1987 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1987 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Climate
temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters
Coastline
451 km
Comparative area
about the size of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island combined
Contiguous zone
12 nm
Environment
dikes protect 30% of land area that is below sea level from North Sea
Exclusive fishing zone
200 nm
Fiscal year
calendar year
Land boundaries
1,022 km total
Land use
25% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 34% meadows and pastures; 9% forest and woodland; 31% other; includes 15% irrigated
Monetary conversion rate
2.3 guilders=US$1 (October 1985)
Special notes
located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, Schelde)
Terrain
mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
37,310 km?; land area: 33,940 km?
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
99% Dutch, 1% Indonesian and other
Infant mortality rate
8/1,000 (1984)
Labor force
5.3 million (1984); 50.1% services, 27.8% manufacturing and construction, 16.1% government, 6.0% agriculture; unemployment rate 14.4% (1985 average)
Language
Dutch
Life expectancy
76
Literacy
99%
Nationality
noun—Netherlander(s); adjective—Netherlands
Organized labor
29% of labor force
Population
14,641,554 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 0.51%
Religion
40% Roman Catholic, 31% Protestant, 24% unaffiliated, 5% none
Government
Administrative divisions
12 provinces and 4 special municipalities governed by centrally appointed commissioners of Queen
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
Capital
Amsterdam, but government resides at The Hague
Communists
about 6,000
Dependent areas
Aruba, Netherlands Antilles
Elections
must be held at least every four years for lower house (last held in May 1986); 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) Willem van Velzen; Labor (PvdA), Marianne Sint; Liberal (VVD), Leendert Ginjaar,; Democrats 66 (D’66), Saskia van der Loo; Communist (CPN), Henk Hoekstra; Pacifist Socialist (PSP), Marko Mazeland; Political Reformed (SGP), H. Slagboom; Reformed Political Union (GPV), J. Blokland; Radical Party (PPR), Janneke van der Plaat; 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; Party for Better Housing (PVA), J. H. Borsboom; Roman Catholic Party of the Netherlands (RKPN), Klaas Beuker; Netherlands Christian Democrats (NCD), J. A. Taex
Government leaders
BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard, Queen (since Apri! 1980); Ruud LUBBERS, Prime Minister (since November 1982)
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 rather than Acts of Parliament; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Member of
ADB, Benelux, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, ECE, EIB, ELDO, EMS, ESCAP, ESRO, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, 1DB—Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INRO, INTELSAT, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITC, ITU, [WC—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
Suffrage
universal over age 18
Type
constitutional monarchy
Voting strength
(May 1986 election) CDA 54 seats, PvdA 52 seats, VVD 27 seats, D’66 9 seats, SGP 3 seats, PPR 2 seats, PSP 1 seat, GPV 1 seat, RPF ] seat; two members of the CDA were expelled from the party in 1984 and are now serving as independents
Economy
Agriculture
animal husbandry predominates; horticultural crops, grains, potatoes, sugar beets; food shortages—erains, fats, oils
Aid
donor—ODA and OOF economic aid commitments (1970-84), $12.0 billion
Budget
revenues, $40.6 billion; expenditures, $49.5 billion; deficit, $8.9 billion (1985 est.); 3.3214 guilders=US$1 (1985 average)
Crude steel
7.4 million metric ton capacity, 5.5 million metric tons produced, 380 kg per capita (1985)
Electric power
20,956,000 kW capacity; 63,090 million kWh produced, 4,340 kWh per capita (1986)
Exports
$67.9 billion (f.o.b., 1985); foodstuffs, machinery, chemicals, petroleum products, natural gas, textiles
Fishing
catch 480,000 metric tons; exports of fish and fish products, $535.6 million; imports, $303.3 million (1985)
GDP
$124.2 billion, $8,570 per capita; 59.2% private consumption, 18.4% investment, 16.3% government consumption, 1.1% inventories, 5.1% net foreign demand, 2.0% real GNP growth (1985)
Imports
$64.9 billion (c.i.f., 1985); 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, natural gas
Major trade partners
(1984) exports— 71.9% EC (29.8% FRG, 18.8% BelgiumLuxembourg, 10.5% France, 9.4% UK), 5.0% US, 1.9% Communist countries; imports—53.3% EC (21.8% FRG, 11.4% Belgium-Luxembourg, 8.7% UK), 8.8% US, 5.3% Communist countries
Natural resources
natural gas, oil
Shortages
crude petroleum, raw cotton, base metals and ores, pulp, pulpwood, lumber, feedgrains, oilseeds
Communications
Airfields
29 total, 28 usable; 19 with permanent-surface runways; 18 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
98 major transport aircraft
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 85% is usable by craft of 900 metric ton capacity or larger
Pipelines
418 km crude oil; 965 km refined products; 10,230 km natural gas
Ports
10 major, 2 minor
Railroads
Netherlands Railways (NS) operates 2,824 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; 3,033 km total track; 1,824 km electrified, 1,800 km double track, 166 km privately owned
Telecommunications
highly developed, well maintained, and integrated; extensive system of multiconductor cables, supplemented by radio-relay links; 8.84 million telephones (57.5 per 100 popl.); 6 AM, 41 FM, 30 TV stations; 9 submarine cables; 1 satellite station with 2 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean antennas
Military and Security
Branches
Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy/Marine Corps, Royal Netherlands Air Force
Military budget
for fiscal year ending 31 December 1986, $5.3 billion; about 9.3% of central government budget
Military manpower
males 15-49, 4,064,000; 3,620,000 fit for military service; 124,000 reach military age (20) annually