From Wikitravel

This article is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real Wikitravel country article according to our country article template. Please plunge forward and edit the Netherlands article.

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 Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 1999.

Contents 1 Geography 2 People 3 Government 4 Economy 5 Communications 6 Transportation 7 Military 8 Transnational Issues

Geography

Location 

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

Geographic coordinates 

52 30 N, 5 45 E

Map references 

Europe

Area 

total: 41,526 sq km
water: 7,643 sq km
land: 33,883 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

Coastline 

451 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: Zuidplaspolder -7 m
highest point: Vaalserberg 322 m

Natural resources 

natural gas, petroleum, arable land

Land use 

arable land: 26.53%
permanent crops: 1.03%
other: 72.44% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

5,650 sq km (1998 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: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note 

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

People

Population 

16,067,754 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 18.3% (male 1,502,687; female 1,437,141)
15-64 years: 67.9% (male 5,548,188; female 5,362,412)
65 years and over: 13.8% (male 913,020; female 1,304,306) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

0.53% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

11.58 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

8.67 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

2.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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 (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

4.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 78.58 years
female: 81.59 years (2002 est.)
male: 75.7 years

Total fertility rate 

1.65 children born/woman (2002 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 83%, other 17% (of which 9% are non-western origin mainly Turks, Moroccans, Antilleans, Surinamese and Indonesians) (1999 est.)

Religions 

Roman Catholic 31%, Protestant 21%, Muslim 4.4%, other 3.6%, unaffiliated 40% (1998)

Languages 

Dutch

Literacy 

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (2000 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government

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); note - the northern provinces of the Low Country concluded the Union of Utrecht, but it was 1648 before Spain finally recognized their independence

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 Jan Peter BALKENENDE (since 22 July 2002) and Vice Prime Ministers Johan REMKES (since NA 2002) and Roelf DE BOER (since NA 2002)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarchy 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: there is also a Council of State composed of the monarch, heir apparent, and councilors that provides consultations to the prime minister 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 15 May 2003); Second Chamber - last held 22 January 2003 (next to be held NA January 2007)
election results: First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDA 20, VVD 19, PvdA 15, D66 4, other 17; Second Chamber - percent of vote by party - CDA 28.6%, PvdA 27.3%, VVD 12.9%, Socialist Party 6.3%, List Pim Fortuyn 5.7%, Green Party 5.1%, D66 4.1%; seats by party - CDA 44, PvdA 42, VVD 28, Socialist Party 9, List Pim Fortuyn 8, Green Party 8, D66 6, other 5

Judicial branch 

Supreme Court or Hoge Raad (justices are nominated for life by the monarch)

Political parties and leaders 

Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Jan Peter BALKENENDE]; Christian Union Party [M. VAN DAALEN]; Democrats 66 or D66 [Thom DE GRAAF]; Green Party [Femke HALSEMA]; Labor Party or PvdA [Wouter BOS]; List Pim Fortuyn [Mat HERBEN]; People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Liberal) or VVD [Gerrit ZALM]; Socialist Party [Jan MARIJNISSEN]; 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, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador Boudewijn J. VAN EENENNAAM
consulate(s): Boston
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York
FAX: [1] (202) 362-3430
telephone: [1] (202) 244-5300
chancery: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador Clifford M. SOBEL
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; one of the oldest flags in constant use, originating with William I, Prince of Orange, in the latter half of the 16th century

Economy

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 Netherlands, along with 11 of its EU partners, began circulating the euro currency on 1 January 2002. The country continues to be one of the leading European nations for attracting foreign direct investment. Economic growth slowed considerably in 2001-02, as part of the global economic slowdown, but for the four years before that, annual growth averaged nearly 4%, well above the EU average.

GDP 

purchasing power parity - $434 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 

0.3% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita 

purchasing power parity - $26,900 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector 

agriculture: 3%
industry: 26%
services: 71% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line 

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share 

lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 25% (1994)

Distribution of family income - Gini index 

33 (1994)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 

3.4% (2002 est.)

Labor force 

7.2 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation 

services 73%, industry 23%, agriculture 4% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate 

3% (2002 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 

2% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production 

87.953 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 90%
hydro: 0%
other: 5% (2000)
nuclear: 4%

Electricity - consumption 

100.71 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports 

4.031 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports 

22.946 billion kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products 

grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; livestock

Exports 

$221.9 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities 

machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs

Exports - partners 

EU 77.6% (Germany 25.6%, Benelux 11.8%, UK 11.1%, France 10.3%, Italy 6.2%) (2001)

Imports 

$201.1 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Imports - commodities 

machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs, clothing

Imports - partners 

EU 54.6% (Germany 18.4%, Benelux 9.2%, UK 8.9%, France 5.8%), US 9.9% (2001)

Economic aid - donor 

ODA, $3.5 billion (2000 est.)

Currency 

euro (EUR); Netherlands guilder (NLG)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

Currency code 

EUR; NLG

Exchange rates 

euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Netherlands guilders per US dollar - 1.9837 (1998), 1.9513 (1997)

Fiscal year 

calendar year

Communications

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 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 

9.73 million (2002)

Transportation

Railways 

total: 2,808 km
standard gauge: 2,808 km 1.435-m gauge (2,061 km electrified) (2001)

Highways 

total: 116,500 km
paved: 104,850 km (including 2,235 km of expressways)
unpaved: 11,650 km (1999)

Waterways 

5,046 km (of which 3,745 km are canals)
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: 622 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,587,662 GRT/5,251,529 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 1, Canada 1, Denmark 5, Finland 5, Germany 55, Ireland 12, Norway 12, Sweden 17, United Kingdom 33, United States 12 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 380, chemical tanker 46, container 64, liquefied gas 16, livestock carrier 2, multi-functional large-load carrier 15, passenger 9, petroleum tanker 28, refrigerated cargo 34, roll on/roll off 18, short-sea passenger 2, specialized tanker 5

Airports 

28 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 21
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 2 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 5 (2002)

Heliports 

1 (2002)

Military

Military branches 

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

Military manpower - military age 

20 years of age (note - age 17 for cadets and midshipmen) (2002 est.)

Military manpower - availability 

males age 15-49: 4,077,917 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service 

males age 15-49: 3,546,030 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually 

males: 96,082
note: Netherlands has an all-volunteer, 74,100 force in 2001 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure 

$6.5 billion (FY00/01 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP 

1.5% (FY00/01 est.)

Transnational Issues

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; large financial sector vulnerable to money laundering