Map of The Netherlands | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries:

Coastline: 451 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: not specific
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

Natural resources: natural gas, crude oil, fertile soil

Land use: arable land: 25%; permanent crops: 1%; meadows and pastures 34%; forest and woodland 9%; other 31%; includes irrigated 15%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

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


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Population: 15,022,393 (July 1991), growth rate 0.6% (1991)

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

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

Languages: Dutch

Religions: Roman Catholic 36%, Protestant 27%, other 6%, unaffiliated 31% (1988)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 13 births/1000 population (1991)

Death rate: 8 deaths/1000 population (1991)

Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1000 population (1991)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: 27% of the land area is below sea level and protected from the North Sea by dikes

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1000 live births (1991)

Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 81 years female (1991)

Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1991)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Amsterdam, but government resides at The Hague

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

Dependent areas: (2) 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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 18

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 Ruud (Rudolph) F. M. LUBBERS (since 4 November 1982; Vice Prime Minister Wim KOK (since 2 November 1989)

Legislative branch: Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (including Naval Air Service and Marine Corp), Royal Netherlands Air Force, Royal Constabulary

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (De Hoge Raad)

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMS, 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, NATO, NEA, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador Johan Hendrick MEESMAN; Chancery at 4,200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 244-5,300; there are Dutch Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco; US--Ambassador C. Howard WILKINS, Jr.; Embassy at Lange Voorhout 102, The Hague (mailing address APO New York 9,159; telephone [31] (70) 362-4,911; there is a US Consulate General in 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 Netherlands NetherlandsNetherlands

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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. An unemployment rate of 6.8% and a sizable budget deficit are currently the most serious economic problems.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 4% of GDP; animal production predominates; crops--grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; shortages of grain, fats, and oils

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

Industrial production growth rate: 4.8% (1990 est.), accounts for 25% of GDP

Labor force: 5,300,000; services 50.1%, manufacturing and construction 28.2%, government 15.9%, agriculture 5.8% (1986)

Unemployment rate: 6.8% (1990 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $68 billion; expenditures $76 billion, including capital expenditures of $7 billion (1990)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $107.8 billion (f.o.b., 1989)
Commodities: agricultural products, processed foods and tobacco, natural gas, chemicals, metal products, textiles, clothing
Partners: EC 74.9% (FRG 28.3%, Belgium-Luxembourg 14.2%, France 10.7%, UK 10.2%), US 4.7% (1988)

Imports: $104.2 billion (c.i.f., 1989)
Commodities: raw materials and semifinished products, consumer goods, transportation equipment, crude oil, food products
Partners: EC 63.8% (FRG 26.5%, Belgium-Luxembourg 23.1%, UK 8.1%), US 7.9% (1988)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: none

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Netherlands guilders, gulden, or florins (f.) per US$1--1.7018 (January 1991), 1.8209 (1990), 2.1207 (1989), 1.9766 (1988), 2.0257 (1987), 2.4500 (1986), 3.3214 (1985)


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Electricity
Capacity: 22,216,000 kW capacity; 63,570 million kWh produced, 4,300 kWh per capita (1989)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: $6.8 billion, 2.7% of GDP (1990) Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 28 total, 28 usable; 18 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Heliports

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

Railways

Roadways

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

Merchant marine: 344 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,722,838 GRT/3,822,230 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 187 cargo, 32 refrigerated cargo, 23 container, 12 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 livestock carrier, 12 multifunction large-load carrier, 17 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 29 chemical tanker, 10 liquefied gas, 2 specialized tanker, 3 combination ore/oil, 9 bulk, 3 combination bulk; note--many Dutch-owned ships are also registered in the captive Netherlands Antilles register

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs