:Netherlands Geography
Total area:
37,330 km2
Land area:
33,920 km2
Comparative area:
slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Land boundaries:
1,027 km total; Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km
Coastline:
451 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
not specific
Territorial sea:
12 nm
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, crude oil, fertile soil
Land use:
arable land 26%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 32%; forest and
woodland 9%; other 32%; includes irrigated 16%
Environment:
27% of the land area is below sea level and protected from the North Sea by
dikes
Note:
located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse,
Schelde)
:Netherlands People
Population:
15,112,064 (July 1992), growth rate 0.6% (1992)
Birth rate:
13 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
8 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
1 migrant/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
7 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
75 years male, 81 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
1.6 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women); adjective - Dutch
Ethnic divisions:
Dutch 96%, Moroccans, Turks, and other 4% (1988)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 36%, Protestant 27%, other 6%, unaffiliated 31% (1988)
Languages:
Dutch
Literacy:
99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1979 est.)
Labor force:
5,300,000; services 50.1%, manufacturing and construction 28.2%, government
15.9%, agriculture 5.8% (1986)
Organized labor:
29% of labor force
:Netherlands Government
Long-form name:
Kingdom of the Netherlands
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
Independence:
1579 (from Spain)
Constitution:
17 February 1983
Dependent areas:
Aruba, Netherlands Antilles
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
National holiday:
Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)
Executive branch:
monarch, prime minister, vice prime minister, Cabinet, Cabinet of Ministers
Legislative branch:
bicameral legislature (Staten Generaal) consists of an upper chamber or
First Chamber (Eerste Kamer) and a lower chamber or Second Chamber (Tweede
Kamer)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (De Hoge Raad)
Leaders:
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)
Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Willem van VELZEN; Labor (PvdA), Wim KOK;
Liberal (VVD), Joris VOORHOEVE; Democrats '66 (D'66), Hans van MIERIO; a
host of minor parties
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
First Chamber:
last held on 9 June l991 (next to be held 9 June 1995); results - elected by
the country's 12 provincial councils; seats - (75 total) percent of seats by
party NA
Second Chamber:
last held on 6 September 1989 (next to be held by September 1993); results -
CDA 35.3%, PvdA 31. 9%, VVD 14.6%, D'66 7.9%, other 10.3%; seats - (150
total) CDA 54, PvdA 49, VVD 22, D'66 12, other 13
Communists:
about 6,000
:Netherlands Government
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 IKV -
Interchurch Peace Council
Member of:
AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, 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, MTCR, NACC, NATO,
NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Johan Hendrick MEESMAN; Chancery at 4200 Linnean Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 244-5300; 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 PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715); telephone [31] (70)
310-9209; FAX [31] (70) 361-4688; there is a US Consulate General in
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
:Netherlands 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 6.2% and a sizable budget deficit are
currently the most serious economic problems.
GDP:
purchasing power equivalent - $249.6 billion, per capita $16,600; real
growth rate 2.2% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.6% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
6.2% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues $98.7 billion; expenditures $110.8 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1991)
Exports:
$131.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
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:
$125.9 billion (c.i.f., 1990)
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)
External debt:
none
Industrial production:
growth rate 1.7% (1991 est.); accounts for 25% of GDP
Electricity:
22,216,000 kW capacity; 63,570 million kWh produced, 4,300 kWh per capita
(1991)
Industries:
agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and
equipment, chemicals, petroleum, fishing, construction, microelectronics
Agriculture:
accounts for 4% of GDP; animal production predominates; crops - grains,
potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; shortages of grain, fats, and
oils
Illicit drugs:
European producer of illicit amphetamines and other synethic drugs
Economic aid:
donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $19.4 billion
Currency:
Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (plural - guilders, gulden, or
florins); 1 Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (f.) = 100 cents