Netherlands

Kingdom of the NetherlandsKoninkrijk der Nederlanden

constitutional monarchy

Netherlands as the 2005 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 128 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 Germany
2005

Every edition of Netherlands

Populationas each edition published it
16.41 million July 2005 est. · 14.94m in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.53% 2005 est. · 0.63% in 1993
Median ageyears
39.04 years 2005 est. · 38.6 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
78.81 years 2005 est. · 77.55 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.66 children per woman 2005 est. · 1.6 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
5.04 deaths per 1,000 live births 2005 est. · 7 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$29,500 2004 est. · $17,200 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
1.2% 2004 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 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 EEC (now the EU), 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 41,526 sq km

arable land 26.71%permanent crops 0.97%other 72.32% (2001)irrigated 5,650 sq km (1998 est.)
Area
41,526sq km
land: 33,883 sq kmwater: 7,643 sq kmslightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Coastline
451km
territorial sea: 12 nmexclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Highest point
322m
Vaalserberglowest point: Zuidplaspolder -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, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land

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-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

Geography - note

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

People

19 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2005 est.)

974,037
65 and over14.1%
1,338,097
5,627,007
15-6467.8%
5,491,802
1,523,316
0-1418.1%
1,453,232
MaleFemale
Population
16,407,491
(July 2005 est.)growth rate: 0.53% (2005 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2005 est.)

Birth
11.14Death
8.68Net migration
2.8

Male · female(2005 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years78.81
76.25 · 81.51Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births5.04
5.62 · 4.44
TotalMale · femaleMedian age years39.04
38.22 · 39.9
MaleFemale

Religions(2002)

Roman Catholic 31%Dutch Reformed 13%Calvinist 7%Muslim 5.5%other 2.5%none 41% (2002)

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:
0.73 male(s)/female
total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.66 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality

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

Ethnic groups

Dutch 83%, other 17% (of which 9% are non-Western origin mainly Turks, Moroccans, Antilleans, Surinamese, and Indonesians) (1999 est.)

Languages

Dutch (official), Frisian (official)

Literacy

definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
99% (2000 est.)
male:
NA%
female:
NA%

Government

Constitutional monarchy; Queen BEATRIX (since 30 April 1980); Prime Minister Jan Peter BALKENENDE (since 22 July 2002) and Deputy Prime Ministers Gerrit ZALM (since 27 May 2003) and Laurens Jan BRINKHORST (since 31 March 2005)

19 fields

First Chamber, 150 seats, elected 25 May 2003one dot, one seat

CDA 44PvdA 42VVD 28Socialist Party 9List Pim Fortuyn 8Green Party 8D66 6other 5

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

Dependent areas

Aruba, Netherlands Antilles

Independence

23 January 1579 (the northern provinces of the Low Countries conclude the Union of Utrecht breaking with Spain; it was not until 1648 that Spain recognized their independence)

National holiday

Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April

Constitution

adopted 1815; amended many times, last time 2002

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
Queen BEATRIX (since 30 April 1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER (born 27 April 1967), son of the monarch
head of government:
Prime Minister Jan Peter BALKENENDE (since 22 July 2002) and Deputy Prime Ministers Gerrit ZALM (since 27 May 2003) and Laurens Jan BRINKHORST (since 31 March 2005)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch
elections:
  • none;
  • the monarchy 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 also a Council of State composed of the monarch, heir apparent, and councilors that provides consultations to the cabinet 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 2003 (next to be held May 2007); Second Chamber - last held 22 January 2003 (next to be held May 2007)
election results:
  • First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%;
  • seats by party - CDA 23, PvdA 19, VVD 15, Green Party 5, Socialist Party 4, D66 3, other 6;
  • Second Chamber - percent of vote by party - CDA 28.6%, PvdA 27.3%, VVD 12.9%, Socialist Party 6.3%, List Pim Fortuyn 5.7%, Green Party 5.1%, D66 4.1%;
  • seats by party - CDA 44, PvdA 42, VVD 28, Socialist Party 9, List Pim Fortuyn 8, Green Party 8, D66 6, other 5

Judicial branch

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

Political parties and leaders

  • Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Maxime Jacques Marcel VERHAGEN];
  • Christian Union Party [Andre ROUVOET];
  • Democrats 66 or D66 [Boris DITTRICH];
  • Green Party [Femke HALSEMA];
  • Labor Party or PvdA [Wouter BOS];
  • List Pim Fortuyn [Gerard van AS];
  • People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Liberal) or VVD [Jozias VAN AARTSEN];
  • Socialist Party [Jan MARIJNISSEN];
  • plus a few minor parties

Political pressure groups and leaders

  • Netherlands Trade Union Federation (FNV) (consisting of a merger of Socialist and Catholic trade unions);
  • Christian Trade Union Federation (CNV);
  • Trade Union Federation of Middle and High Personnel (MHP);
  • 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, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Boudewijn J. VAN EENENNAAM
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, Miami, New York
consulate(s):
Boston

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Clifford M. SOBEL
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;
  • one of the oldest flags in constant use, originating with WILLIAM I, Prince of Orange, in the latter half of the 16th century

Economy

The Netherlands has a prosperous and open economy, which depends heavily on foreign trade.

44 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$481.1billion
(2004 est.)
Real growth rate
1.2%
(2004 est.)industrial production growth: 0.8% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate
6%
(2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2004 est.)

agriculture 2.4%industry 24.5%services 73.1% (2004 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

25%
Germany
17.9%
12.4%
Belgium
9.9%
10.1%
UK
6.4%
9.9%
France
4.8%
4.3%
US
7.9%
China
7.4%
6%
Italy
Exports $293.1 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)Imports $252.7 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)(2004)

Budget

Revenues
$256.9 billionExpenditures
$274.4 billion (2004 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of NA

Electricity

Electricity production
90.61 billion (2002)Electricity consumption
100.7 billion (2002)Electricity exports
4.5 billion (2002)Electricity imports
20.9 billion (2002)

Economy - overview

The Netherlands has a prosperous and open economy, which depends heavily on foreign trade. The economy is noted for stable industrial relations, moderate unemployment and inflation, a sizable current account surplus, and an important role as a European transportation hub. 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 Netherlands, along with 11 of its EU partners, began circulating the euro currency on 1 January 2002. The country continues to be one of the leading European nations for attracting foreign direct investment.

Economic growth slowed considerably in 2001-04, as part of the global economic slowdown, but for the four years before that, annual growth averaged nearly 4%, well above the EU average.

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $29,500 (2004 est.)

Labor force

7.53 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 4%, industry 23%, services 73% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%:
2.8%
highest 10%:
25.1% (1994)

Investment (gross fixed)

19.9% of GDP (2004 est.)

Public debt

55.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Industries

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

Oil - production

46,200 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption

895,300 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

1.418 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

2.284 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves

88.06 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production

77.75 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

49.72 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

49.28 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

20.78 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

1.693 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance

$19.9 billion (2004 est.)

Exports

$293.1 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs

Imports

$252.7 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $4 billion (2003 est.)

Currency (code)

euro (EUR)

note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries;

on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

Exchange rates

euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields
Mobile cellular
12.5 million
(2003)
Internet users
4,518,226
(2004)
Fixed lines
10.004 million
(2002) · country code .nl

Telephone system

general assessment:
highly developed and well maintained
domestic:
  • extensive fixed-line fiber-optic network;
  • cellular telephone system is one of the largest in Europe with five major network operators utilizing the third generation of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)
international:
  • country code - 31;
  • 9 submarine cables;
  • satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (2004)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 4, FM 246, shortwave 3 (2004)

Television broadcast stations

21 (plus 26 repeaters) (1995)

Internet users

8.5 million (2003)

Transportation

10 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

2
over 3,047 m
8
2,438 to 3,047 m
4
1,524 to 2,437 m
4
914 to 1,523 m
2
2
under 914 m
5
Paved 20Unpaved 7

Networkskm

Highways
116,500Railways
2,808Waterways
5,046 (2004)
Highways: paved: 104,850 km (including 2,235 km of expressways) · unpaved: 11,650 km (1999) · Railways: standard gauge: 2,808 km 1.435-m gauge (2,061 km electrified) (2004) · Waterways: (navigable for ships of 50 tons)

Railways

total:
2,808 km
standard gauge:
2,808 km 1.435-m gauge (2,061 km electrified) (2004)

Highways

total:
116,500 km
paved:
104,850 km (including 2,235 km of expressways)
unpaved:
11,650 km (1999)

Waterways

5,046 km (navigable for ships of 50 tons) (2004)

Pipelines

condensate 325 km; gas 6,998 km; oil 590 km; refined products 716 km (2004)

Ports and harbors

Amsterdam, Groningen, Ijmuiden, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Vlissingen, Zaanstad

Merchant marine

total:
558 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,796,460 GRT/5,212,557 DWT
by type:
bulk carrier 14, cargo 361, chemical tanker 32, container 48, liquefied gas 13, passenger 11, passenger/cargo 14, petroleum tanker 14, refrigerated cargo 32, roll on/roll off 15, specialized tanker 4
foreign-owned:
139 (Bahamas 5, Belgium 2, Canada 1, Denmark 4, Finland 7, Germany 62, Ireland 13, Norway 9, Sweden 19, United Kingdom 6, United States 11)
registered in other countries:
223 (2005)

Airports

27 (2004 est.)

Heliports

1 (2004 est.)

Military

7 fields

Military branches

Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht, KLu), Royal Constabulary, Defense Interservice Command (DICO) (2004)

Military service age and obligation

20 years of age for an all-volunteer force (2004)

Manpower available for military service

males age 20-49: 3,557,918 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 20-49: 2,856,691 (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Illicit drugs

  • major European producer of ecstasy, illicit amphetamines, and other synthetic drugs;
  • important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe;
  • major source of US-bound ecstasy;
  • large financial sector vulnerable to money laundering

Central Intelligence Agency. “Netherlands.” The World Factbook 2005. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/netherlands/2005.

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