Netherlands

Background: 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 a brutal 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, and participated in the introduction of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 1999.
Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany. Area: Total: 41,526 sq km, water: 7,643 sq km, land: 33,883 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
Climate and Terrain: 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. Natural resources: Natural gas, petroleum, arable land.
People: Population: 16,067,754. Ethnic groups: Dutch 83%, other 17% (of which 9% are non-western origin mainly Turks, Moroccans, Antilleans, Surinamese and Indonesians. Religions: Roman Catholic 31%, Protestant 21%, Muslim 4.4%, other 3.6%, unaffiliated 40%. Languages: Dutch.
Government: Government type: Constitutional monarchy. Capital: Amsterdam; The Hague is the seat of government. Independence: 1579 (from Spain). Dependent areas: Aruba, Netherlands Antilles.
Economy overview: The Netherlands is a prosperous and open economy depending heavily on foreign trade. The economy is noted for stable industrial relations, moderate 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 4% 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.
Statistics: Telephones - main lines in use: 9,132,400. Telephones - mobile cellular: 4,081,891. Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 58, shortwave 3. Radios: 15.3 million. Television broadcast stations: 21 (plus 26 repeaters). Televisions: 8.1 million. Internet users: 8.7 million. Railways: Total: 2,808 km. Highways: Total: 116,500 km, paved: 104,850 km, unpaved: 11,650 km. Airports: 28, with paved runways: 20, with unpaved runways: 8. Heliports: 1.