1984 Edition

Agriculture

animal husbandry predominates; main crops — horticultural crops, grains, potatoes, sugar beets; food shortages— grains, fats, oils Netherlands Antilles

Aid

donor — bilateral economic aid committed (ODA and OOF), $10.5 billion (1970-81)

Airfields

29 total, 28 usable; 19 with permanent-surface runways; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 3 with runways 1,2202,439 m

Area

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

1,020 km2; 95% waste, urban, or other; 5% arable Water

Branches

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

Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy/Marine, Royal Netherlands Air Force

Budget

(1982 actual) revenues $46.5 billion, expenditures $56.9 billion, deficit $10.5 billion, at exchange rate of 2.67 guilders=$l (1982); (1983 est.) revenues $43.1 billion, expenditures $53.9 billion, deficit $10.8 billion

Capital

Amsterdam, but government resides at The Hague

Civil air

96 major transport aircraft

Coastline

451 km People

364 km People

Communists

CPN claims about 27,000 members

Crude steel

8.6 million metric ton capacity (1981); 8.2 million metric tons produced, 586 kg per capita (1983)

Elections

must be held at least every four years for lower house (most recent held 8 September 1982); following an amendment to the constitution that took effect in 1983, elections are held for the upper house every four years (most recent August 1983) Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Chairman Pieter Bukman; Labor (PvdA), Max van den Berg; Liberal (VVD), Jan Kamminga; Democrats '66 (D'66), Jacob Kohnstamm; 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; Center Party (CP), H. Janmatt; Evangelical People's Party (EVP), J. Renes

Electric power

19,520,000 kW capacity (1983); 58.899 billion kWh produced (1983), 4, 1 00 kWh per capita Exports.- $66.2 billion (f.o.b., 1982); foodstuffs, machinery, chemicals, petroleum products, natural gas, textiles

Ethnic divisions

99% Dutch, 1% Indonesian and other

85% mixed African; remainder Carib Indian, European, Latin, and Oriental

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

Fishing

catch 295,000 metric tons (1979); exports of fish and fish products $416.1 million (1982), imports $150.2 million (1982)

GNP

$137.3 billion (1982), $9,807 per capita; 60.7% consumption, 18.4% investment, 17.8% government, —0.3% inventories, 3.7% net foreign demand, — 1.6% real GNP growth (1982)

Government leaders

BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard, Queen; Ruud LUBBERS, Prime Minister

Highways

108,360 km total; 92,525 km paved (including 2,185 km of limited access, divided highways); 15,835 km gravel, crushed stone

Imports

$62.6 billion (c.i.f., 1982); machinery, transportation equipment, crude petroleum, foodstuffs, chemicals, raw cotton, base metals and ores, pulp

Inland waterways

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

Labor force

4.9 million (1981); 30% manufacturing, 24% services, 16% commerce, 10% agriculture, 9% construction, 7% transportation and communications, 4% other; 11.3% unemployment, September 1982

89,000(1983); 65% government, 28% industry and commerce, 1.5% agriculture; unemployment — 20% on Curacao, 90% on Aruba (1981)

Land boundaries

1,022 km Water

Language

Dutch

Dutch (official); Papiamento, a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect predominates; English widely spoken; Spanish

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

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

3 nm (fishing 200nm)

3 nm, fishing 200 nm

Literacy

99%

95%

Major industries

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

Major trade partners

(1982) 63.4% EC, 25.9% FRG, 12.6% BelgiumLuxembourg, 6.8% France, 6.1% US; 3.3% East Europe

Member of

ADB, Benelux, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, ECE, EIB, ELDO, EMS, ESRO, FAQ, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDE— InterAmerican Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INRO, INTELSAT, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, 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 Economy

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1983, $4.7 billion; about 9.5% of central government budget £5**. Atlantic Ocean CUBA'

Military manpower

males 15-49, 3,951,000; 3,352,000 fit for military service; 130,000 reach military age (20) annually

Monetary conversion rate

3.0975 guilders=US$l (December 1983)

National holiday

Queen's Day, 30 April

Nationality

noun — Netherlander(s); adjective — Netherlands

noun — Netherlands Antillean(s); adjective — Netherlands Antillean

Official name

Kingdom of the Netherlands

Organized labor

33% of labor force Government

60-70% of labor force

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

Pipelines

418 km crude oil; 965 km refined products; 10,230 km natural gas

Political subdivisions

11 provinces governed by centrally appointed commissioners of Queen

Population

14,437,000 (July 1984), average annual growth rate 0.4%

249, 000 (July 1984), average annual growth rate 0.8%

Ports

8 major, 10 minor

Railroads

3,016 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; 2,850 km government owned (NS), 1,799 km electrified, 1,800 km double track; 166 km privately owned

Religion

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

predominantly Roman Catholic; Protestant, Jewish, Adventist

Shortages

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

Suffrage

universal over age 18

Telecommunications

highly developed, well maintained, and integrated; extensive system of multiconductor cables, supplemented by radio-relay links; 7.23 million telephones (50.9 per 100 popl.); 7 AM, 33 FM, and 29 TV stations; 9 submarine cables; 1 satellite station with 2 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean antennas Defense Forces

Type

constitutional monarchy

Voting strength

(1982 election) 30.8% PvdA (47 seats), 29.3% CDA (45 seats), 23% VVD (36 seats), 4.3% D'66 (6 seats), 2.3% PSP (3 seats), 1.9% SGP (3 seats), 1.8% CPN (3 seats), 1.7% PPR (2 seats), 1.3% RDF (2 seats), 0.8% GPF (1 seat), 0.8% CP (1 seat); 0.7% EVP (1 seat)