Netherlands

Kingdom of the NetherlandsKoninkrijk der Nederlanden

constitutional monarchyIndependence 1579 (from Spain)

Netherlands as the 2000 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 112 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 Belgium and Germany
2000

Every edition of Netherlands

Populationas each edition published it
15.89 million July 2000 est. · 14.94m in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.57% 2000 est. · 0.63% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 38.6 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
78.28 years 2000 est. · 77.55 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.64 children per woman 2000 est. · 1.6 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
4.42 deaths per 1,000 live births 2000 est. · 7 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$23,100 1999 est. · $17,200 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
3.4% 1999 est. · 1.6% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

The Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I but suffered a brutal invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EC, and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999.

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

Geographic coordinates

52 30 N, 5 45 E

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, arable land

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
15,892,237
(July 2000 est.)growth rate: 0.57% (2000 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2000 est.)

Birth
12.12Death
8.72Net migration
2.3

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 1,497,290; female 1,431,671)
15-64 years:
68% (male 5,490,518; female 5,305,848)
65 years and over:
14% (male 885,839; female 1,281,071) (2000 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.69 male(s)/female
total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate

4.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population:
78.28 years
male:
75.4 years
female:
81.28 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.64 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Nationality

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

Ethnic groups

Dutch 91%, Moroccans, Turks, and other 9% (1999 est.)

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

First Chamber, 150 seats, elected 25 May 1999one 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

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

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), 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:
Council of Ministers 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: government coalition - PvdA, VVD, and D'66; there is also a Council of State composed of the monarch, heir apparent, and councilors 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 25 May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2003); 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 - CDA 20, VVD 19, PvdA 15, D'66 4, other 17;
  • 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 [Jaap de Hoop SCHEFFER];
  • Democrats '66 or D'66 [Tom KOK];
  • Labor Party or PvdA [Wim KOK];
  • People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Liberal) or VVD [Hans F. DIJKSTAL];
  • a host of minor parties

Political pressure groups and leaders

  • Federation of Netherlands Trade Union Movement (comprising Socialist and Catholic trade unions) and a Protestant trade union;
  • Federation of Catholic and Protestant Employers Associations;
  • Interchurch Peace Council or IKV;
  • large multinational firms;
  • the nondenominational Federation of Netherlands Enterprises

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, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, 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
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 Cynthia P. SCHNEIDER
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

The Netherlands is a prosperous and open economy in which the government has successfully reduced its role since the 1980s.

31 fields
Real growth rate
3.4%
(1999 est.)industrial production growth: 3% (1999)
Unemployment rate
3.5%
but generous welfare benefits have prompted large numbers to drop out of the labor market (1999 est.)
Labor force
7million
(1998 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(1998 est.)

agriculture 3.5%industry 26.8%services 69.7% (1998 est.)

Budget

Revenues
$163 billionExpenditures
$170 billion (1999 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Electricity

fossil fuel 91.32%hydro 0.11%nuclear 4.08%other 4.49% (1998)
Electricity production
88.736 billion (1998)Electricity consumption
94.325 billion (1998)Electricity exports
400 million (1998)Electricity imports
12.2 billion (1998)

Economy - overview

The Netherlands is a prosperous and open economy in which the government has successfully reduced its role since the 1980s. Industrial activity is predominantly in food processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. A highly mechanized agricultural sector employs no more than 4% of the labor force but provides large surpluses for the food-processing industry and for exports.

The Dutch rank third worldwide in value of agricultural exports, behind the US and France. The Netherlands successfully addressed the issue of public finances and stagnating job growth long before its European partners. This has helped cushion the economy from a slowdown in the euro area.

Strong 3.8% GDP growth in 1998 was followed by an only slightly lower 3.4% expansion in 1999. The outlook remains favorable, with real GDP growth in 2000 projected at 3.25%, along with a small budget surplus. The Dutch were among the first 11 EU countries establishing the euro currency zone on 1 January 1999.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $365.1 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $23,100 (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%:
2.9%
highest 10%:
24.7% (1991)

Labor force - by occupation

services 73%, industry 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

$169 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports - commodities

machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs

Exports - partners

EU 78% (Germany 27%, Belgium-Luxembourg 13%, France 11%, UK 10%, Italy 6%), Central and Eastern Europe, US (1998)

Imports

$152 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs, clothing

Imports - partners

EU 61% (Germany 20%, Belgium-Luxembourg 11%, UK 10%, France 7%), US 9%, Central and Eastern Europe (1998)

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $3.4 billion (1999)

Currency

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

Exchange rates

  • euros per US$1 - 0.9867 (January 2000), 0.9386 (1999);
  • 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)

note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some member countries at 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

8 fields
Mobile cellular
1.016 million
(1996)
Fixed lines
8.431 million
(1996)

Telephone system

highly developed and well maintained

domestic:
  • the existing system of multi-conductor cables is gradually being replaced by fiber-optic cables;
  • the density of cellular telephone traffic is rapidly increasing and further modernization of the system is expected in the year 2001, with the introduction of the third generation of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)
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) (1996)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 4, FM 58, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios

15.3 million (1996)

Television broadcast stations

15 (plus five low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

8.1 million (1997)

Transportation

10 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

2
over 3,047 m
7
2,438 to 3,047 m
6
1,524 to 2,437 m
3
914 to 1,523 m
3
1
under 914 m
6
Paved 19Unpaved 9

Networkskm

Highways
125,575Railways
2,739Waterways
5,046
Highways: paved: 113,018 km (including 2,235 km of expressways) · unpaved: 12,557 km (1998 est.) · Railways: standard gauge: 2,739 km 1.435-m gauge; (1,991 km electrified) (1998) · Waterways: , of which 47% 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) (1998)

Highways

total:
125,575 km
paved:
113,018 km (including 2,235 km of expressways)
unpaved:
12,557 km (1998 est.)

Waterways

5,046 km, of which 47% 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:
563 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,035,899 GRT/4,576,841 DWT
ships by type:
bulk 3, cargo 343, chemical tanker 41, combination bulk 2, container 56, liquified gas 20, livestock carrier 1, multi-functional large load carrier 8, passenger 8, petroleum tanker 25, refrigerated cargo 32, roll-on/roll-off 16, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 5 (1999 est.)

note: many Dutch-owned ships are also operating under the registry of Netherlands Antilles (1998 est.)

Airports

28 (1999 est.)

Heliports

1 (1999 est.)

Military

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

7 fields

Military branches

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

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 4,090,273 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 3,566,882 (2000 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Illicit drugs

  • major European producer of illicit amphetamines and other synthetic drugs;
  • important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]

Central Intelligence Agency. “Netherlands.” The World Factbook 2000. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/netherlands/2000.

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