| Geographical Information |
| Map Location |
Europe |
| Geographical Location |
52° 30' North Latitude
5° 45' East Longitude |
| Surface Area |
41,526 sq km |
| Climate |
Temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters |
| Natural Resources |
Natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land |
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| Political Information |
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| Country Name |
Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Capital City |
Amsterdam; The Hague is the seat of government |
| Government Type |
Constitutional monarchy |
| Administrative Divisions |
12 provinces (provincies, singular - provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland (Fryslan), Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland |
| Independence Day |
23 January 1579 (the northern provinces of the Low Countries conclude the Union of Utrecht breaking with Spain; it was not until 1648 that Spain recognized their independence) |
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| Demographical Information |
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| Population |
16,407,491 (July 2005 est.) |
| Nationality |
Dutch |
| Ethnic Groups |
Dutch 83%, other 17% (of which 9% are non-Western origin mainly Turks, Moroccans, Antilleans, Surinamese, and Indonesians) (1999 est.) |
| Religion |
Roman Catholic 31%, Dutch Reformed 13%, Calvinist 7%, Muslim 5.5%, other 2.5%, none 41% (2002) |
| Languages |
Dutch (official), Frisian (official) |
| Population Growth Rate |
0.53% (2005 est.) |
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| Economical Information |
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| Currency |
Euro (EUR) |
| Industries |
Agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing |
| Labor Force |
7.53 million (2004 est.) |
| Labor Force by Sectors |
Agriculture 4%, industry 23%, services 73% (1998 est.) |
| Agriculture Products |
Grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; livestock |
| Export Commodities |
Machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs |
| Export Partners |
Germany 25%, Belgium 12.6%, UK 10.1%, France 9.8%, Italy 6%, US 4.2% (2004) |
| Import Commodities |
Machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs, clothing |
| Import Partners |
Germany 17.7%, Belgium 10.2%, US 7.8%, China 7.1%, UK 6.6%, France 4.9% (2004) |
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| Transportation |
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| Railways |
2,808 km |
| Highways |
116,500 km |
| Pipelines |
Condensate 325 km; gas 6,998 km; oil 590 km; refined products 716 km (2004) |
| Airports |
27 (2004 est.) |
| Ports and Harbors |
Amsterdam, Delfzijl, Dordrecht, Eemshaven, Groningen, Haarlem, IJmuiden, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Utrecht, Vlissingen |
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| Communication |
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| Phone Code |
+31 |
| Internet Abbreviation |
.nl |
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| Other |
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| Short History |
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 EEC (now the EU), and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. |
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