Kingdom of the Netherlands

National name: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden

Sovereign: Queen Beatrix (1980)

Prime Minister: Jan Peter Balkenende (2002)

Land area: 13,082 sq mi (33,883 sq km); total area: 16,033 sq mi (41,526 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 16,491,461 (growth rate: 0.5%); birth rate: 10.9/1000; infant mortality rate: 5.0/1000; life expectancy: 79.0; density per sq mi: 1,259

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Amsterdam (official), 737,900; The Hague (administrative capital), 465,900

Other large cities: Rotterdam, 600,700; Utrecht, 263,900; Eindhoven, 206,900

Monetary unit: Euro (formerly guilder)

Languages: Dutch, Frisian (both official)

Ethnicity/race: Dutch 83%, other 17% (9% of non-Western origin, mainly Turks, Moroccans, Antilleans, Surinamese, and Indonesians) (1999 est.)

Religions: Roman Catholic 31%, Dutch Reformed 13%, Calvinist 7%, Islam 6%, none 41% (2002)

Literacy rate: 99% (2000 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $501.6 billion; per capita $30,600. Real growth rate: 0.7%. Inflation: 1.7%. Unemployment: 6.5%. Arable land: 22%. Agriculture: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; livestock. Labor force: 7.53 million; agriculture 2%, industry 19%, services 79% (2004 est.). Industries: agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing. Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, arable land. Exports: $365.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs. Imports: $326.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing. Major trading partners: Germany, Belgium, UK, France, Italy, U.S., China (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 9,132,400 (1999); mobile cellular: 4,081,891 (April 1999). Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 58, shortwave 3 (1998). Radios: 15.3 million (1996). Television broadcast stations: 21 (plus 26 repeaters) (1995). Televisions: 8.1 million (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 52 (2000). Internet users: 9.73 million (2002).

Transportation: Railways: total: 2,808 km (2002). Highways: total: 116,500 km; paved: 104,850 km (including 2,235 km of expressways); unpaved: 11,650 km (1999). Waterways: 5,046 km, of which 47% is usable by craft of 1,000 metric ton capacity or larger. Ports and harbors: Amsterdam, Delfzijl, Dordrecht, Eemshaven, Groningen, Haarlem, Ijmuiden, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Utrecht, Vlissingen. Airports: 28 (2002).

International disputes: none.

 

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