Imports—commodities: machinery and transport equipment,
chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels, consumer goods
Imports—partners: EU 61% (Germany 21%, Belgium-Luxembourg 11%, UK
10%), US 9%, Central and Eastern Europe (1997)
Debt—external: $0
Economic aid—donor: ODA, $2.9 billion (1997)
Currency: 1 Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (f.) = 100 cents; note—on 1 January 2002 to be replaced by the euro
Exchange rates: Netherlands guilders, gulden, or florins (f.) per US$1—1.8904 (January 1999), 1.9837 (1998), 1.9513 (1997), 1.6859 (1996), 1.6057 (1995), 1.8200 (1994) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed rate of 2.20371 guilders per euro; the euro will replace the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 8.431 million (1998 est.); 3.4 million cellular
telephone subscribers (1998 est.)
Telephone system: highly developed and well maintained; system of
multi-conductor cables gradually being supplemented/replaced by a
glass-fiber based telecommunication infrastructure; Mobile GSM-based
mobile telephony density rapidly growing; third generation Universal
Mobile Telecommunications System expected for introduction by the
year 2001
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; microwave radio relay
international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations—3
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1
Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean Regions)