Netherlands

constitutional monarchyIndependence 1579 (from Spain)

Netherlands as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 127 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

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CapitalAmsterdam
LocationWestern Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany
1994

Every edition of Netherlands

Populationas each edition published it
15.37 million July 1994 est. · 14.94m in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.58% 1994 est. · 0.63% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 38.6 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 77.55 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.58 children per woman 1994 est. · 1.6 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
6.1 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 7 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$17,200 1993 · $17,200 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
-0.2% 1993 · 1.6% in 1993

Geography

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

24 fields
Land boundaries
1,027km
total · Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km
Irrigated land
5,500sq km
(1989 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World

total area

37,330 sq km

land area

33,920 sq km

comparative area

slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

continental shelf

not specified

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Climate

  • temperate;
  • marine;
  • cool summers and mild winters

Terrain

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

Natural resources

natural gas, petroleum, fertile soil

arable land

26%

permanent crops

1%

meadows and pastures

32%

forest and woodland

9%

other

32%

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

Note

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

People

21 fields
Population
15,367,928
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 0.58% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
12.62Death
8.5Net migration
1.68

Religions(1991)

Roman Catholic 34%Protestant 25%Muslim 3%other 2%unaffiliated 36% (1991)
Labor force
6.7million
(1991)
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1979 est.)

Infant mortality rate

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

total population

77.75 years

male

74.69 years

female

80.97 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.58 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)

adjective

Dutch

Ethnic divisions

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

total population

99%

male

NA%

female

NA%

by occupation

services 50.1%, manufacturing and construction 28.2%, government 15.9%, agriculture 5.8% (1986)

Government

Constitutional monarchy

36 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

24.3%
PvdA 24.3%CDA 22.3%VVD 20.4%D'66 16.5%other 16.5%

Legislature, 150 seatsone dot, one seat

PvdA 37CDA 34VVD 31D'66 24other 24

conventional long form

Kingdom of the Netherlands

conventional short form

Netherlands

local long form

Koninkrijk de Nederlanden

local short form

Nederland

Type

constitutional monarchy

Capital

Amsterdam; The Hague is the seat of government

Administrative divisions

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

Dependent areas

Aruba, Netherlands Antilles

Independence

1579 (from Spain)

National holiday

Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)

Constitution

17 February 1983

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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

Legislative branch

bicameral legislature (Staten Generaal)

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

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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (De Hoge Raad)

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

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)

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

chief of mission

Ambassador Adriaan Pieter Roetert JACOBOVITS DE SZEGED

chancery

4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

(202) 244-5300

FAX

(202) 362-3430

consulate(s) general

Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Manila (Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands), New York

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

FAX

[31] (70) 361-4688

consulate(s) general

Amsterdam

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

Economy

This highly developed and affluent economy is based on private | enterprise.

26 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$17,200
(1993)
Real growth rate
-0.2%
(1993)industrial production growth: growth rate -1.5% (1993 est.); accounts for 25% of GDP
Unemployment rate
9.1%
(March 1994)

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.

National product

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

revenues

$109.9 billion

expenditures

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

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)

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)

capacity

22,216,000 kW

production

63.5 billion kWh

consumption per capita

4,200 kWh (1992)

Industries

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

Agriculture

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

Illicit drugs

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

donor

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

Currency

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

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)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

16 fields

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)

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

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

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

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

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

Defense Forces

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

4 fields

Branches

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

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.)

Defense expenditures

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

Affiliation

(part of the Dutch realm)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Netherlands.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/netherlands/1994.

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