$NA
Exchange rates:
Nepalese rupees (NPR) per US dollar - 65.21 (2008), 70.35 (2007), 72.446 (2006), 72.16 (2005), 73.674 (2004)
Communications ::Nepal
Telephones - main lines in use:
805,100 (2008) country comparison to the world: 87
Telephones - mobile cellular:
4.2 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 94
Telephone system:
general assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile-cellular telephone network
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone service subscribership base only about 15 per 100 persons
international: country code - 977; radiotelephone communications; microwave landline to India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 6, FM 80, shortwave 4 (2008)
Television broadcast stations:
9 (plus 9 repeaters) (2008)
Internet country code:
.np
Internet hosts:
43,411 (2009) country comparison to the world: 87
Internet users:
499,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 108
Transportation ::Nepal
Airports:
47 (2009) country comparison to the world: 93
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 11
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 36
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 30 (2009)
Railways:
total: 59 km country comparison to the world: 130 narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 17,282 km country comparison to the world: 120 paved: 10,142 km
unpaved: 7,140 km (2007)
Military ::Nepal
Military branches:
Nepal Army (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; 15 years of age for military training; no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 7,322,965
females age 16-49: 6,859,064 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,886,103
females age 16-49: 5,525,764 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 365,567
female: 352,643 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.6% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 104
Transnational Issues ::Nepal
Disputes - international:
joint border commission continues to work on contested sections of boundary with India, including the 400 square kilometer dispute over the source of the Kalapani River; India has instituted a stricter border regime to restrict transit of Maoist insurgents and illegal cross-border activities; approximately 106,000 Bhutanese Lhotshampas (Hindus) have been confined in refugee camps in southeastern Nepal since 1990
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 107,803 (Bhutan); 20,153 (Tibet/China)
IDPs: 50,000-70,000 (remaining from ten-year Maoist insurgency that officially ended in 2006; displacement spread across the country) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of cannabis and hashish for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West
page last updated on November 11, 2009
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@Netherlands (Europe)
Introduction ::Netherlands
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.
Geography ::Netherlands
Location:
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany
Geographic coordinates:
52 30 N, 5 45 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 41,543 sq km country comparison to the world: 134 land: 33,893 sq km
water: 7,650 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:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 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, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 21.96%
permanent crops: 0.77%
other: 77.27% (2005)
Irrigated land:
5,650 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
89.7 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 8.86 cu km/yr (6%/60%/34%)
per capita: 544 cu m/yr (2001)
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-Sulfur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde)
People ::Netherlands
Population:
16,715,999 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 59
Age structure:
0-14 years: 17.4% (male 1,485,873/female 1,416,999)
15-64 years: 67.7% (male 5,720,387/female 5,604,014)
65 years and over: 14.9% (male 1,070,496/female 1,418,230) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 40.4 years
male: 39.6 years
female: 41.2 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.412% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 162
Birth rate:
10.4 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 186
Death rate:
8.74 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 86
Net migration rate:
2.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 34
Urbanization:
urban population: 82% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.73 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 198 male: 5.25 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.4 years country comparison to the world: 30 male: 76.8 years
female: 82.14 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.66 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 174
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 107
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
18,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 82
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 122
Nationality:
noun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)
adjective: Dutch
Ethnic groups:
Dutch 80.7%, EU 5%, Indonesian 2.4%, Turkish 2.2%, Surinamese 2%, Moroccan 2%, Netherlands Antilles & Aruba 0.8%, other 4.8% (2008 est.)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 30%, Dutch Reformed 11%, Calvinist 6%, other
Protestant 3%, Muslim 5.8%, other 2.2%, none 42% (2006)
Languages:
Dutch (official), Frisian (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years
male: 17 years
female: 16 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
5.3% of GDP (2005) country comparison to the world: 58
Government ::Netherlands
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:
name: Amsterdam
geographic coordinates: 52 23 N, 4 54 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
note: The Hague is the seat of government; time descriptions apply to the continental Netherlands only, not to the Caribbean components
Administrative divisions:
12 provinces (provincies, singular - provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland,
Friesland (Fryslan), Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant
(North Brabant), Noord-Holland (North Holland), Overijssel, Utrecht,
Zeeland (Zealand), Zuid-Holland (South Holland)
Dependent areas:
Aruba, Netherlands Antilles
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 Queen-Mother JULIANA and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX), 30 April (1909 and 1980)
Constitution:
adopted 1815; amended many times, most recently in 2002
Legal system:
based on 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); Deputy Prime Ministers Wouter BOS (since 22 February 2007) and Andre ROUVOET (since 22 February 2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch
elections: 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; deputy 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 cabinet 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 to serve four-year terms) and the Second Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: First Chamber - last held 29 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2011); Second Chamber - last held 22 November 2006 (next to be held by early 2011)
election results: First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDA 21, PvdA 14, VVD 14, Socialist Party 11, Christian Union 4, Green Left Party 4, D66 2, other 5; Second Chamber - percent of vote by party - CDA 26.5%, PvdA 21.2%, Socialist Party 16.6%, VVD 14.6%, Party for Freedom 5.9%, Green Party 4.6%, Christian Union 4.0%, other 6.6%; seats by party - CDA 41, PvdA 33, Socialist Party 25, VVD 22, Party for Freedom 9, Green Party 7, Christian Union 6, other 7
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Hoge Raad (justices are nominated for life by the monarch)
Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Pieter VAN GEEL]; Christian
Union Party [Arie SLOB]; Democrats 66 or D66 [Alexander PECHTOLD];
Green Left Party [Femke HALSEMA]; Labor Party or PvdA [Mariette
HAMER]; Party for Freedom or PVV [Geert WILDERS]; Party for the
Animals or PvdD [Marianne THIEME]; People's Party for Freedom and
Democracy (Liberal) or VVD [Mark RUTTE]; Reformed Political Party of
SGP [Bas VAN DER VLIES]; Socialist Party [Agnes KANT]; plus a few
minor parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Christian Trade Union Federation or CNV [Rene PAAS]; Confederation
of Netherlands Industry and Employers or VNO-NCW [Bernard WIENTJES];
Federation for Small and Medium-sized businesses or MKB [Loek
HERMANS]; Netherlands Trade Union Federation or FNV [Agnes
JONGERIUS]; Social Economic Council or SER [Alexander RINNOOY KAN];
Trade Union Federation of Middle and High Personnel or MHP [Ad
VERHOEVEN]
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council
(observer), Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CBSS (observer), CE,
CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM
(guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris
Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Regina "Renee" JONES-BOS
chancery: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-5300, [1] 877-388-2443
FAX: [1] (202) 362-3430
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York
consulate(s): Boston
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Michael GALLAGHER
embassy: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ, The Hague
mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715
telephone: [31] (70) 310-2209
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; 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
Economy ::Netherlands
Economy - overview:
The Netherlands has a prosperous and open economy, which depends heavily on foreign trade. The economy is noted for stable industrial relations, moderate unemployment and 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 3% 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 has been one of the leading European nations for attracting foreign direct investment and is one of the four largest investors in the US. The pace of job growth reached 10-year highs in 2007, but economic growth fell sharply in 2008 as fallout from the world financial crisis constricted demand and raised the specter of a recession in 2009.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$673.5 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 21 $660.3 billion (2007 est.)
$637.4 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$877 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 161 3.6% (2007 est.)
3.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$40,500 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 20 $39,900 (2007 est.)
$38,700 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.7%
industry: 25.5%
services: 72.9% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
7.715 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 57
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 18%
services: 80% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 48 4.6% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
10.5% (2005)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 22.9% (1999)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
30.9 (2007) country comparison to the world: 108 32.6 (1994)
Investment (gross fixed):
20.5% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 103
Budget:
revenues: $405.9 billion
expenditures: $397.3 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
58.2% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 26 55.8% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 26 1.6% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
3% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 106 5% (31 December 2007)
note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
10.37% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 96 8.72% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money: