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Communications

Airports [time series]

28 total, 28 usable; 19 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 11 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 6 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 2,630,962 GRT/3,687,598 DWT; includes 3 short-sea passenger, 191 cargo, 30 refrigerated cargo, 24 container, 12 roll-on/roll-off, 2 livestock carrier, 10 multifunction large-load carrier, 22 oil tanker, 27 chemical tanker, 10 liquefied gas, 2 specialized tanker, 9 bulk, 3 combination bulk; note - many Dutch-owned ships are also registered on the captive Netherlands Antilles register

Pipelines [time series]

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

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 redundant system of multiconductor cables, supplemented by radio relay links; 9,418,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 3 (3 relays) AM, 12 (39 repeaters) FM, 8 (7 repeaters) TV; 5 submarine cables; 1 communication satellite earth station operating in INTELSAT (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean antenna) and EUTELSAT systems; nationwide mobile phone system

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $7.2 billion, 2.9% of GDP (1991)

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 4,144,477; 3,649,746 fit for military service; 111,952 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

Budget [time series]

revenues $98.7 billion; expenditures $110.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

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

Economic aid [time series]

donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $19.4 billion

Electricity [time series]

22,216,000 kW capacity; 63,570 million kWh produced, 4,300 kWh per capita (1991)

Exchange rates [time series]

Netherlands guilders, gulden, or florins (f.) per US$1 - 1.7753 (January 1992), 1.8697 (1991), 1.8209 (1990), 2.1207 (1989), 1.9766 (1988), 2.0257 (1987)

Exports [time series]

$131.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990) 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]

purchasing power equivalent - $249.6 billion, per capita $16,600; real growth rate 2.2% (1991 est.)

Illicit drugs [time series]

European producer of illicit amphetamines and other synethic drugs

Imports [time series]

$125.9 billion (c.i.f., 1990) 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 1.7% (1991 est.); accounts for 25% of GDP

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

3.6% (1991 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 provides about 25% of GDP and is led by the food-processing, oil-refining, and metalworking industries. The highly mechanized agricultural sector employs only 5% of the labor force, but provides large surpluses for export and the domestic food-processing industry. An unemployment rate of 6.2% and a sizable budget deficit are currently the most serious economic problems.

Unemployment rate [time series]

6.2% (1991 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

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

none

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

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

Area (Land area) [time series]

33,920 km2

Land boundaries [time series]

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

Land use [time series]

arable land 26%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 32%; forest and woodland 9%; other 32%; includes irrigated 16%

Maritime claims [time series]

Continental shelf: not specific Territorial sea: 12 nm

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

Area (Total area) [time series]

37,330 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; The Hague is the seat of government

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 Johan Hendrick MEESMAN; 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, Jr.; Embassy at Lange Voorhout 102, The Hague (mailing address PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715); telephone [31] (70) 310-9209; FAX [31] (70) 361-4688; there is a US Consulate General in Amsterdam

Executive branch (Elections) [time series]

First Chamber: last held on 9 June l991 (next to be held 9 June 1995); 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%, other 10.3%; seats - (150 total) CDA 54, PvdA 49, VVD 22, D'66 12, other 13

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)

Executive branch (Leaders) [time series]

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); Vice 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 the States General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral legislature (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]

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMS, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

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; a host of minor parties

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18

Government type (Type) [time series]

constitutional monarchy

People

Birth rate [time series]

13 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate [time series]

8 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

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

Infant mortality rate [time series]

7 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force [time series]

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

Languages [time series]

Dutch

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

75 years male, 81 years female (1992)

Literacy [time series]

99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1979 est.)

Nationality [time series]

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

Net migration rate [time series]

1 migrant/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor [time series]

29% of labor force

Population [time series]

15,112,064 (July 1992), growth rate 0.6% (1992)

Religions [time series]

Roman Catholic 36%, Protestant 27%, other 6%, unaffiliated 31% (1988)

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.6 children born/woman (1992)