1981 Edition

Area

I t)8(TE0 6-

33,929 km2; 70% cultivated, 5% waste, 8% forested, 8% inland water, 9% other

Coastline

451 km

Land boundaries

1,022 km

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

3 nm (fishing 200 nm)

Ethnic divisions

99% Dutch, 1% Indonesian and other

Labor force

4.8 million (1978); 30% manufacturing, 24% services, 16% commerce, 10% agriculture, 9% construction, 7% transportation and communications, 4% other; 10% unemployment, November 1981

Language

Dutch

Literacy

98%

Nationality

noun — Netherlander(s); adjective — Netherlands

Organized labor

33% of labor force

Population

14,349,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 0.7%

Religion

31% Protestant, 40% Roman Catholic, 24% unaffiliated

Branches

executive (Queen and Cabinet of Ministers), which is responsible to bicameral States General (parliament) consisting of a First Chamber (75 indirectly elected members) and a Second Chamber (150 directly elected members); independent judiciary

Capital

Amsterdam, but government resides at The Hague

Communists

CPN claims about 27,000 members

Elections

must be held at least every four years for lower house (most recent held 26 May 1981), and every three years for half of upper house (most recent May 1981) Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA; fused into a single party as of 11 October 1980), Chairman Pieter Bukman; Labor (PvdA), Max van den Berg; Liberal (VVD), Jan Kamminga; Democrats '66 (D'66), J. M. M. van Berkom; Communist (CPN), Henk Hoekstra; Pacifist Socialist (PSP), Bram van der Lek; Political Reformed (SGP), Hette G. Abma; Reformed Political Union (GPV), Jan van der Jagt; Radical Party (PPR), Herman Verbeek; Democratic Socialist '70 (DS'70), Z. Hartog; Rightist Peoples Party (RVP), Hendrik Koekoek; Reformed Political Federation (RPF), P. Lamgeler Voting strength (1981 election): 28.3% PvdA (44 seats), 30.8% CDA (48 seats), 17.3% VVD (28 seats), 11.1% D'66 (17 seats), 2.0% SGP (3 seats), 2.1% CPN (2 seats), 2.0% PPR (3 seats), 0.8% GPV (1 seat), 2.1% PSP (1 seat), 0.2% RPF (2 seats), 0.6% DS'70 (1 seat)

Government leaders

Head of State, Queen BEATRIX; Prime Minister, Andreas A. M. VAN AGT

Legal system

civil law system incorporating French penal theory; constitution of 1815 frequently amended, reissued 1947; judicial review in the Supreme Court of legislation of lower order than Acts of Parliament; legal education at six law schools; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Member of

ADB, Benelux, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, ECE, EEC, EIB, ELDO, EMA, ESRO, EURATOM, FAQ, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMCO, IMF, INRO, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, IPU, ITC, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council (with respect to interests of the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname), NATO, OAS (observer), OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG

National holiday

Queen's Day, 30 April

Official name

Kingdom of the Netherlands

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

Political subdivisions

11 provinces governed by centrally appointed commissioners of Queen

Suffrage

universal over age 18

Type

constitutional monarchy

Agriculture

animal husbandry predominates; main crops — horticultural crops, grains, potatoes, sugar beets; food shortages — grains, fats, oils; calorie intake, 3,186 calories per day per capita (1970-71) NETHERLANDS (Continued)

Aid

donor — bilateral economic aid committed, $6,555 million (1970-78)

Budget

(1982 proj.) revenues $135.1 billion, expenditures $151.0 billion, at exchange rate of 2.50 guilders=$l (December 1981)

Crude steel

7.7 million metric ton capacity; 5.8 million metric tons produced (1979), 410 kg per capita

Electric power

18,500,000 kW capacity (1980); 64.809 billion kWh produced (1980), 4,570 kWh per capita

Exports

$63.6 billion (f.o.b., 1979); foodstuffs, machinery, chemicals, petroleum products, natural gas, textiles

Fiscal year

calendar year

Fishing

catch 295,000 metric tons (1979); exports of fish and fish products $491.6 million (1979), imports $275.4 million (1979)

GNP

$144.2 billion (1981), $10,159 per capita; 59.6% consumption, 21.6% investment, 18.8% government

Imports

$67.2 billion (c.i.f., 1979); machinery, transportation equipment, crude petroleum, foodstuffs, chemicals, raw cotton, base metals and ores, pulp

Major industries

food processing, metal and engineering products, electrical and electronic machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, and natural gas

Major trade partners

(1979) 64.3% EC, 27.3% West Germany, 13.9% Belgium-Luxembourg, 8.9% France, 8.0% UK

Monetary conversion rate

1.9881 gui!ders=US$l, average 1980 est.

Shortages

crude petroleum, raw cotton, base metals and ores, pulp, pulpwood, lumber, feedgrains, and oilseeds

Airfields

29 total, 28 usable; 17 with permanent-surface runways; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

95 major transport aircraft, including 4 leased in and 1 1 leased out

Highways

107,300 km total; 90,600 km paved (including 2,106 km of limited access, divided highways); 16,700 km gravel, crushed stone

Inland waterways

6,340 km, of which 35% is usable by craft of 900 metric ton capacity or larger

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1982, $4.5 billion; about 9.5% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 3,853,000; 3,275,000 fit for military service; 128,000 reach military age (20) annually

Pipelines

418 km crude oil; 965 km refined products; 9,886 km natural gas

Ports

8 major, 6 minor

Railroads

3,046 km standard gauge (1.435 m); 2,880 km government owned (NS), 1,759 km electrified, 1,588 km double track; 166 km privately owned

Telecommunications

highly developed, well maintained, and integrated; extensive system of multiconductor cables, supplemented by radio-relay links; 6.80 million telephones (48.3 per 100 popl.); 6 AM, 33 FM, and 29 TV stations; 9 coaxial submarine cables; 1 satellite station with 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean antenna DEFENSE FORCES