males: 281,658 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $44 million (FY96/97)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 0.9% (FY96/97)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: with Bhutan over 91,000 Bhutanese
refugees in Nepal
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and
international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast
Asia to the West
======================================================================
@Netherlands
-----------
Geography
Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between
Belgium and Germany
Geographic coordinates: 52 30 N, 5 45 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 41,532 sq km
land: 33,889 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:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 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: Prins Alexanderpolder -7 m
highest point: Vaalserberg 321 m
Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, fertile soil
Land use:
arable land: 25%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 25%
forests and woodland: 8%
other: 39% (1996 est.)
Irrigated land: 6,000 sq km (1996 est.)
Natural hazards: the extensive system of dikes and dams protects
nearly one-half of the total area from being flooded
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-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography--note: located at mouths of three major European rivers
(Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde)
People
Population: 15,807,641 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 1,475,606; female 1,410,088)
15-64 years: 68% (male 5,482,193; female 5,288,948)
65 years and over: 14% (male 875,847; female 1,274,959) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.47% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 11.36 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 8.69 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.11 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.15 years
male: 75.28 years
female: 81.17 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.49 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)
adjective: Dutch
Ethnic groups: Dutch 94%, Moroccans, Turks, and other 6% (1988)
Religions: Roman Catholic 34%, Protestant 25%, Muslim 3%, other
2%, unaffiliated 36% (1991)
Languages: Dutch
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1979 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands
conventional short form: Netherlands
local long form: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
local short form: Nederland
Data code: NL
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Amsterdam; The Hague is the seat of government
Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (provincien,
singular--provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland,
Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel,
Utrecht, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland
Dependent areas: Aruba, Netherlands Antilles
Independence: 1579 (from Spain)
National holiday: Queen's Day, 30 April
Constitution: adopted 1814; amended many times, last time 17
February 1983
Legal system: 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 Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April
1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER (born 27 April 1967), Prince
of Orange, son of the monarch
head of government: Prime Minister Wim KOK (since 22 August 1994)
and Vice Prime Ministers Annemarie JORRITSMA (since 3 August 1998)
and Els BORST-EILERS (since 3 August 1998)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch 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; vice
prime ministers appointed by the monarch
note: there is a Council of State composed of the monarch, heir
apparent, and councillors consulted by the executive 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 for
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 9 June 1995 (next to be held 25
May 1999); Second Chamber--last held 6 May 1998 (next to be held May
2002)
election results: First Chamber--percent of vote by party--NA; seats
by party--VVD 23, CDA 19, PvdA 14, D'66 7, other 12; Second
Chamber--percent of vote by party--PvdA 30.0%, VVD 25.3%, CDA 19.3%,
D'66 9.3%, other 16.1%; seats by party--PvdA 45, VVD 38, CDA 29, D'66
14, other 24
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Hoge Raad, justices are
nominated for life by the monarch
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA
Political pressure groups and leaders: 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
Interchurch Peace Council or IKV
International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia
Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB,
EMU, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NAM (guest), NATO,
NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Joris M. VOS
chancery: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Cynthia P. SCHNEIDER
embassy: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ, The Hague
mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715
consulate(s) general: Amsterdam
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
Economy
Economy--overview: This prosperous and open economy is based on
private enterprise with the government's presence felt in many
aspects of the economy. Industrial activity features food
processing, petroleum refining, and metalworking. The highly
mechanized agricultural sector employs only 4% of the labor force,
but provides large surpluses for export and the domestic
food-processing industry. As a result, the Netherlands ranks third
worldwide in value of agricultural exports, behind the US and
France. Sharp cuts in subsidy and social security spending since the
1980s helped the Dutch achieve sustained economic growth combined
with falling unemployment and moderate inflation. The economy
achieved a strong 3.7% growth in 1998; a dip in the business cycle
probably will cause the economy to decelerate to slightly over 2%
growth in 1999. Unemployment in 1999 is expected to be less than 5%
of the labor force, and inflation probably will decline. The Dutch
joined the first wave of 11 EU countries launching the euro system
on 1 January 1999.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$348.6 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 3.7% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$22,200 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.2%
industry: 27.5%
services: 69.3% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 24.7% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1998)
Labor force: 7 million (1998 est.)
Labor force--by occupation: services 73%, manufacturing and
construction 23%, agriculture 4% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate: 4.1% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $163 billion
expenditures: $170 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)
Industries: agroindustries, metal and engineering products,
electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum,
construction, microelectronics, fishing
Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (1998)
Electricity--production: 83.3 billion kWh (1997)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 94.51%
hydro: 0.1%
nuclear: 4.95%
other: 0.44% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 90.366 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 700 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 11.3 billion kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits,
vegetables; livestock
Exports: $160 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports--commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels,
food and tobacco
Exports--partners: EU 78% (Germany 27%, Belgium-Luxembourg 13%,
France 11%, UK 10%, Italy 6%), Central and Eastern Europe, US (1997)
Imports: $142 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports--commodities: machinery and transport equipment,
chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels, consumer goods
Imports--partners: EU 61% (Germany 21%, Belgium-Luxembourg 11%, UK
10%), US 9%, Central and Eastern Europe (1997)
Debt--external: $0
Economic aid--donor: ODA, $2.9 billion (1997)
Currency: 1 Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (f.) = 100
cents; note--on 1 January 2002 to be replaced by the euro
Exchange rates: Netherlands guilders, gulden, or florins (f.) per
US$1--1.8904 (January 1999), 1.9837 (1998), 1.9513 (1997), 1.6859
(1996), 1.6057 (1995), 1.8200 (1994)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some
member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed
rate of 2.20371 guilders per euro; the euro will replace the local
currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 8.431 million (1998 est.); 3.4 million cellular
telephone subscribers (1998 est.)
Telephone system: highly developed and well maintained; system of
multi-conductor cables gradually being supplemented/replaced by a
glass-fiber based telecommunication infrastructure; Mobile GSM-based
mobile telephony density rapidly growing; third generation Universal
Mobile Telecommunications System expected for introduction by the
year 2001
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; microwave radio relay
international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations--3
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1
Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean Regions)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3 (relays 3), FM 12 (repeaters 39),
shortwave 0
Radios: 14 million (1994 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 15 (in addition, there are five
low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 7.6 million (1994 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 2,813 km
standard gauge: 2,813 km 1.435-m gauge; (1,991 km electrified) (1996)
Highways:
total: 127,000 km
paved: 114,427 km (including 2,360 km of expressways)
unpaved: 12,573 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 5,046 km, of which 47% is usable by craft of 1,000
metric ton capacity or larger
Pipelines: crude oil 418 km; petroleum products 965 km; natural
gas 10,230 km
Ports and harbors: Amsterdam, Delfzijl, Dordrecht, Eemshaven,
Groningen, Haarlem, Ijmuiden, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Terneuzen,
Utrecht
Merchant marine:
total: 510 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,632,477
GRT/4,097,328 DWT
ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 303, chemical tanker 42, combination
bulk 1, container 52, liquefied gas tanker 17, livestock carrier 1,
multifunction large-load carrier 9, oil tanker 24, passenger 8,
refrigerated cargo 30, roll-on/roll-off cargo 12, short-sea
passenger 3, specialized tanker 4
note: many Dutch-owned ships are also operating under the registry
of Netherlands Antilles (1998 est.)
Airports: 28 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 19
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 6 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy
(includes Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air
Force, Royal Constabulary
Military manpower--military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 4,117,376 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 3,595,693 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 95,368 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $6.604 billion (FY97)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 2.1% (1995)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: none
Illicit drugs: important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish
entering Europe; major European producer of illicit amphetamines and
other synthetic drugs
======================================================================
@Netherlands Antilles
--------------------
Geography
Location: Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea--one
includes Curacao and Bonaire north of Venezuela and the other is
east of the Virgin Islands
Geographic coordinates: 12 15 N, 68 45 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 960 sq km
land: 960 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint
Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)
Area--comparative: more than five times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total: 10.2 km
border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint Martin) 10.2 km
Coastline: 364 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Terrain: generally hilly, volcanic interiors
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m
Natural resources: phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 90% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean
hurricane belt and are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and
Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October
Environment--current issues: NA
Environment--international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
People
Population: 207,827 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 26% (male 27,160; female 26,149)
15-64 years: 67% (male 65,781; female 73,054)
65 years and over: 7% (male 6,538; female 9,145) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.01% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 17.11 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 6.58 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 12.59 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.25 years
male: 72.19 years
female: 76.41 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.09 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Netherlands Antillean(s)
adjective: Netherlands Antillean
Ethnic groups: mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East
Asian
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day
Adventist
Languages: Dutch (official), Papiamento (a
Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) predominates, English
widely spoken, Spanish
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 98%
female: 99% (1981 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles
local long form: none
local short form: Nederlandse Antillen
Data code: NT
Dependency status: part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full
autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954
Government type: parliamentary
Capital: Willemstad
Administrative divisions: none (part of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands)
note: each island has its own government
Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
National holiday: Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)
Constitution: 29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the
Netherlands, as amended
Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English
common law influence
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard of the Netherlands
(since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Jaime SALEH
(since NA October 1989)
head of government: Prime Minister Miguel POURIER (since 25 February
1994)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by
the monarch for a six-year term; following legislative elections,
the leader of the majority party is usually elected prime minister
by the Staten; election last held 30 January 1998 (next to be held
by NA 2002)
election results: Miguel POURIER elected prime minister; percent of
legislative vote--NA
Legislative branch: unicameral States or Staten (22 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 30 January 1998 (next to be held by NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--PAR 4,
PNP 3, SPA 1, PDB 2, UPB 1, MAN 2, PLKP 3, WIPM 1, SEA 1, DP-St.M 2,
FOL 2; no party won enough seats to form a government
note: the government of Prime Minister Miguel POURIER is a coalition
of several parties
Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by
the monarch)
Political parties and leaders:
Sint Eustatius: Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E
WESTCOTT-WILLIAMS]; Patriotic Movement of Sint Maarten or SPA
ROLLOCKS]
note: political parties are indigenous to each island
International organization participation: Caricom (observer),
ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WMO, WToO
(associate)
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (represented by the
Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Consul General James L. WILLIAMS
consulate(s) general: J.B. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao
mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
Flag description: white, with a horizontal blue stripe in the
center superimposed on a vertical red band, also centered; five
white, five-pointed stars are arranged in an oval pattern in the
center of the blue band; the five stars represent the five main
islands of Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten
Economy
Economy--overview: Tourism, petroleum transshipment, and offshore
finance are the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely
tied to the outside world. The islands enjoy a high per capita
income and a well-developed infrastructure as compared with other
countries in the region. Almost all consumer and capital goods are
imported, with Venezuela, the US, and Mexico being the major
suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the
development of agriculture.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$2.4 billion (1997 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: -1.8% (1997)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$11,500 (1997 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 15%
services: 84% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.3% (1997)
Labor force: 89,000
Labor force--by occupation: government 65%, industry and commerce
28% (1983)
Unemployment rate: 14.9% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $710.8 million
expenditures: $741.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)
Industries: tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire),
petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities
(Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao)
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity--production: 1.4 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 1.4 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables,
tropical fruit
Exports: $268.2 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports--commodities: petroleum products 98% (1993)
Exports--partners: US 28.6%, Honduras 6.4%, Belgium-Luxembourg 6%,
Italy 4.9%, Guatemala 4.5%, Costa Rica 4% (1996)
Imports: $1.4 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports--commodities: crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures
(1993)
Imports--partners: Venezuela 34%, US 16.4%, Mexico 15.5%,
Netherlands 5%, Italy 3.5%, Brazil 2.8% (1996)
Debt--external: $1.35 billion (1996)
Economic aid--recipient: $NA; note?the Netherlands provided a $97
million aid package in 1996
Currency: 1 Netherlands Antillean guilder, gulden, or florin
(NAf.) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Netherlands Antillean guilders, gulden, or
florins (NAf.) per US$1--1.790 (fixed rate since 1989)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: NA
Telephone system: generally adequate facilities
domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations--2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 4, shortwave 0
Radios: 205,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (in addition, there is a cable
service which supplies programs received from various US satellite
networks) (1997)
Televisions: 64,000 (1992 est.)
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 600 km
paved: 300 km
unpaved: 300 km (1992 est.)
Ports and harbors: Kralendijk, Philipsburg, Willemstad