Statistical information The Netherlands 1998

The Netherlands in the World
top of pageBackground: 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.
top of pageLocation: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany
Geographic coordinates: 52 30 N, 5 45 E
Map reference:
EuropeAreaTotal: 41,526 km²
Land: 33,889 km²
Water: 7,637 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Land boundariesTotal: 1,027 km
Border countries: (2) Belgium 450 km;
, Germany 577 kmCoastline: 451 km
Maritime claimsExclusive 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
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Prins Alexanderpolder -7 m
Extremes highest point: Vaalserberg 321 m
Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, fertile soil
Land useArable land: 27%
Permanent crops: 1%
Permanent pastures: 31%
Forests and woodland: 10%
Other: 31% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 5,600 km² (1993 est.)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: the extensive system of dikes and dams, protects nearly one-half of the total area from being flooded
GeographyNote: located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde)
top of pagePopulation: 15,731,112 (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: 0.5% (1998 est.)
NationalityNoun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)
Adjective: Dutch
Ethnic groups: Dutch 96%, Moroccans, Turks, and other 4% (1988)
Languages: Dutch
Religions: Roman Catholic 34%, Protestant 25%, Muslim 3%, other 2%, unaffiliated 36% (1991)
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 18% (male 1,472,236; female 1,406,919)
15-64 years: 68% (male 5,457,225; female 5,268,376)
65 years and over: 14% (male 862,574; female 1,263,782) (July 1998 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 0.5% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 11.62 births/1000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 8.69 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.11 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent 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
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, 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
International agreements signed but not ratified: Biodiversity
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 5.17 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 78.01 years
Male: 75.14 years
Female: 81.03 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.49 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracyDefinition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99% (1979 est.)
Male: NA%
Female: NA%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional 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:
(2) Aruba,
Netherlands AntillesIndependence: 1579 (from Spain)
National holiday: Queen's Day, 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
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief of state: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER (born 27 April 1967), Prince of Orange, son of Queen BEATRIX: ead of
Government: Prime Minister Wim KOK (since 22 August 1994) and Vice Prime Ministers Hans DIJKSTAL (since 22 August 1994) and Hans VAN MIERLO (since 22 August 1994)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the queen
Elections: none; the queen is a hereditary, constitutional monarch; following Second Chamber elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the queen; vice prime ministers appointed by the queen
Note: there is a Council of State composed of the queen, crown prince, and councillors 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 9 June 1995 (next to be held 9 June 1999); Second Chamber_last held 3 May 1994 (next to be held 6 May 1998)
Election results: First Chamber_percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_VVD 23, CDA 19, PvdA 14, D'66 7, other 12; Second Chamber_percent of vote by party_PvdA 24.3%, CDA 22.3%, VVD 20.4%, D'66 16.5%, other 16.5%; seats by party_PvdA 37, CDA 34, VVD 31, D'66 24, other 24
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Hoge Raad, justices are nominated for life by the crown
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, 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, MTCR, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Ambassador Joris M. VOS (appointed 9 October 1997)
In the us chancery: 4,200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 244-5,300
In the us fax: [1] (202) 362-3,430
In the us consulates general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Kirk Terry DORNBUSH
From the us embassy: Lange Voorhout 102, 2,514 EJ, The Hague
From the us mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 9,715
From the us telephone: [31] (70) 310-9,209
From the us fax: [31] (70) 361-4,688
From the us consulates 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
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy 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. Industrial activity features food-processing, oil-refining, and metalworking. The highly mechanized agricultural sector employs only 2% of the labor force but provides large surpluses for export and the domestic food-processing industry. Indeed, the Netherlands ranks third worldwide in value of agricultural exports, behind the US and France. Sharp cuts in subsidy and social security spending have been accompanied by sustained growth in output and employment. Growth in 1998 should be a brisk 3.5%. The Dutch will almost certainly qualify for the first wave of countries entering the European Monetary Union (EMU) in 1999.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 3.25% (1997)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $22,000 (1997 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 4%
Industry: 18%
Services: 78% (1996)
Agriculture products: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; livestock
Industries: agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, fishing, construction, microelectronics
Industrial production growth rate: 3.75% (1997)
Labor forceTotal: 6.6 million (1997)
By occupation services: 75%
By occupation manufacturing and construction: 23%
By occupation agriculture: 2% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 6.9% (1997)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $103.4 billion
Expenditures: $112.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1998 draft)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: total value:$203.1 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
Commodoties: manufactures and machinery, chemicals; processed food and tobacco, agricultural products
Partners: EU 80% (Germany 29%, Belgium-Luxembourg 13%, UK 10%), Central and Eastern Europe 4%, US 3% (1996)
Imports: total value:$1.791 trillion (c.i.f., 1997)
Commodoties: raw materials and semifinished products, consumer goods, transportation equipment, crude oil, food products
Partners: EU 64% (Germany 22%, Belgium-Luxembourg 11%, UK 10%), Central and Eastern Europe 4%, US 8% (1996)
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $0
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Netherlands guilders, gulden, or florins (f.) per US$1_2.0462 (January 1998), 1.9513 (1997), 1.6859 (1996), 1.6057 (1995), 1.8200 (1994), 1.8573 (1993)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 20.09 million kW (1996 est.)
Production: 82 billion kWh (1996 est.)
Consumption per capita: 4,968 kWh (1996 est.)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephones: 8.272 million (1983 est.)
Telephone system: highly developed and well maintained; extensive redundant system of multiconductor cables, supplemented by microwave radio relay
Domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; microwave radio relay
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)
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $8.2 billion (1995)
Percent of gdp: 2.1% (1995)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 28 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 19
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 9
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 6 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1997 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 418 km; petroleum products 965 km; natural gas 10,230 km
RailwaysTotal: 2,739 km
Standard gauge: 2,739 km 1.435-m gauge; (1,991 km electrified) (1996)
RoadwaysWaterways: 6,340 km, of which 35% is usable by craft of 1,000 metric ton capacity or larger
Merchant marineTotal: 453 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,141,630 GRT/3,597,975 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 269, chemical tanker 33, combination bulk 2, container 44, liquefied gas tanker 16, livestock carrier 1, multifunction large-load carrier 7, oil tanker 28, passenger 6, refrigerated cargo 28, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 3
Note: many Dutch-owned ships are also operating under the registry of Netherlands Antilles (1997 est.)
Ports and terminalstop of pageDisputes international: none
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe; European producer of illicit amphetamines and other synthetic drugs