:Netherlands Economy
Exchange rates:
Netherlands guilders, gulden, or florins (f.) per US$1 - 1.7753 (January
1992), 1.8697 (1991), 1.8209 (1990), 2.1207 (1989), 1.9766 (1988), 2.0257
(1987)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Netherlands Communications
Railroads:
3,037 km track (includes 1,871 km electrified and 1,800 km double track);
2,871 km 1.435-meter standard gauge operated by Netherlands Railways (NS);
166 km privately owned
Highways:
108,360 km total; 92,525 km paved (including 2,185 km of limited access,
divided highways); 15,835 km gravel, crushed stone
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:
maritime - Amsterdam, Delfzijl, Den Helder, Dordrecht, Eemshaven, Ijmuiden,
Rotterdam, Scheveningen, Terneuzen, Vlissingen; inland - 29 ports
Merchant marine:
345 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,630,962 GRT/3,687,598 DWT; includes
3 short-sea passenger, 191 cargo, 30 refrigerated cargo, 24 container, 12
roll-on/roll-off, 2 livestock carrier, 10 multifunction large-load carrier,
22 oil tanker, 27 chemical tanker, 10 liquefied gas, 2 specialized tanker, 9
bulk, 3 combination bulk; note - many Dutch-owned ships are also registered
on the captive Netherlands Antilles register
Civil air:
98 major transport aircraft
Airports:
28 total, 28 usable; 19 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways
over 3,659 m; 11 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 6 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
highly developed, well maintained, and integrated; extensive redundant
system of multiconductor cables, supplemented by radio relay links;
9,418,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 3 (3 relays) AM, 12 (39
repeaters) FM, 8 (7 repeaters) TV; 5 submarine cables; 1 communication
satellite earth station operating in INTELSAT (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic
Ocean antenna) and EUTELSAT systems; nationwide mobile phone system
:Netherlands Defense Forces
Branches:
Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (including Naval Air Service
and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force, Royal Constabulary
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 4,144,477; 3,649,746 fit for military service; 111,952 reach
military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $7.2 billion, 2.9% of GDP (1991)
:Netherlands Antilles Geography
Total area:
960 km2
Land area:
960 km2; includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten
(Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)
Comparative area:
slightly less than 5.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
364 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone:
12 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Terrain:
generally hilly, volcanic interiors
Natural resources:
phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
Land use:
arable land 8%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and
woodland 0%; other 92%
Environment:
Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt, so rarely
threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes
from July to October
Note:
consists of two island groups - Curacao and Bonaire are located off the
coast of Venezuela, and Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius lie 800 km to
the north
:Netherlands Antilles People
Population:
184,325 (July 1992), growth rate 0.3% (1992)
Birth rate:
18 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
-9 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
11 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
73 years male, 77 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.0 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Netherlands Antillean(s); adjective - Netherlands Antillean
Ethnic divisions:
mixed African 85%; remainder Carib Indian, European, Latin, and Oriental
Religions:
predominantly Roman Catholic; Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist
Languages:
Dutch (official); Papiamento, a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect
predominates; English widely spoken; Spanish
Literacy:
94% (male 94%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981)
Labor force:
89,000; government 65%, industry and commerce 28% (1983)
Organized labor:
60-70% of labor force