| Background: |
The Kingdom of
the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded
and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained
neutral in World War I but suffered a brutal invasion and
occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern,
industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large
exporter of agricultural products. The country was a
founding member of NATO and the EC, and participated in the
introduction of the euro in 1999. |
| Location: |
Western Europe,
bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
52 30 N, 5 45 E |
| Area: |
total:
41,526 sq km
land: 33,883 sq km
water: 7,643 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly less
than twice the size of New Jersey |
| Land
boundaries: |
total:
1,027 km
border countries: Belgium 450 km, Germany 577
km |
| Maritime
claims: |
exclusive
fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
temperate;
marine; cool summers and mild winters |
| Terrain: |
mostly coastal
lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in
southeast |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Prins Alexanderpolder -7 m
highest point: Vaalserberg 321 m |
| Natural
resources: |
natural gas,
petroleum, arable land |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
25%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 25%
forests and woodland: 8%
other: 39% (1996 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
6,000 sq km (1996
est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
flooding |
| 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 |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur
85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic
Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol |
| Geography
- note: |
located at mouths
of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and
Schelde) |
| Population: |
15,981,472 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
18.38% (male 1,501,925; female 1,436,017)
15-64 years: 67.9% (male 5,518,575; female
5,333,442)
65 years and over: 13.72% (male 899,052; female
1,292,461) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.55% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
11.85
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
8.69 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
2.34 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
4.37 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 78.43 years
male: 75.55 years
female: 81.44 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.65 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.19% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
15,000 (1999
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
100 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)
adjective: Dutch |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Dutch 91%,
Moroccans, Turks, and other 9% (1999 est.) |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic
31%, Protestant 21%, Muslim 4.4%, other 3.6%, unaffiliated
40% (1998) |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (2000 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA% |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands
conventional short form: Netherlands
local long form: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
local short form: Nederland |
| Government
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
(Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 and accession to
the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April |
| Constitution: |
adopted 1814;
amended many times, last time 17 February 1983 |
| Legal
system: |
civil law system
incorporating French penal theory; constitution does not
permit judicial review of acts of the States General;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: Queen BEATRIX (since 30 April 1980); Heir
Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER (born 27 April 1967), son of the
monarch
head of government: Prime Minister Wim KOK
(since 22 August 1994) and Vice Prime Ministers Annemarie
JORRITSMA (since 3 August 1998) and Els BORST-EILERS (since
3 August 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the
monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary;
following Second Chamber elections, the leader of the
majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually
appointed prime minister by the monarch; vice prime
ministers appointed by the monarch
note: government coalition - PvdA, VVD, and
D'66; there is also a Council of State composed of the
monarch, heir apparent, and councilors consulted by the
executive on legislative and administrative policy |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral States
General or Staten Generaal consists of the First Chamber or
Eerste Kamer (75 seats; members indirectly elected by the
country's 12 provincial councils for four-year terms) and
the Second Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 seats; members
directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: First Chamber - last held 25 May
1999 (next to be held NA May 2003); Second Chamber - last
held 6 May 1998 (next to be held May 2002)
election results: First Chamber - percent of
vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDA 20, VVD 19, PvdA
15, D'66 4, other 17; Second Chamber - percent of vote by
party - PvdA 30.0%, VVD 25.3%, CDA 19.3%, D'66 9.3%, other
16.1%; seats by party - PvdA 45, VVD 38, CDA 29, D'66 14,
other 24 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court or
Hoge Raad (justices are nominated for life by the monarch) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Christian
Democratic Appeal or CDA [Jaap de Hoop SCHEFFER]; Democrats
'66 or D'66 [Tom DE GRAAF]; Labor Party or PvdA [Wim KOK];
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Liberal) or VVD
[Hans F. DIJKSTAL]; a host of minor parties |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Federation of
Netherlands Trade Union Movement (comprising Socialist and
Catholic trade unions) and a Protestant trade union;
Federation of Catholic and Protestant Employers
Associations; Interchurch Peace Council or IKV; large
multinational firms; the nondenominational Federation of
Netherlands Enterprises |
| International
organization participation: |
AfDB, AsDB,
Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD,
ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD,
OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Joris M. VOS
chancery: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-5300
FAX: [1] (202) 362-3430
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, New York
consulate(s): Boston |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Cynthia P. SCHNEIDER
embassy: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ, The Hague
mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715
telephone: [31] (70) 310-9209
FAX: [31] (70) 361-4688
consulate(s) general: Amsterdam |
| Flag
description: |
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: |
The Netherlands
is a prosperous and open economy depending heavily on
foreign trade. The economy is noted for stable industrial
relations, moderate inflation, a sizable current account
surplus, and an important role as a European transportation
hub. Industrial activity is predominantly in food
processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical
machinery. A highly mechanized agricultural sector employs
no more than 4% of the labor force but provides large
surpluses for the food-processing industry and for exports.
The Dutch rank third worldwide in value of agricultural
exports, behind the US and France. The Dutch economy has
expanded by 3% or more in each of the last four years and
real GDP growth is likely to be about 3.6% in 2001. The
government in 2001 will implement its most comprehensive tax
reform since World War II, designed to reduce high income
tax levels and redirect the fiscal burden onto consumption.
The Dutch were among the first 11 EU countries establishing
the euro currency zone on 1 January 1999. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $388.4 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
4% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $24,400 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
3.3%
industry: 26.3%
services: 70.4% (2000 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
2.8%
highest 10%: 25.1% (1994) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2.6% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
7.2 million
(2000) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services 73%,
industry 23%, agriculture 4% (1998 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
2.6% (2000 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$134 billion
expenditures: $134 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
| Industries: |
agroindustries,
metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and
equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction,
microelectronics, fishing |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
3.2% (2000) |
| Electricity
- production: |
85.294 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
90.25%
hydro: 0.11%
nuclear: 4.27%
other: 5.37% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
97.76 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
3.97 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
22.407 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
grains, potatoes,
sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; livestock |
| Exports: |
$210.3 billion
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
machinery and
equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs |
| Exports
- partners: |
EU 78% (Germany
26%, Belgium-Luxembourg 12%, France 12%, UK 11%, Italy 6%),
Central and Eastern Europe, US (2000) |
| Imports: |
$201.2 billion
(c.i.f., 2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and
transport equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs, clothing |
| Imports
- partners: |
EU 56% (Germany
18%, Belgium-Luxembourg 10%, UK 5%, France 6%), US 9%,
Central and Eastern Europe (2000) |
| Economic
aid - donor: |
ODA, $3.5 billion
(2000 est.) |
| Currency: |
Netherlands
guilder (NLG); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the
euro as a common currency that is now being used by
financial institutions in the Netherlands at a fixed rate of
2.20371 Netherlands guilders per euro and will replace the
local currency for all transactions in 2002 |
| Exchange
rates: |
euros per US
dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386
(1999); Netherlands guilders per US dollar - 1.9837 (1998),
1.9513 (1997), 1.6859 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
9,132,400 (1999) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
4,081,891 (April
1999) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: highly developed and well maintained
domestic: the existing system of
multi-conductor cables is gradually being replaced by
fiber-optic cables; the density of cellular telephone
traffic is rapidly increasing and further modernization of
the system is expected in the year 2001, with the
introduction of the third generation of the Global System
for Mobile Communications (GSM)
international: 5 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic
Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian
Ocean regions) (1996) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 4, FM 58,
shortwave 3 (1998) |
| Radios: |
15.3 million
(1996) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
21 (plus 26
repeaters) (1995) |
| Televisions: |
8.1 million
(1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.nl |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
52 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
6.8 million
(2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
2,739 km
standard gauge: 2,739 km 1.435-m gauge; (1,991
km electrified) (1998) |
| Highways: |
total:
125,575 km
paved: 113,018 km (including 2,235 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 12,557 km (1998) |
| Waterways: |
5,046 km
note: 47% of total route length 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
and harbors: |
Amsterdam,
Delfzijl, Dordrecht, Eemshaven, Groningen, Haarlem, Ijmuiden,
Maastricht, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Utrecht, Vlissingen |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
596 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,321,500 GRT/4,877,632
DWT
ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 371, chemical
tanker 43, container 59, liquefied gas 21, livestock carrier
1, multi-functional large-load carrier 9, passenger 8,
petroleum tanker 26, refrigerated cargo 29, roll on/roll off
18, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 5 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
19
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
9
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 6 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Royal Netherlands
Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Naval Air Service and
Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force, Royal
Constabulary |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
20 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 4,083,349 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 3,555,501 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
96,082 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$6.5 billion
(FY00/01 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.5% (FY00/01
est.) |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| Illicit
drugs: |
major European
producer of illicit amphetamine and other synthetic drugs;
important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering
Europe; major source of US-bound ecstasy |
|
