Netherlands

Netherlands Population: 16,645,313


Background
The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a lding sfaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-yr French occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Beium 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.





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Geography
Loed at mouths of three major Europn rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde).
Loion:
Western Europe, bordering the North S, between Beium and Germany
Geographic coordinates:
52 30 N, 5 45 E
Ar:
total: 41,526 sq km
land: 33,883 sq km
water: 7,643 sq kmSize comparison: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Land Boundaries:
total: 1,027 km
border countries: Beium 450 km, Germany 577 km
Coastline:
451 km
Maritime claims:
territorial s: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters
Terrain:
mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southst
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Zuidplaspolder -7 m
highest point: Vaalserberg 322 m
Natural resources:
natural gas, petroleum, pt, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 21.96%
permanent crops: 0.77%
other: 77.27% (2005)
Irrigated land:
5,650 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
flooding
Current Environment Issues:
water pollution in the form of hvy metals, organic compounds, and nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates; air pollution from vehicles and refining activities; acid rain
International Environment Agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitro 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 Trty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertifiion, Endangered Species, Environmental Modifiion, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the S, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


People
Population:
16,645,313 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 yrs: 17.6% (male 1,496,348/female 1,427,297)
15-64 yrs: 67.8% (male 5,705,003/female 5,583,787)
65 yrs and over: 14.6% (male 1,040,932/female 1,391,946) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 40 yrs
male: 39.2 yrs
female: 40.9 yrs (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.436% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
10.53 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Dth rate:
8.71 dths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
2.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 yrs: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 yrs: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 yrs and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.81 dths/1,000 live births
male: 5.34 dths/1,000 live births
female: 4.25 dths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.25 yrs
male: 76.66 yrs
female: 81.98 yrs (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.66 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
19,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - dths:
fewer than 100 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)
adjective: Dutch
Ethnic groups:
Dutch 80.7%, EU 5%, Indonesian 2.4%, Turkish 2.2%, Surinamese 2%, Moroccan 2%, Netherlands Antilles & Aruba 0.8%, other 4.8% (2008 est.)
Religions:
Roman holic 30%, Dutch Reformed 11%, Calvinist 6%, other Protestant 3%, Muslim 5.8%, other 2.2%, none 42% (2006)
Languages:
Dutch (official), Frisian (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can rd and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)


Government
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:
name: Amsterdam
geographic coordinates: 52 23 N, 4 54 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahd of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
note: The Hague is the st of government; time descriptions apply to the continental Netherlands only, not to the Caribbn components
Administrative divisions:
12 provinces (provincies, singular - provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland (Fryslan), Gelderland, Gronin, Limburg, Noord-Brabant (North Brabant), Noord-Holland (North Holland), Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland (Zland), Zuid-Holland (South Holland)
Dependent ars:
Aruba, Netherlands Antilles
Independence:
23 January 1579 (the northern provinces of the Low Countries conclude the Union of Utrecht brking with Spain; on 26 July 1581 they formally declared their independence with an Act of Abjuration; however, it was not until 30 January 1648 and the Pce of Westphalia that Spain recognized this independence)
National holiday:
Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BTRIX), 30 April (1909 and 1980)
Constitution:
adopted 1815; amended many times, most recently in 2002
Legal system:
based on civil law system incorporating French penal theory; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States eral; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 yrs of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen BTRIX (since 30 April 1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER (born 27 April 1967), son of the monarch
hd of government: Prime Minister Jan Peter BALKENENDE (since 22 July 2002); Deputy Prime Ministers Wouter BOS (since 22 February 2007) and Andre ROUVOET (since 22 February 2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following Second Chamber elections, the lder of the majority party or lder of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; deputy 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 eral or Staten eraal consists of the First Chamber or Eerste Kamer (75 sts; members indirectly elected by the country's 12 provincial councils to serve four-yr terms) and the Second Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 sts; members directly elected by popular vote to serve four-yr terms)
elections: First Chamber - last held 29 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2011); Second Chamber - last held 22 November 2006 (next to be held by rly 2011)
election results: First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%; sts by party - A 21, PvdA 14, VVD 14, Socialist Party 11, Christian Union 4, Green Left Party 4, D66 2, other 5; Second Chamber - percent of vote by party - A 26.5%, PvdA 21.2%, Socialist Party 16.6%, VVD 14.6%, Party for Freedom 5.9%, Green Party 4.6%, Christian Union 4.0%, other 6.6%; sts by party - A 41, PvdA 33, Socialist Party 25, VVD 22, Party for Freedom 9, Green Party 7, Christian Union 6, other 7
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Hoge Raad (justices are nominated for life by the monarch)
Political parties and lders:
Christian Democratic Appl or A [Pieter VAN GEEL]; Christian Union Party [Arie SLOB]; Democrats 66 or D66 [Alexander PECHTOLD]; Green Left Party [Femke HALSEMA]; Labor Party or PvdA [Mariette HAMER]; Party for Freedom or PVV [Geert WILDERS]; Party for the Animals or PvdD [Marianne THIEME]; People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Liberal) or VVD [Mark RUTTE]; Reformed Political Party of SGP [Bas VAN DER VLIES]; Socialist Party [Agnes KANT]; plus a few minor parties
Political pressure groups and lders:
Christian Trade Union Federation or CNV [Rene PAAS]; Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers or VNO-NCW [Bernard WIENTJES]; Federation for Small and Medium-sized businesses or MKB [Loek HERMANS]; Netherlands Trade Union Federation or FNV [Agnes JONGERIUS]; Social Economic Council or SER [Alexander RINNOOY KAN]; Trade Union Federation of Middle and High Personnel or M [Ad VERHOEVEN]
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CBSS (observer), CE, CERN, PC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-10, IADB, IA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, I, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, N, NSG, OAS (observer), OE, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Regina "Renee" JONES-BOS
chancery: 4200 Linnn Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-5300, [1] 877-388-2443
FAX: [1] (202) 362-3430
consulate(s) eral: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James B. CULBERTSON
embassy: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ, The Hague
mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715
telephone: [31] (70) 310-2209
FAX: [31] (70) 361-4688
consulate(s) eral: Amsterdam


Economy
The Netherlands has a prosperous and open economy, which depends hvily 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 Europn transportation hub. Industrial activity is predominantly in food processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. A highly mechanized agricultural sector employs no more than 3% 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 has been one of the lding Europn nations for attracting foreign direct investment and is one of the five largest investors in the US. The pace of job growth rched 10-yr highs in 2007, but economic growth fell sharply in 2008 as fallout from the world financial crisis constricted demand and raised the specter of a recession in 2009.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$687.5 billion (2008 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$909.5 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - rl growth rate:
2.1% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$41,300 (2008 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 24.4%
services: 73.6% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
7.7 million (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 21%
services: 76% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
4.6% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
10.5% (2005)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 22.9% (1999)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
30.9 (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.6% (2008 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
20.3% of GDP (2008 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $408.5 billion
expenditures: $398.8 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
57.3% of GDP (2008 est.)
Agriculture - products:

Industries:
agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing
Industrial production growth rate:

Electricity - production:
97.33 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
109.6 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
5.565 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
23.14 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
88,950 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
984,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - exports:
1.639 million bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
2.648 million bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
100 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
76.33 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
46.42 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
55.66 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
25.73 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
1.416 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
$47 billion (2008 est.)
Exports:
$537.5 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs
Exports - partners:
Germany 24.4%, Beium 13.6%, UK 9.1%, France 8.5%, Italy 5.1%, US 4.3% (2007)
Imports:
$485.3 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing
Imports - partners:
Germany 17.7%, China 10.5%, Beium 9.3%, US 7.3%, UK 5.8%, Russia 5.1%, France 4.4% (2007)
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $5.452 billion (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$26.98 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$2.277 trillion (30 June 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$726.9 billion (2008 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$872.5 billion (2008 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$956.5 billion (31 December 2007)
Currency ():
euro (EUR)
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6734 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Fiscal yr:
calendar yr


Communiions
Tele in use:
7.334 million (2007)
Cellular in use:
17.3 million (2006)
Telephone system:
eral assessment: highly developed and well maintained
domestic: extensive fixed-line fiber-optic network; large cellular telephone system with 5 major operators utilizing the third eration of the Global System for Mobile Communiions (GSM) technology
international: country - 31; submarine cables provide links to the US and Europe; satellite rth stations - 5 (3 sat - 1 Indian Ocn and 2 Atlantic Ocn, 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4, FM 246, shortwave 3 (2004)
Television broadcast stations:
21 (plus 26 repters) (1995)
Internet country :
.nl
Internet hosts:
10.983 million (2008)
Internet users:
15 million (2007)


Transportation
Airports:
27 (2007)
Airports (paved runways):
total: 20
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Airports (unpaved runways):
total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 4 (2007)
Heliports:
1 (2007)
Pipelines:
condensate 81 km; gas 7,394 km; oil 578 km; refined products 716 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 2,801 km
standard gauge: 2,801 km 1.435-m gauge (2,064 km electrified) (2007)
Roadways:
total: 135,470 km (includes 2,582 km of expressways) (2007)
Waterways:
6,215 km (navigable for ships of 50 tons) (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 622
by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 381, carrier 19, chemical tanker 44, container 76, liquefied gas 15, passenger 16, passenger/cargo 15, petroleum tanker 11, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 23, specialized tanker 3
foreign-owned: 203 (Beium 2, Cyprus 8, Denmark 29, Finland 14, France 1, Germany 75, Ireland 10, Italy 1, South Kor 1, Norway 12, Sweden 28, Tur 1, UAE 5, UK 2, US 14)
registered in other countries: 178 (Antigua and Barbuda 20, Australia 2, Austria 2, Bahamas 9, Cambodia 1, Canada 1, Cyprus 22, Germany 1, Gibraltar 21, Isle of Man 1, Liberia 6, Luxembourg 2, Marshall Islands 8, Netherlands Antilles 38, Panama 14, Paraguay 1, Philippines 23, Portugal 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, US 1, unknown 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Amsterdam, IJmuiden, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Vlissin


Military

Military branches:
Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht, KLu), Royal Military Police (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
20 yrs of age for an all-volunteer force (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 3,950,825
females age 16-49: 3,850,800 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 3,233,773
females age 16-49: 3,150,790 (2008 est.)