Netherlands

Kingdom of the NetherlandsKoninkrijk der Nederlanden

constitutional monarchyIndependence 1579 (from Spain)

Netherlands as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 102 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalAmsterdam

Position52 30 N, 5 45 E

Area41,526 sq km

LocationWestern Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and

Populationas each edition published it

15.73 million July 1998 est. · 14.94m in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.5% 1998 est. · 0.63% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 38.6 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

78.01 years 1998 est. · 77.55 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.49 children per woman 1998 est. · 1.6 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

5.17 deaths per 1,000 live births 1998 est. · 7 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$22,000 1997 est. · $17,200 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

3.25% 1997 · 1.6% in 1993

Geography

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

18 fields

Land useshare of 41,526 sq km

arable land 27%permanent crops 1%permanent pastures 31%forests and woodland 10%other 31% (1993 est.)irrigated 5,600 sq km (1993 est.)

Area

41,526sq km

land: 33,889 sq kmwater: 7,637 sq kmslightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Coastline

451km

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Highest point

321m

Vaalserberglowest point: Prins Alexanderpolder -7 m

Land boundaries

1,027km

border countries: Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km

Location

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

Climate

temperate;
marine;
cool summers and mild winters

Terrain

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

Natural hazards

the extensive system of dikes and dams, protects nearly one-half of the total area from being flooded

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

Environment-international agreements

party to:: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:: Biodiversity

Geography-note

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

People

15 fields

Population

15,731,112

(July 1998 est.)growth rate: 0.5% (1998 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1998 est.)

Birth

11.62Death

8.69Net migration

2.11

Religions(1991)

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

Literacy

99%

(1979 est.)definition: age 15 and over can read and writemale: NA%female: NA%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 18% (male 1,472,236; female 1,406,919)
15-64 years:: 68% (male 5,457,225; female 5,268,376)
65 years and over:: 14% (male 862,574; female 1,263,782) (July 1998 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.68 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate

5.17 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population:: 78.01 years
male:: 75.14 years
female:: 81.03 years (1998 est.)

Nationality

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

Ethnic groups

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

Government

Constitutional monarchy; Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980); Prime Minister Wim KOK (since 22 August 1994) and Vice Prime Ministers Hans DIJKSTAL (since 22 August 1994) and Hans VAN MIERLO (since 22 August 1994)

22 fields

Legislature, 150 seatsone dot, one seat

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

Country name

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

Data code

Government type

constitutional monarchy

National 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

Constitution

adopted 1814; amended many times, last time 17 February 1983

Legal system

civil law system incorporating French penal theory;
constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER (born 27 April 1967), Prince of Orange, son of Queen BEATRIX
head of government:: Prime Minister Wim KOK (since 22 August 1994) and Vice Prime Ministers Hans DIJKSTAL (since 22 August 1994) and Hans VAN MIERLO (since 22 August 1994)
cabinet:: Cabinet appointed by the queen
elections:: none;
the queen is a hereditary, constitutional monarch;
following Second Chamber elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the queen;
vice prime ministers appointed by the queen

note: there is a Council of State composed of the queen, crown prince, and councillors consulted by the executive on legislative and administrative policy

Legislative branch

bicameral States General or Staten Generaal consists of the First Chamber or Eerste Kamer (75 seats; members indirectly elected by the country's 12 provincial councils for four-year terms) and the Second Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:: First Chamber-last held 9 June 1995 (next to be held 9 June 1999); Second Chamber-last held 3 May 1994 (next to be held 6 May 1998)
election results:: First Chamber-percent of vote by party-NA;
seats by party-VVD 23, CDA 19, PvdA 14, D'66 7, other 12;
Second Chamber-percent of vote by party-PvdA 24.3%, CDA 22.3%, VVD 20.4%, D'66 16.5%, other 16.5%;
seats by party-PvdA 37, CDA 34, VVD 31, D'66 24, other 24

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Hoge Raad, justices are nominated for life by the crown

Political parties and leaders

Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Jaap DE HOOP SCHEFFER];
Labor Party or PvdA [Wim KOK];
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Liberal) or VVD [Hans F. DIJKSTAL];
Democrats '66 or D'66 [Els BORST];
a host of minor parties

Political pressure groups and leaders

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 or IKV

International organization participation

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Joris M. VOS (appointed 9 October 1997)
chancery:: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 244-5300

FAX

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

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

FAX

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

Flag description

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.

28 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

-$343.9billion

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

-$22,000

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

Real growth rate

3.25%

(1997)industrial production growth: 3.75% (1997)

Inflation, consumer prices

(1997)

GDP-composition by sector(1996)

agriculture 4%industry 18%services 78% (1996)

Budget

Revenues

$103.4 billionExpenditures

$112.5 billion

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 draft)

Fixed lines

8.272 million

(1983 est.)

Economy-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. Industrial activity features food-processing, oil-refining, and metalworking.

The highly mechanized agricultural sector employs only 2% 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. Sharp cuts in subsidy and social security spending have been accompanied by sustained growth in output and employment.

Growth in 1998 should be a brisk 3.5%. The Dutch will almost certainly qualify for the first wave of countries entering the European Monetary Union (EMU) in 1999.

Labor force

total:: 6.6 million (1997)
by occupation:: services 75%, manufacturing and construction 23%, agriculture 2% (1996)

Unemployment rate

6.9% (1997)

Industries

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

Electricity-capacity

20.09 million kW (1996 est.)

Electricity-production

82 billion kWh (1996 est.)

Electricity-consumption per capita

4,968 kWh (1996 est.)

Agriculture-products

grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; livestock

Exports

total value:: $203.1 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
commodities:: manufactures and machinery, chemicals; processed food and tobacco, agricultural products
partners:: EU 80% (Germany 29%, Belgium-Luxembourg 13%, UK 10%), Central and Eastern Europe 4%, US 3% (1996)

Imports

total value:: $1.791 trillion (c.i.f., 1997)
commodities:: raw materials and semifinished products, consumer goods, transportation equipment, crude oil, food products
partners:: EU 64% (Germany 22%, Belgium-Luxembourg 11%, UK 10%), Central and Eastern Europe 4%, US 8% (1996)

Debt-external

Economic aid

donor: ODA, $2.9 billion (1997)

Currency

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

Exchange rates

Netherlands guilders, gulden, or florins (f.) per US$1-2.0462 (January 1998), 1.9513 (1997), 1.6859 (1996), 1.6057 (1995), 1.8200 (1994), 1.8573 (1993)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

Telephone system

highly developed and well maintained; extensive redundant system of multiconductor cables, supplemented by microwave radio relay

domestic:: nationwide cellular telephone system; microwave radio relay
international:: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations-3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean Regions)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 3 (relays 3), FM 12 (repeaters 39), shortwave 0

Radios

13.755 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations

8 (repeaters 7)

Televisions

7.4 million (1992 est.)

Transportation

10 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m

over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

under 914 m

total: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 3

Networkskm

Highways

127,000Railways

2,739Waterways

6,340

Highways: paved: 114,427 km (including 2,360 km of expressways) · unpaved: 12,573 km (1996 est.) · Railways: standard gauge: 2,739 km 1.435-m gauge; (1,991 km electrified) (1996) · Waterways: , of which 35% is usable by craft of 1,000 metric ton capacity or larger

Railways

total:: 2,739 km
standard gauge:: 2,739 km 1.435-m gauge; (1,991 km electrified) (1996)

Highways

total:: 127,000 km
paved:: 114,427 km (including 2,360 km of expressways)
unpaved:: 12,573 km (1996 est.)

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 and harbors

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

Merchant marine

total:: 453 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,141,630 GRT/3,597,975 DWT
ships by type :: bulk 2, cargo 269, chemical tanker 33, combination bulk 2, container 44, liquefied gas tanker 16, livestock carrier 1, multifunction large-load carrier 7, oil tanker 28, passenger 6, refrigerated cargo 28, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 3

note: many Dutch-owned ships are also operating under the registry of Netherlands Antilles (1997 est.)

Airports

28 (1997 est.)

Heliports

1 (1997 est.)

Military

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

7 fields

Military expenditures-percent of GDP

2.1%

(1995)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes-international

none

Illicit drugs

important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe;
European producer of illicit amphetamines and other synthetic drugs NETHERLANDS ANTILLES (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Netherlands.” The World Factbook 1998. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/netherlands/1998.

How to cite ← 1997 edition 1999 edition →