Netherlands
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands
conventional short form: Netherlands local long form: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden local short form: Nederland |
| Gevernment type | constitutional monarchy |
| Capital |
name: Amsterdam
geographic coordinates: 52 23 N, 4 54 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: The Hague (seat of government) |
| 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 |
| Currency | euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries |
| Internet country code | .nl |
| Ports and terminals | Amsterdam, Groningen, IJmuiden, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Vlissingen, Zaanstad |
| Agriculture products | grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; livestock |
| Industries | agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing |
| Geography |
| Location | Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany |
| Coordinates | 52 30 N, 5 45 E |
| Continent | Europe |
| Area |
total: 41,526 sq km
land: 33,883 sq km water: 7,643 sq km |
| Boundaries |
total: 1,027 km
border countries: Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km |
| Coastline | 451 km |
| Climate | temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters |
| Terrain | mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast |
| Natural resources | natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land |
| Natural hazards | flooding |
| People |
| Population | 16,491,461 (July 2006 est.) |
| 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) |
| Languages | Dutch (official), Frisian (official) |
