Background: The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century they became a leading seafaring and commercial power with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation a 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 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 EEC (now the EU) and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. In October 2010 the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and the three smallest islands - Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba - became special municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands of Sint Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent countries forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Geographic coordinates: 52 30 N 5 45 E

Area
Rank: 135
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Coastline: 451 km

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 peat limestone salt sand and gravel arable land

Irrigated land: 4,600 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 89.7 km³ (2005)

Natural hazards: flooding

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

Population: 16,730,632 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 63
Growth rate: 0.452% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 153
Below poverty line: 10.5% (2005)

Ethnic groups: Dutch 80.7% EU 5% Indonesian 2.4% Turkish 2.2% Surinamese 2% Moroccan 2% Caribbean 0.8% other 4.8% (2008 est.)

Languages: Dutch (official) Frisian (official)

Religions: Roman Catholic 30% Protestant 20% (Dutch Reformed 11% Calvinist 6% other Protestant 3%) Muslim 5.8% other 2.2% none 42% (2006)

Population growth rate: 0.452% (2012 est.)
Rank: 153

Birth rate: 10.89 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 175

Death rate: 8.39 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 86

Net migration rate: 2.02 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 38

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

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 204

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 21

Total fertility rate: 1.78 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 160

Physicians density: 3.921 physicians/1000 population (2007)

Hospital bed density: 4.25 beds/1000 population (2008)

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 93
People living with hivaids: 22,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 74
Deaths: fewer than 100 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 124

Education expenditures: 5.3% of GDP (2007)
Rank: 50

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (provincies singular - provincie); Drenthe Flevoland Fryslan (Friesland) Gelderland Groningen Limburg Noord-Brabant (North Brabant) Noord-Holland (North Holland) Overijssel Utrecht Zeeland (Zealand) Zuid-Holland (South Holland)

Dependent areas: (1) Aruba Curacao Sint Maarten

Independence: 23 January 1579 (the northern provinces of the Low Countries conclude the Union of Utrecht breaking with Spain; on 26 July 1581 they formally declared their independence with an Act of Abjuration; however it was not until 30 January 1648 and the Peace of Westphalia that Spain recognized this independence)

National holiday: Queen's Day (Birthday of deceased Queen-Mother JULIANA and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX) 30 April (1909 and 1980)

Constitution: adopted 1815; amended many times

Legal system: civil law system based on the French system; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

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 to serve four-year terms) and the Second Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve at most four-year terms)

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

Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Sybrand VAN HAERSMA BUMA]; Christian Union or CU [Arie SLOB]; Democrats 66 or D66 [Alexander PECHTOLD]; Green Left or GL [Bram VAN OJIK]; Labor Party or PvdA [Diederik SAMSOM]; Party for Freedom or PVV [Geert WILDERS]; Party for the Animals or PvdD [Marianne THIEME]; People's Party for Freedom and Democracy or VVD [Halbe ZIJLSTRA]; Reformed Political Party of SGP [Kees VAN DER STAAIJ]; Socialist Party of SP [Emile ROEMER]; plus a few minor parties

International organization participation: ADB (nonregional member) AfDB (nonregional member) Arctic Council (observer) Australia Group Benelux BIS CBSS (observer) CD CE CERN EAPC EBRD ECB EIB EITI (implementing country) EMU ESA EU FAO FATF G-10 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IGAD (partners) IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA NATO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OPCW OSCE Paris Club PCA Schengen Convention SELEC (observer) UN UNAMID UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNMISS UNRWA UNTSO UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

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; the colors were those of WILLIAM I Prince of Orange who led the Dutch Revolt against Spanish sovereignty in the latter half of the 16th century; originally the upper band was orange but because it tended to fade to red over time the red shade was eventually made the permanent color; the banner is perhaps the oldest tricolor in continuous use

National symbols: lion

Economy overview: The Dutch economy is the fifth-largest economy in the euro-zone and is noted for its stable industrial relations moderate unemployment and inflation a sizable trade 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 only 2% 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. After 26 years of uninterrupted economic growth the Dutch economy - highly dependent on an international financial sector and international trade - contracted by 3.5% in 2009 as a result of the global financial crisis. The Dutch financial sector suffered due in part to the high exposure of some Dutch banks to U.S. mortgage-backed securities. In 2008 the government nationalized two banks and injected billions of dollars of capital into other financial institutions to prevent further deterioration of a crucial sector. The government also sought to boost the domestic economy by accelerating infrastructure programs offering corporate tax breaks for employers to retain workers and expanding export credit facilities. The stimulus programs and bank bailouts however resulted in a government budget deficit of 5.3% of GDP in 2010 that contrasted sharply with a surplus of 0.7% in 2008. The government of Prime Minister Mark RUTTE began implementing fiscal consolidation measures in early 2011 mainly reductions in expenditures which resulted in an improved budget deficit of 3.8% of GDP. In 2012 tax revenues dropped nearly 9% and GDP contracted. Although jobless claims continued to grow the unemployment rate remained relatively low at 6.8 percent.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 24

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 194

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 21

Agriculture products: grains potatoes sugar beets fruits vegetables; livestock

Industrial production growth rate: -0.6% (2011 est.)
Rank: 150

Labor force: 7.746 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 62

Unemployment rate: 5.8% (2011 est.)
Rank: 73

Population below poverty line: 10.5% (2005)

Distribution of family income gini index: 32.6 (1994)
Rank: 112

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -5.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 158

Taxes and other revenues: 45.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 31

Public debt: 65.1% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 39

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.3% (2011 est.)
Rank: 49

Central bank discount rate: 1.75% (31 December 2010)
Rank: 127

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 3.18% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 176

Stock of narrow money: $367.2 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 13

Stock of broad money: $1.088 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 18

Stock of domestic credit: $1.644 trillion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 13

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 18

Current account balance: $70.92 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 6

Exports: $550.2 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 7
Commodities: machinery and equipment chemicals fuels; foodstuffs
Partners: Germany 26.2% Belgium 14.1% France 9.3% UK 7.7% Italy 4.8% (2011)

Imports: $492.1 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 11
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment chemicals fuels foodstuffs clothing
Partners: Germany 14.5% China 11.8% Belgium 8.6% UK 6.1% Russia 6% US 5.9% France 4% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $46.24 billion (2010 est.)
Rank: 33

Debt external: $3.733 trillion (31 December 2009)
Rank: 7

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $589.1 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 11

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $943.1 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 9

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 108 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 33
Consumption: 107.4 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 30
Exports: 12.81 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 16
Imports: 15.58 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 13
Installed generating capacity: 25.99 million kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 29
Generation sources fossil fuels: 84.1% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 87
Generation sources nuclear: 2% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 30
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 150
Generation sources other renewable sources: 13.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 13

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 41,990 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 64
Crude oil exports: 13,140 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 54
Crude oil imports: 964,100 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 11
Crude oil proven reserves: 287.4 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 56

Refined petroleum
Products production: 1.239 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Products production rank: 18
Products consumption: 1.01 million bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 23
Products exports: 1.858 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Products exports rank: 5
Products imports: 1.61 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Products imports rank: 3

Natural gas
Production: 81.09 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 13
Consumption: 49.05 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 17
Exports: 54.8 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 8
Imports: 22.76 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 16
Proven reserves: 1.303 trillion m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 24

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 263.4 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 26

Telephones
Main lines in use: 7.135 million (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 25
Mobile cellular: 19.835 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 48

Broadcast media: more than 90% of households are connected to cable or satellite TV systems that provide a wide range of domestic and foreign channels; public service broadcast system includes multiple broadcasters 3 with a national reach and the remainder operating in regional and local markets; 2 major nationwide commercial television companies each with 3 or more stations and many commercial TV stations in regional and local markets; nearly 600 radio stations with a mix of public and private stations providing national or regional coverage (2008)

Internet
Country code: .nl
Hosts: 13.699 million (2012)
Hosts rank: 11
Users: 14.872 million (2009)
Users rank: 27

Military expenditures: 1.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 90

Military service age and obligation: 20 years of age for an all-volunteer force (2004)

Airports: 27 (2012)
Rank: 124

Heliports: 1 (2012)

Pipelines: gas 4,413 km; oil 365 km; refined products 716 km (2010)

Railways
Rank: 58

Roadways
Rank: 35

Waterways: 6,214 km (navigable for ships of 50 tons) (2009)
Rank: 22

Merchant marine
Rank: 15

Ports and terminals: Amsterdam IJmuiden Moerdijk Rotterdam Terneuzen Vlissingen

Disputes international: none

Illicit drugs: major European producer of synthetic drugs including ecstasy and cannabis cultivator; important gateway for cocaine heroin and hashish entering Europe; major source of US-bound ecstasy; large financial sector vulnerable to money laundering; significant consumer of ecstasy