Netherlands

Kingdom of the NetherlandsKoninkrijk der Nederlanden

constitutional monarchyIndependence 1579 (from Spain)

Netherlands as the 1999 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 109 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

Area41,532 sq km

LocationWestern Europe, bordering the North Sea, between

Populationas each edition published it

15.81 million July 1999 est. · 14.94m in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.47% 1999 est. · 0.63% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 38.6 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

78.15 years 1999 est. · 77.55 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.49 children per woman 1999 est. · 1.6 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

5.11 deaths per 1,000 live births 1999 est. · 7 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$22,200 1998 est. · $17,200 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

3.7% 1998 est. · 1.6% in 1993

Geography

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

18 fields

Land useshare of 41,532 sq km

arable land 25%permanent crops 3%permanent pastures 25%forests and woodland 8%other 39% (1996 est.)irrigated 6,000 sq km (1996 est.)

Area

41,532sq km

land: 33,889 sq kmwater: 7,643 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:: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography--note

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

People

15 fields

Population

15,807,641

(July 1999 est.)growth rate: 0.47% (1999 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1999 est.)

Birth

11.36Death

8.69Net migration

1.99

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 1,475,606; female 1,410,088)
15-64 years:: 68% (male 5,482,193; female 5,288,948)
65 years and over:: 14% (male 875,847; female 1,274,959) (1999 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:: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate

5.11 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population:: 78.15 years
male:: 75.28 years
female:: 81.17 years (1999 est.)

Nationality

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

Ethnic groups

Dutch 94%, Moroccans, Turks, and other 6% (1988)

Government

Constitutional monarchy; Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980); Prime Minister Wim KOK (since 22 August 1994) and Vice Prime Ministers Annemarie JORRITSMA (since 3 August 1998) and Els BORST-EILERS (since 3 August 1998)

20 fields

Legislature, 150 seatsone dot, one seat

-PvdA 45VVD 38CDA 29D'66 14other 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

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 the monarch
head of government:: Prime Minister Wim KOK (since 22 August 1994) and Vice Prime Ministers Annemarie JORRITSMA (since 3 August 1998) and Els BORST-EILERS (since 3 August 1998)
cabinet:: Cabinet appointed by the monarch
elections:: none;
the monarch is hereditary;
following Second Chamber elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch;
vice prime ministers appointed by the monarch

note: there is a Council of State composed of the monarch, heir apparent, 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 25 May 1999); Second Chamber--last held 6 May 1998 (next to be held May 2002)
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 30.0%, VVD 25.3%, CDA 19.3%, D'66 9.3%, other 16.1%;
seats by party--PvdA 45, VVD 38, CDA 29, D'66 14, other 24

Judicial branch

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

Political parties and leaders

Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA

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, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, 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, OPCW, 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
chancery:: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general:: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Cynthia P. SCHNEIDER
embassy:: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ, The Hague
mailing address:: PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715
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 prosperous and open economy is based on | private enterprise with the government's presence felt in many | aspects of the economy.

31 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$22,200

purchasing power parity? · (1998 est.)

Real growth rate

3.7%

(1998 est.)industrial production growth: 2.4% (1998)

Inflation, consumer prices

(1998)

Unemployment rate

4.1%

(1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector(1998 est.)

agriculture 3.2%industry 27.5%services 69.3% (1998 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$163 billionExpenditures

$170 billion (1999 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Electricity

fossil fuel 94.51%hydro 0.1%nuclear 4.95%other 0.44% (1996)

Electricity production

83.3 billion (1997)Electricity consumption

90.366 billion (1996)Electricity exports

700 million (1996)Electricity imports

11.3 billion (1996)

Economy--overview

This prosperous and open economy is based on private enterprise with the government's presence felt in many aspects of the economy. Industrial activity features food processing, petroleum refining, and metalworking. The highly mechanized agricultural sector employs only 4% of the labor force, but provides large surpluses for export and the domestic food-processing industry.

As a result, the Netherlands ranks third worldwide in value of agricultural exports, behind the US and France. Sharp cuts in subsidy and social security spending since the 1980s helped the Dutch achieve sustained economic growth combined with falling unemployment and moderate inflation.

The economy achieved a strong 3.7% growth in 1998; a dip in the business cycle probably will cause the economy to decelerate to slightly over 2% growth in 1999. Unemployment in 1999 is expected to be less than 5% of the labor force, and inflation probably will decline. The Dutch joined the first wave of 11 EU countries launching the euro system on 1 January 1999.

GDP

purchasing power parity--$348.6 billion (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Labor force

7 million (1998 est.)

Labor force--by occupation

services 73%, manufacturing and construction 23%, agriculture 4% (1998 est.)

Industries

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

Agriculture--products

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

Exports

$160 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities

machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, food and tobacco

Exports--partners

EU 78% (Germany 27%, Belgium-Luxembourg 13%, France 11%, UK 10%, Italy 6%), Central and Eastern Europe, US (1997)

Imports

$142 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports--commodities

machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels, consumer goods

Imports--partners

EU 61% (Germany 21%, Belgium-Luxembourg 11%, UK 10%), US 9%, Central and Eastern Europe (1997)

Debt--external

Economic aid--donor

ODA, $2.9 billion (1997)

Currency

1 Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (f.) = 100 cents; note--on 1 January 2002 to be replaced by the euro

Exchange rates

Netherlands guilders, gulden, or florins (f.) per US$1--1.8904 (January 1999), 1.9837 (1998), 1.9513 (1997), 1.6859 (1996), 1.6057 (1995), 1.8200 (1994)

note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed rate of 2.20371 guilders per euro;

the euro will replace the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 fields

Fixed lines

8.431 million

(1998 est.); 3.4 million cellular telephone subscribers (1998 est.)

Telephone system

highly developed and well maintained;
system of multi-conductor cables gradually being supplemented/replaced by a glass-fiber based telecommunication infrastructure;
Mobile GSM-based mobile telephony density rapidly growing;
third generation Universal Mobile Telecommunications System expected for introduction by the year 2001

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

14 million (1994 est.)

Television broadcast stations

15 (in addition, there are five low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

7.6 million (1994 est.)

Transportation

10 fields

Merchant marine, 510 ships by typeships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,632,477 GRT/4,097,328 DWT

bulk 4cargo 303chemical tanker 42combination bulk 1container 52liquefied gas tanker 17livestock carrier 1multifunction large-load carrier 9oil tanker 24passenger 8refrigerated cargo 30roll-on/roll-off cargo 12short-sea passenger 3specialized tanker 4note: many Dutch-owned ships are also operating under the registry of Netherlands Antilles (1998 est.)

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m

over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 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

2,813Waterways

5,046

Highways: paved: 114,427 km (including 2,360 km of expressways) · unpaved: 12,573 km (1996 est.) · Railways: standard gauge: 2,813 km 1.435-m gauge; (1,991 km electrified) (1996) · Waterways: , of which 47% is usable by craft of 1,000 metric ton capacity or larger