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Communications

Airports [time series]

28 total, 28 usable; 19 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

98 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

108,360 km total; 92,525 km paved (including 2,185 km of limited access, divided highways); 15,835 km gravel, crushed stone

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

6,340 km, of which 35% is usable by craft of 1,000 metric ton capacity or larger

Merchant marine [time series]

345 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,661,822 GRT/3,732,282 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 187 cargo, 42 refrigerated cargo, 23 container, 9 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 livestock carrier, 12 multifunction large-load carrier, 15 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 27 chemical tanker, 11 liquefied gas, 2 specialized tanker, 1 combinatio n ore/oil, 9 bulk, 2 combination bulk; note--many Dutch-owned ships are also registered in the captive Netherlands Antilles register

Pipelines [time series]

418 km crude oil; 965 km refined products; 10,230 km natural gas

Ports [time series]

maritime--Amsterdam, Delfzijl, Den Helder, Dordrecht, Eemshaven, Ijmuiden, Rotterdam, Scheveningen, Terneuzen, Vlissingen; inland--29 ports

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

3,037 km track (includes 1,871 km electrified and 1,800 km double track; 2,871 km 1.435-meter standard gauge operated by Netherlands Railways (NS); 166 km privately owned

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

highly developed, well maintained, and integrated; extensive system of multiconductor cables, supplemented by radio relay links; 9,418,000 telephones; stations--6 AM, 20 (32 repeaters) FM, 21 (8 repeaters) TV; 5 submarine cables; communication satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean) and EUTELSAT systems

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy/Marine Corps, Royal Netherlands Air Force

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

2.9% of GDP, or $6.0 billion (1989 est.)

Military manpower [time series]

males 15-49, 4,134,006; 3,660,048 fit for military service; 111,948 reach military age (20) annually

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for 4% of GDP; animal production predominates; crops--grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; shortages of grain, fats, and oils

Aid [time series]

donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $15.8 billion

Budget [time series]

revenues $71 billion; expenditures $82 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA billion (1989)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (plural--guilders, gulden, or florins); 1 Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (f.) = 100 cents

Electricity [time series]

22,216,000 kW capacity; 63,570 million kWh produced, 4,300 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates [time series]

Netherlands guilders, gulden, or florins (f.) per US$1--2.2906 (January 1990), 2.1207 (1989), 1.9766 (1988), 2.0257 (1987), 2.4500 (1986), 3.3214 (1985)

Exports [time series]

$110.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--agricultural products, processed foods and tobacco, natural gas, chemicals, metal products, textiles, clothing; partners--EC 74.9% (FRG 28.3%, Belgium-Luxembourg 14.2%, France 10.7%, UK 10.2%), US 4.7% (1988)

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

none

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

$205.9 billion, per capita $13,900; real growth rate 4.2% (1989 est.)

Imports [time series]

$100.9 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities--raw materials and semifinished products, consumer goods, transportation equipment, crude oil, food products; partners--EC 63.8% (FRG 26.5%, Belgium-Luxembourg 23.1%, UK 8.1%), US 7.9% (1988)

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 4.8% (1989 est.)

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

1.5% (1989 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

This highly developed and affluent economy is based on private enterprise. The government makes its presence felt, however, through many regulations, permit requirements, and welfare programs affecting most aspects of economic activity. The trade and financial services sector contributes over 50% of GDP. Industrial activity, including construction, provides about 25% of GDP, and is led by the food-processing, oil-refining, and metal-working industries. The highly mechanized agricultural sector employs only 6% of the labor force, but provides large surpluses for export and the domestic food-processing industry. An unemployment rate of over 8.6% and a sizable budget deficit are currently the most serious economic problems.

Unemployment rate [time series]

8.6% (1989 est.)

Geography

Climate [time series]

temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters

Coastline [time series]

451 km

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

27% of the land area is below sea level and protected from the North Sea by dikes

Exclusive fishing zone [time series]

200 nm;

Land boundaries [time series]

1,027 km total; Belgium 450 km, FRG 577 km

Land use [time series]

25% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 34% meadows and pastures; 9% forest and woodland; 31% other; includes 15% irrigated

Natural resources [time series]

natural gas, crude oil, fertile soil

Note [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast

Maritime claims (Territorial sea) [time series]

12 nm

Area (Total area) [time series]

37,290 km2; land area: 33,940 km2

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

12 provinces (provincien, singular--provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland

Capital [time series]

Amsterdam, but government resides at The Hague

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

about 6,000

Constitution [time series]

17 February 1983

Dependent areas [time series]

Aruba, Netherlands Antilles

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Ambassador Richard H. FEIN; Chancery at 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 244-5300; there are Dutch Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco; US--Ambassador C. Howard WILKINS; Embassy at Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ The Hague (mailing address APO New York 09159); telephone [31] (70) 62-49-11; there is a US Consulate General in Amsterdam

Executive branch [time series]

monarch, prime minister, vice prime minister, Cabinet, Cabinet of Ministers

Flag [time series]

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue; similar to the flag of Luxembourg which uses a lighter blue and is longer

Independence [time series]

1579 (from Spain)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court (De Hoge Raad) Chief of State--Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER, Prince of Orange, son of Queen Beatrix (born 27 April 1967); Head of Government--Prime Minister Ruud (Rudolph) F. M. LUBBERS (since 4 November 1982); Deputy Prime Minister Wim KOK (since 2 November 1989)

Legal system [time series]

civil law system incorporating French penal theory; judicial review in the Supreme Court of legislation of lower order rather than Acts of Parliament; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral States General (Staten Generaal) consists of an upper chamber or First Chamber (Eerste Kamer) and a lower chamber or Second Chamber (Tweede Kamer)

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Kingdom of the Netherlands

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

ADB, Benelux, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, ECE, EIB, EMS, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INRO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITC, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council (with respect to interests of the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname), NATO, OAS (observer), OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WHO,

National holiday [time series]

Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

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 IKV--Interchurch Peace Council

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Willem van Velzen; Labor (PvdA), Wim Kok; Liberal (VVD), Joris Voorhoeve; Democrats '66 (D'66), Hans van Mierio; Communist (CPN), Henk Hoekstra; a host of minor parties

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18 First Chamber--last held on 9 June l987 (next to be held 9 June 1991); results--elected by the country's 12 provincial councils; seats--(75 total) percent of seats by party NA; Second Chamber--last held on 6 September 1989 (next to be held by September 1993); results--CDA 35.3%, PvdA 31.9%, VVD 14.6%, D'66 7.9%, others 10.3%; seats--(150 total) CDA 54, PvdA 49, VVD 22, D'66 12, others 13

Government type (Type) [time series]

constitutional monarchy

People

Birth rate [time series]

13 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate [time series]

8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

96% Dutch, 4% Moroccans, Turks, and others (1988)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

7 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force [time series]

5,300,000; 50.1% services, 28.2% manufacturing and construction, 15.9% government, 5.8% agriculture (1986)

Languages (Language) [time series]

Dutch

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

74 years male, 81 years female (1990)

Literacy [time series]

99%

Nationality [time series]

noun--Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women); adjective--Dutch

Net migration rate [time series]

2 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Organized labor [time series]

29% of labor force

Population [time series]

14,936,032 (July 1990), growth rate 0.6% (1990)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

36% Roman Catholic, 27% Protestant, 4% other, 33% unaffiliated (1986)

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.6 children born/woman (1990)