The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a 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.
Location
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany
Geographic coordinates
52 30 N, 5 45 E
Map references
Europe
Area
total
41,526 sq km
land
33,883 sq km
water
7,643 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Land boundaries
total
1,027 km
border countries
Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km
Coastline
451 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 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 southeast
Elevation extremes
lowest point
Zuidplaspolder -7 m
highest point
Vaalserberg 322 m
Natural resources
natural gas, petroleum, peat, 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
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)
Dutch 83%, other 17% (of which 9% are non-Western origin mainly Turks, Moroccans, Antilleans, Surinamese, and Indonesians) (1999 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 31%, Dutch Reformed 13%, Calvinist 7%, Muslim 5.5%, other 2.5%, none 41% (2002)
Languages
Dutch (official), Frisian (official)
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
99%
male
99%
female
99% (2003 est.)
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 ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
note
The Hague (seat of government)
Administrative divisions
12 provinces (provincies, singular - provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland (Fryslan), Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant (North Brabant), Noord-Holland (North Holland), Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland (South 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; on 26 July 1581 they formally declared their independence with an Act of Abjuration; however, it was not until 30 January 1648 and the Peace 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 BEATRIX), 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 General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
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); 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
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; 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 General or Staten Generaal consists of the First Chamber or Eerste Kamer (75 seats; members indirectly elected by the country's 12 provincial councils to serve 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 in May 2007); Second Chamber - last held 22 November 2006 (next to be held by early 2011)
election results: First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDA 23, PvdA 19, VVD 15, Green Left Party 5, Socialist Party 4, D66 3, other 6; Second Chamber - percent of vote by party - CDA 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%; seats by party - CDA 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 leaders
Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Jan Peter BALKENENDE]; Christian Union Party [Andre ROUVOET]; Democrats 66 or D66 [Alexander PECHTOLD]; Green Left Party [Femke HALSEMA]; Labor Party or PvdA [Wouter BOS]; List Pim Fortuyn [Olaf STUGER]; 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 [Jan MARIJNISSEN]; plus a few minor parties
Political pressure groups and leaders
Netherlands Trade Union Federation or FNV (consisting of a merger of Socialist and Catholic trade unions); Christian Trade Union Federation or CNV; Trade Union Federation of Middle and High Personnel or MHP; Federation of Catholic and Protestant Employers Associations; Interchurch Peace Council or IKV; large multinational firms; the nondenominational Federation of Netherlands Enterprises
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 - overview
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$529.1 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$612.7 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
2.9% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$32,100 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
2.1%
industry
23.9%
services
73.9% (2006 est.)
Labor force
7.6 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
2%
industry
19%
services
79% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate
5.5% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
10.5% (1999)
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)
1.4% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
19.3% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$304.3 billion
expenditures
$306.5 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
Public debt
50.8% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products
Industries
agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing
Industrial production growth rate
2.3% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production
92.7 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
89.9%
hydro
0.1%
nuclear
4.3%
other
5.7% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
102.4 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
5.2 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
21.4 billion kWh (2004)
Oil - production
95,800 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - consumption
946,700 bbl/day (2004 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
85.98 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
51.3 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports
53.56 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports
18.85 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
1.756 trillion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance
$50.17 billion (2006 est.)
Exports
$413.8 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities
machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs
Exports - partners
Germany 25.5%, Belgium 14%, UK 8.9%, France 8.6%, Italy 5.1%, US 4.4% (2006)
Imports
$373.8 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities
machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing
Imports - partners
Germany 17.1%, Belgium 9.5%, China 9.4%, US 7.8%, UK 5.9%, Russia 5.1%, France 4.6% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$10.24 billion (August 2006 est.)
Debt - external
$1.899 trillion (30 June 2006)
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
Currency code
EUR
Exchange rates
euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
7.6 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular
15.834 million (2005)
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 5 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)
Radios
15.3 million (1996)
Television broadcast stations
21 (plus 26 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions
8.1 million (1997)
Internet country code
.nl
Internet hosts
8.363 million (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
52 (2000)
Internet users
10.806 million (2004)
Airports
27 (2006)
Airports - with 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 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
7
914 to 1,523 m
3
under 914 m
4 (2006)
Heliports
1 (2006)
Pipelines
condensate 81 km; gas 7,229 km; oil 578 km; refined products 716 km (2006)
Railways
total
2,808 km
standard gauge
2,808 km 1.435-m gauge (2,061 km electrified) (2005)
Roadways
total: 134,000 km (includes 3,270 km of expressways) (2004)
Waterways
6,183 km (navigable for ships of 50 tons) (2005)
Merchant marine
total
558 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,042,775 GRT/5,016,265 DWT
by type
bulk carrier 29, cargo 345, chemical tanker 29, container 59, liquefied gas 12, passenger 14, passenger/cargo 14, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo 19, roll on/roll off 18, specialized tanker 3
foreign-owned
157 (Australia 1, Belgium 2, Denmark 9, Finland 13, Germany 56, Ireland 10, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 7, Sweden 26, UK 19, US 13)
registered in other countries
222 (Antigua and Barbuda 14, Australia 2, Austria 2, Bahamas 24, Canada 1, Cayman Islands 4, Cyprus 18, Gibraltar 5, Isle of Man 1, Liberia 29, Luxembourg 2, Malta 6, Marshall Islands 1, Netherlands Antilles 54, Norway 3, Panama 21, Philippines 19, Portugal 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Singapore 2, UK 3, US 4, unknown 1) (2006)
Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht, KLu), Royal Military Police, Defense Interservice Command (DICO) (2006)
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
females age 20-49
3,470,377 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 20-49
2,856,691
females age 20-49
2,786,495 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
99,934
females age 20-49
95,818 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.6% (2005 est.)
Disputes - international
none
Illicit drugs
major European producer of synthetic drugs, including ecstasy, and cannabis cultivator; important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe; major source of US-bound ecstasy; large financial sector vulnerable to money laundering; significant consumer of ecstasy
