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Netherlands | ||
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Netherlands Travel Guide:Facts on the Netherlands |
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| History Geography People Economy Communications Transportation | |||
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Map of the Netherlands and its major cities
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| History | Top of Page | ||
| 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 EC (now the EU), and participated in the introduction of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 1999. | |||
| Geography | Top of Page | ||
| Location | Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany | ||
| Geographic Coordinates | 52 30 N, 5 45 E | ||
| Area |
Total: 41,526 sq km Water: 7,643 sq km Land: 33,883 sq km |
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| 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 |
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| Coastline | 451 km | ||
| 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 |
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| Natural Resources | Natural gas, petroleum, arable land | ||
| Geography Note | Located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde) | ||
| Natural hazards | Flooding | ||
| People | Top of Page | ||
| Population | 16,491,461 (July 2006 est.) | ||
| Age Structure |
0-14 years: 18% (male 1,515,123/female 1,445,390) 15-64 years: 67.8% (male 5,656,448/female 5,525,481) 65 years and over: 14.2% (male 994,723/female 1,354,296) (2006 est.) |
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| Nationality |
Noun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women) Adjective: Dutch |
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| Ethnic Groups | 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) | ||
| Language | Dutch (official language), Frisian (official language) | ||
| Literacy |
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write Total population: 99% (2000 est.) |
| Government | Top of Page | ||
| Country Name |
Conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands Conventional short form: Netherlands Local long form: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden Local short form: Nederland |
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| Government Type | Constitutional monarchy | ||
| Capital | Amsterdam; The Hague is the seat of government | ||
| Administrative Divisions | 12 provinces (provincies, singular - provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland | ||
| Independence | 1579 (from Spain); note - the northern provinces of the Low Country concluded the Union of Utrecht, but it was 1648 before Spain finally recognized their independence | ||
| 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 | Top of Page | ||
| 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 2% 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 2001-05, as part of the global economic slowdown, but for the four years before that, annual growth averaged nearly 4%, well above the EU average. | ||
| Currency | Euro | ||
| Currency Code | EUR | ||
| Communications | Top of Page | ||
| Telephone System | General assessment: highly developed and well maintained | ||
| Internet Country Code | .ne | ||
| Transportation | Top of Page | ||
| Railways |
total: 2,808 km standard gauge: 2,808 km 1.435-m gauge (2,061 km electrified) (2005) |
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| Roadways | total: 134,000 km (including 3,270 km of expressways) (2004) | ||
| Waterways | 6,183 km (navigable for ships of 50 tons) (2005) | ||
| Ports and Harbors | Amsterdam, Delfzijl, Dordrecht, Eemshaven, Groningen, Haarlem, IJmuiden, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Utrecht, Vlissingen | ||
| Netherlands: | Travel Information Best Places to Visit Other Countries Top of Page | ||
