA
Second Chamber (Tweede Kamer) elections last held on 3 May 1994 (next to be held in May 1999); results - PvdA 24.3%, CDA 22.3%, VVD 20.4%, D'66 16.5%, other 16.5%; seats - (150 total) PvdA 37, CDA 34, VVD 31, D'66 24, other 24

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (De Hoge Raad)

Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Elco BRINKMAN; Labor (PvdA), Wim KOK; Liberal (VVD), Frits BOLKESTEIN; Democrats '66 (D'66), Hans van MIERLO; a host of minor parties

Other political or pressure groups: large multinational firms; Federation of Netherlands Trade Union Movement (comprising Socialist and Catholic trade unions) and a Protestant trade union; Federation of Catholic and Protestant Employers Associations; the nondenominational Federation of Netherlands Enterprises; and Interchurch Peace Council (IKV)

Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOMUR, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission Ambassador Adriaan Pieter Roetert JACOBOVITS DE SZEGED
chancery 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone (202) 244-5300
FAX (202) 362-3430
consulate(s) general Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Manila (Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands), New York

US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission Ambassador Kirk Terry DORNBUSH
embassy Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ The Hague
mailing address PSC 71, Box 1000, the Hague; APO AE 09715
telephone [31] (70) 310-9209
FAX [31] (70) 361-4688
consulate(s) general Amsterdam

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue; similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer

Economy

Overview: This highly developed and affluent economy is based on private enterprise. The government makes its presence felt, however, through many regulations, permit requirements, and welfare programs affecting most aspects of economic activity. The trade and financial services sector contributes over 50% of GDP. Industrial activity provides about 25% of GDP and is led by the food-processing, oil-refining, and metalworking industries. The highly mechanized agricultural sector employs only 5% of the labor force, but provides large surpluses for export and the domestic food-processing industry. Rising unemployment and a sizable budget deficit are currently the most serious economic problems. Many of the economic issues of the 1990s will reflect the course of European economic integration.

National product: GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $262.8 billion (1993)

National product real growth rate: -0.2% (1993)

National product per capita: $17,200 (1993)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (1992 est.)

Unemployment rate: 9.1% (March 1994)

Budget:
revenues $109.9 billion
expenditures $122.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)

Exports: $139 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities metal products, chemicals, processed food and tobacco, agricultural products
partners EC 77% (Germany 27%, Belgium-Luxembourg 15%, UK 10%), US 4% (1991)

Imports: $130.3 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities raw materials and semifinished products, consumer goods, transportation equipment, crude oil, food products
partners EC 64% (Germany 26%, Belgium-Luxembourg 14%, UK 8%), US 8% (1991)

External debt: $0

Industrial production: growth rate -1.5% (1993 est.); accounts for 25% of GDP

Electricity:
capacity 22,216,000 kW
production 63.5 billion kWh
consumption per capita 4,200 kWh (1992)

Industries: agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, fishing, construction, microelectronics

Agriculture: accounts for 4.6% of GDP; animal production predominates; crops - grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; shortages of grain, fats, and oils

Illicit drugs: gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe; European producer of illicit amphetamines and other synthetic drugs

Economic aid:
donor ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $19.4 billion

Currency: 1 Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (f.) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Netherlands guilders, gulden, or florins (f.) per US$1 - 1.9508 (January 1994), 1.8573 (1993), 1.7585 (1992), 1.8697 (1991), 1.8209 (1990), 2.1207 (1989)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Railroads: 2,828 km 1.435-meter standard gauge operated by Netherlands Railways (NS) (includes 1,957 km electrified and 1,800 km double track)

Highways:
total 104,590 km
paved 92,525 km (including 2,185 km of expressway)
unpaved gravel, crushed stone 12,065 km (1990)

Inland waterways: 6,340 km, of which 35% is usable by craft of 1,000 metric ton capacity or larger

Pipelines: crude oil 418 km; petroleum products 965 km; natural gas 10,230 km

Ports: coastal - Amsterdam, Delfzijl, Den Helder, Dordrecht, Eemshaven, Ijmuiden, Rotterdam, Scheveningen, Terneuzen, Vlissingen; inland - 29 ports

Merchant marine: 324 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,507,112 GRT/3,208,838 DWT, bulk 3, cargo 180, chemical tanker 21, combination bulk 3, container 32, liquefied gas 12, livestock carrier 1, multifunction large-load carrier 4, oil tanker 27, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 20, roll-on/roll-off cargo 15, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 2
note many Dutch-owned ships are also registered on the captive Netherlands Antilles register

Airports:
total 28
usable 28
with permanent-surface runways 19
with runways over 3,659 m 0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m 10
with runways 1,220-2,439 m 7

Telecommunications: highly developed, well maintained, and integrated; extensive redundant system of multiconductor cables, supplemented by microwave radio relay microwave links; 9,418,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 3 (3 relays) AM, 12 (39 repeaters) FM, 8 (7 repeaters) TV; 5 submarine cables; 1 communication satellite earth station operating in INTELSAT (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean antenna) and EUTELSAT systems; nationwide mobile phone system

Defense Forces

Branches: Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (including Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force, Royal Constabulary

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 4,180,745; fit for military service 3,667,212; reach military age (20) annually 98,479 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $6.8 billion, 2.3% of GDP (1993)