Netherlands

Airports

total: 28 usable: 28 with permanent-surface runways: 19 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 10 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 7

Highways

total: 104,590 km paved: 92,525 km (including 2,185 km of expressway) unpaved: gravel, crushed stone 12,065 km (1990)

Inland waterways

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

Merchant marine

324 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,507,112 GRT/3,208,838 DWT, bulk 3, cargo 180, chemical tanker 21, combination bulk 3, container 32, liquefied gas 12, livestock carrier 1, multifunction large-load carrier 4, oil tanker 27, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 20, roll-on/roll-off cargo 15, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 2 note: many Dutch-owned ships are also registered on the captive Netherlands Antilles register

Pipelines

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

Ports

coastal - Amsterdam, Delfzijl, Den Helder, Dordrecht, Eemshaven, Ijmuiden, Rotterdam, Scheveningen, Terneuzen, Vlissingen; inland - 29 ports

Railroads

2,828 km 1.435-meter standard gauge operated by Netherlands Railways (NS) (includes 1,957 km electrified and 1,800 km double track)

Telecommunications

highly developed, well maintained, and integrated; extensive redundant system of multiconductor cables, supplemented by microwave radio relay microwave links; 9,418,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 3 (3 relays) AM, 12 (39 repeaters) FM, 8 (7 repeaters) TV; 5 submarine cables; 1 communication satellite earth station operating in INTELSAT (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean antenna) and EUTELSAT systems; nationwide mobile phone system

Affiliation

(part of the Dutch realm)

Branches

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

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $6.8 billion, 2.3% of GDP (1993)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 4,180,745; fit for military service 3,667,212; reach military age (20) annually 98,479 (1994 est.)

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: 22,216,000 kW production: 63.5 billion kWh consumption per capita: 4,200 kWh (1992)

Exchange rates

Netherlands guilders, gulden, or florins (f.) per US$1 - 1.9508 (January 1994), 1.8573 (1993), 1.7585 (1992), 1.8697 (1991), 1.8209 (1990), 2.1207 (1989)

Exports

$139 billion (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: metal products, chemicals, processed food and tobacco, agricultural products partners: EC 77% (Germany 27%, Belgium-Luxembourg 15%, UK 10%), US 4% (1991)

External debt

$0

Fiscal year

calendar year

Illicit drugs

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

Imports

$130.3 billion (f.o.b., 1992) 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)

3.5% (1992 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $262.8 billion (1993)

National product per capita

$17,200 (1993)

National product real growth rate

-0.2% (1993)

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 5% of the labor force, but provides large surpluses for export and the domestic food-processing industry. Rising 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

9.1% (March 1994)

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, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, 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, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

continental shelf: not specified 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, Schelde)

Terrain

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

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 Pieter Roetert JACOBOVITS DE SZEGED chancery: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (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 RUDOLPHUS (Ruud) F. M. LUBBERS (since 4 November 1982); Vice Prime Minister Willem (Wim) KOK (since 2 November 1989) - resigned after 3 May 1994 parliamentary elections; no new government has been formed to date cabinet: Ministry of General Affairs; appointed by the prime minister

FAX

(202) 362-3430 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Manila (Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands), New York

FAX

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

First Chamber (Eerste Kamer)

elections last held on 9 June l991 (next to be held 9 June 1995); results - elected by the country's 12 provincial councils; seats - (75 total) percent 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, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOMUR, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UNTSO, 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), Elco BRINKMAN; Labor (PvdA), Wim KOK; Liberal (VVD), Frits BOLKESTEIN; Democrats '66 (D'66), Hans van MIERLO; a host of minor parties

Second Chamber (Tweede Kamer)

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

Birth rate

12.62 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

8.5 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

6.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force

6.7 million (1991) by occupation: services 50.1%, manufacturing and construction 28.2%, government 15.9%, agriculture 5.8% (1986)

Languages

Dutch

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 77.75 years male: 74.69 years female: 80.97 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

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

Nationality

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

Net migration rate

1.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

15,367,928 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

0.58% (1994 est.)

Religions

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

Total fertility rate

1.58 children born/woman (1994 est.)