NETHERLANDS
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NETHERLANDS
@Netherlands:Geography
Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and
Germany
Map references: Europe
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NETHERLANDS - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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AMSTERDAM 692,000 52.21N, 4.54E 31-20 GMT+1
Rotterdam 574,000 51.55N, 4.29E 31-10 GMT+1
The Hague 444,000 52.07N, 4.17E 31-70 GMT+1
Utrecht 230,000 52.06N, 5.07E 31-30 GMT+1
Eindhoven 191,000 51.26N, 5.30E 31-40 GMT+1
Groningen 168,000 53.13N, 6.35E 31-50 GMT+1
Tilburg 154,000 51.34N, 5.05E 31-13 GMT+1
Haarlem 149,000 52.23N, 4.38E 31-23 GMT+1
Nijmegen 146,000 51.50N, 5.52E 31-80 GMT+1
Apeldoorn 146,000 52.13N, 5.57E 31-55 GMT+1
Enschede 145,000 52.13N, 6.55E 31-53 GMT+1
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Area:
total area: 37,330 sq km
land area: 33,920 sq km
comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Land boundaries: total 1,027 km, Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km
Coastline: 451 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
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, fertile soil
Land use:
arable land: 26%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 32%
forest and woodland: 9%
other: 32%
Irrigated land: 5,500 sq km (1989 est.)
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
natural hazards: the extensive system of dikes and dams, protects
nearly one-half of the total area from being flooded
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air
Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping,
Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not
ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Desertification,
Law of the Sea
Note: located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or
Meuse, and Schelde)
@Netherlands:People
Population: 15,452,903 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (female 1,382,057; male 1,445,451)
15-64 years: 68% (female 5,184,224; male 5,369,018)
65 years and over: 14% (female 1,238,336; male 833,817) (July 1995
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.52% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 12.42 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 8.48 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.95 years
male: 74.9 years
female: 81.17 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.56 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)
adjective: Dutch
Ethnic divisions: Dutch 96%, Moroccans, Turks, and other 4% (1988)
Religions: Roman Catholic 34%, Protestant 25%, Muslim 3%, other 2%,
unaffiliated 36% (1991)
Languages: Dutch
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1979 est.)
total population: 99%
Labor force: 6.4 million (1993)
by occupation: services 71.4%, manufacturing and construction 24.6%,
agriculture 4.0% (1992)
@Netherlands:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands
conventional short form: Netherlands
local long form: Koninkrijk de Nederlanden
local short form: Nederland
Digraph: NL
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, 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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
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 Willem (Wim) KOK (since 22 August
1994); Vice Prime Minister Hans DIJKSTAL and Hans VAN MIERLO (since 22
August 1994)
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral legislature (Staten Generaal)
First Chamber (Eerste Kamer): members indirectly elected by the
country's 12 provincial councils for four-year terms; elections last
held 9 June l991 (next to be held 9 June 1995); results - percent of
vote by party NA; seats - (75 total) number of seats by party NA
Second Chamber (Tweede Kamer): members directly elected for four-year
terms; elections last held on 3 May 1994 (next to be held in May
1999); results - PvdA 24.3%, CDA 22.3%, VVD 20.4%, D'66 16.5%, other
16.5%; seats - (150 total) PvdA 37, CDA 34, VVD 31, D'66 24, other 24
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (De Hoge Raad)
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Hans
HELGERS; Labor (PvdA), Wim KOK; Liberal (VVD - People's Party for
Freedom and Democracy), Frits BOLKESTEIN; Democrats '66 (D'66), Hans
van MIERLO; a host of minor parties
Other political or pressure groups: large multinational firms;
Federation of Netherlands Trade Union Movement (comprising Socialist
and Catholic trade unions) and a Protestant trade union; Federation of
Catholic and Protestant Employers Associations; the nondenominational
Federation of Netherlands Enterprises; and Interchurch Peace Council
(IKV)
Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS,
CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, G-10, GATT,
IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR,
NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA,
UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNOMOZ, UNOMUR,
UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Adriaan JACOBOVITS DE SZEGED
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
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kirk Terry DORNBUSH
embassy: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ The Hague
mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, the Hague; APO AE 09715
telephone: [31] (70) 310-9209
FAX: [31] (70) 361-4688
consulate(s) general: Amsterdam
Flag: 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: 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 4% 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. High unemployment and a sizable
budget deficit are currently the most serious economic problems. Many
of the economic issues of the 1990s will reflect the course of
European economic integration.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $275.8 billion (1994
est.)
National product real growth rate: 2% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $17,940 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (December 1994)
Unemployment rate: 8.8% (December 1994)
Budget:
revenues: $109.9 billion
expenditures: $122.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1992 est.)
Exports: $153 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: metal products, chemicals, processed food and tobacco,
agricultural products
partners: EC 77% (Germany 27%, Belgium-Luxembourg 15%, UK 10%),
Central and Eastern Europe 10%, US 4% (1991)
Imports: $137 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: raw materials and semifinished products, consumer goods,
transportation equipment, crude oil, food products
partners: EC 64% (Germany 26%, Belgium-Luxembourg 14%, UK 8%), US 8%
(1991)
External debt: $0
Industrial production: growth rate -1.5% (1993 est.); accounts for 25%
of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 17,520,000 kW
production: 72.4 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 5,100 kWh (1993)
Industries: agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical
machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, fishing, construction,
microelectronics
Agriculture: accounts for 4.6% of GDP; animal production predominates;
crops - grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; shortages
of grain, fats, and oils
Illicit drugs: important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish
entering Europe; European producer of illicit amphetamines and other
synthetic drugs
Economic aid:
donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $19.4 billion
Currency: 1 Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (f.) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Netherlands guilders, gulden, or florins (f.) per US$1
- 1.7178 (January 1995), 1.8200 (1994), 1.8573 (1993), 1.7585 (1992),
1.8697 (1991), 1.8209 (1990)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Netherlands:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 2,757 km
standard gauge: 2,757 km km 1.435-m gauge (1,991 km electrified; 1,800
km double track) (1994)
Highways:
total: 104,831 km
paved: 92,251 km (2,118 km of expressway)
unpaved: gravel, crushed stone 12,580 km (1992)
Inland waterways: 6,340 km, of which 35% 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: Amsterdam, Delfzijl, Dordrecht, Eemshaven, Groningen, Haarlem,
Ijmuiden, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Utrecht
Merchant marine:
total: 343 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,629,578 GRT/3,337,307
DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 195, chemical tanker 21, combination bulk
3, container 33, liquefied gas tanker 12, livestock carrier 1,
multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 37, railcar carrier 1,
refrigerated cargo 18, roll-on/roll-off cargo 14, short-sea passenger
3, specialized tanker 2
note: many Dutch-owned ships are also registered on the Netherlands
Antilles register
Airports:
total: 29
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3
with paved runways under 914 m: 8
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3
@Netherlands:Communications
Telephone system: 9,418,000 telephones; highly developed, well
maintained, and integrated; extensive redundant system of
multiconductor cables, supplemented by microwave radio relay links
local: nationwide mobile phone system
intercity: microwave radio relay
international: 5 submarine cables; 3 INTELSAT (1 Indian Ocean and 2
Atlantic Ocean) and 1 EUTELSAT earth station
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 3 (relays 3), FM 12 (repeaters 39), shortwave 0
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 8 (repeaters 7)
televisions: NA
@Netherlands:Defense Forces
Branches: Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes
Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force,
Royal Constabulary
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 4,177,555; males fit for
military service 3,656,529; males reach military age (20) annually
94,771 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $7.1 billion, 2.2% of
GDP (1994)
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