1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
33,929 km2; 70% cultivated, 5% waste, 8% forested, 8% inland water, 9% other
Coastline
451 km
Land boundaries
1,022 km WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
3 nm (fishing 200 nm)
People and Society
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
Government
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 (WD), 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.]% 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, FAO, 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
Economy
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) Fishing: catch 295,000 metric tons (1979); exports of fish and fish products $491.6 million (1979), imports $275.4 million (1979)
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=$1 (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
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 guilders=US$1, average 1980 est.
Shortages
crude petroleum, raw cotton, base metals and ores, pulp, pulpwood, lumber, feedgrains, and oilseeds
Communications
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 11 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
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
Military and Security
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