1995 Edition

Area

total area: 37,330 sq km land area: 33,920 sq km comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Climate

temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters

Coastline

451 km

Environment

current issues: water pollution in the form of heavy metals, organic compounds, and nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates; air pollution from vehicles and refining activities; acid rain natural hazards: the extensive system of dikes and dams, protects nearly one-half of the total area from being flooded international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Desertification, Law of the Sea

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

5,500 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

total 1,027 km, Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km

Land use

arable land: 26% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 32% forest and woodland: 9% other: 32%

Location

Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

natural gas, petroleum, fertile soil

Note

located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde)

Terrain

mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast

Age structure

0-14 years: 18% (female 1,382,057; male 1,445,451) 15-64 years: 68% (female 5,184,224; male 5,369,018) 65 years and over: 14% (female 1,238,336; male 833,817) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate

12.42 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate

8.48 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Dutch 96%, Moroccans, Turks, and other 4% (1988)

Infant mortality rate

6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force

6.4 million (1993) by occupation: services 71.4%, manufacturing and construction 24.6%, agriculture 4.0% (1992)

Languages

Dutch

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 77.95 years male: 74.9 years female: 81.17 years (1995 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1979 est.) total population: 99%

Nationality

noun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women) adjective: Dutch

Net migration rate

1.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population

15,452,903 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

0.52% (1995 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 34%, Protestant 25%, Muslim 3%, other 2%, unaffiliated 36% (1991)

Total fertility rate

1.56 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Administrative divisions

12 provinces (provincien, singular - provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland

Capital

Amsterdam; The Hague is the seat of government

Constitution

17 February 1983

Dependent areas

Aruba, Netherlands Antilles

Digraph

NL

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Adriaan JACOBOVITS DE SZEGED chancery: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-5300

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER, Prince of Orange, son of Queen Beatrix (born 27 April 1967) head of government: Prime Minister Willem (Wim) KOK (since 22 August 1994); Vice Prime Minister Hans DIJKSTAL and Hans VAN MIERLO (since 22 August 1994) cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the prime minister

FAX

[1] (202) 362-3430 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York

[31] (70) 361-4688 consulate(s) general: Amsterdam

First Chamber (Eerste Kamer)

members indirectly elected by the country's 12 provincial councils for four-year terms; elections last held 9 June l991 (next to be held 9 June 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (75 total) number of seats by party NA

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue; similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer

Independence

1579 (from Spain)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (De Hoge Raad)

Legal system

civil law system incorporating French penal theory; judicial review in the Supreme Court of legislation of lower order rather than Acts of the States General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

bicameral legislature (Staten Generaal)

Member of

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNOMOZ, UNOMUR, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Names

conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands conventional short form: Netherlands local long form: Koninkrijk de Nederlanden local short form: Nederland

National holiday

Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)

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 Interchurch Peace Council (IKV)

Political parties and leaders

Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Hans HELGERS; Labor (PvdA), Wim KOK; Liberal (VVD - People's Party for Freedom and Democracy), Frits BOLKESTEIN; Democrats '66 (D'66), Hans van MIERLO; a host of minor parties

Second Chamber (Tweede Kamer)

members directly elected for four-year terms; elections last held on 3 May 1994 (next to be held in May 1999); results - PvdA 24.3%, CDA 22.3%, VVD 20.4%, D'66 16.5%, other 16.5%; seats - (150 total) PvdA 37, CDA 34, VVD 31, D'66 24, other 24

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

constitutional monarchy

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Kirk Terry DORNBUSH embassy: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ The Hague mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, the Hague; APO AE 09715 telephone: [31] (70) 310-9209

Agriculture

accounts for 4.6% of GDP; animal production predominates; crops - grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; shortages of grain, fats, and oils

Budget

revenues: $109.9 billion expenditures: $122.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)

Currency

1 Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (f.) = 100 cents

Economic aid

donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $19.4 billion

Electricity

capacity: 17,520,000 kW production: 72.4 billion kWh consumption per capita: 5,100 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

Netherlands guilders, gulden, or florins (f.) per US$1 - 1.7178 (January 1995), 1.8200 (1994), 1.8573 (1993), 1.7585 (1992), 1.8697 (1991), 1.8209 (1990)

Exports

$153 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: metal products, chemicals, processed food and tobacco, agricultural products partners: EC 77% (Germany 27%, Belgium-Luxembourg 15%, UK 10%), Central and Eastern Europe 10%, US 4% (1991)

External debt

$0

Fiscal year

calendar year

Illicit drugs

important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe; European producer of illicit amphetamines and other synthetic drugs

Imports

$137 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: raw materials and semifinished products, consumer goods, transportation equipment, crude oil, food products partners: EC 64% (Germany 26%, Belgium-Luxembourg 14%, UK 8%), US 8% (1991)

Industrial production

growth rate -1.5% (1993 est.); accounts for 25% of GDP

Industries

agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, fishing, construction, microelectronics

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.5% (December 1994)

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $275.8 billion (1994 est.)

National product per capita

$17,940 (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate

2% (1994 est.)

Overview

This highly developed and affluent economy is based on private enterprise. The government makes its presence felt, however, through many regulations, permit requirements, and welfare programs affecting most aspects of economic activity. The trade and financial services sector contributes over 50% of GDP. Industrial activity provides about 25% of GDP and is led by the food-processing, oil-refining, and metalworking industries. The highly mechanized agricultural sector employs only 4% of the labor force, but provides large surpluses for export and the domestic food-processing industry. Indeed the Netherlands ranks third worldwide in value of agricultural exports, behind the US and France. High unemployment and a sizable budget deficit are currently the most serious economic problems. Many of the economic issues of the 1990s will reflect the course of European economic integration.

Unemployment rate

8.8% (December 1994)

Radio

broadcast stations: AM 3 (relays 3), FM 12 (repeaters 39), shortwave 0 radios: NA

Telephone system

9,418,000 telephones; highly developed, well maintained, and integrated; extensive redundant system of multiconductor cables, supplemented by microwave radio relay links local: nationwide mobile phone system intercity: microwave radio relay international: 5 submarine cables; 3 INTELSAT (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean) and 1 EUTELSAT earth station

Television

broadcast stations: 8 (repeaters 7) televisions: NA

Airports

total: 29 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3 with paved runways under 914 m: 8 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3

Highways

total: 104,831 km paved: 92,251 km (2,118 km of expressway) unpaved: gravel, crushed stone 12,580 km (1992)

Inland waterways

6,340 km, of which 35% is usable by craft of 1,000 metric ton capacity or larger

Merchant marine

total: 343 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,629,578 GRT/3,337,307 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 195, chemical tanker 21, combination bulk 3, container 33, liquefied gas tanker 12, livestock carrier 1, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 37, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 18, roll-on/roll-off cargo 14, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 2 note: many Dutch-owned ships are also registered on the Netherlands Antilles register

Pipelines

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

Ports

Amsterdam, Delfzijl, Dordrecht, Eemshaven, Groningen, Haarlem, Ijmuiden, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Utrecht

Railroads

total: 2,757 km standard gauge: 2,757 km km 1.435-m gauge (1,991 km electrified; 1,800 km double track) (1994)

Branches

Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force, Royal Constabulary

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $7.1 billion, 2.2% of GDP (1994) ________________________________________________________________________ NETHERLANDS ANTILLES (part of the Dutch realm)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 4,177,555; males fit for military service 3,656,529; males reach military age (20) annually 94,771 (1995 est.)