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Holland, officially known as the Kingdom of the Netherlands, was formed as a nation in 1815. The country is bordered in the west and north by the North Sea, in the east by Germany, and in the South by Belgium. With a surface area of 41,526 sq km Facts and figures
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Head of State |
Queen Beatrix |
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Head of government |
Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende |
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System of government |
Constitutional monarchy |
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National language |
Dutch |
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Capital city |
Amsterdam |
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Population |
734,000 |
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Seat of government |
The Hague |
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Population |
442,000 |
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Number of municipalities |
496 |
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Number of provinces |
12 |
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Province: |
Provincial capital: |
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Groningen |
Groningen |
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Friesland |
Leeuwarden |
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Drenthe |
Assen |
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Overijssel |
Zwolle |
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Gelderland |
Arnhem |
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Utrecht |
Utrecht |
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North Holland |
Haarlem |
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South Holland |
The Hague |
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Zeeland |
Middelburg |
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North Brabant |
's-Hertogenbosch |
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Limburg |
Maastricht |
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Flevoland |
Lelystad |
2 Geography
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Area |
41,528 km² |
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7,655 km² water |
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33,873 km² land |
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Geographical position |
Western Europe |
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latitude 53°52'5'' north |
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latitude 50°45'5'' north |
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longitude 3°21'31" east |
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longitude 7°13'14" east |
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Highest point above Amsterdam Ordnance Datum (NAP): |
321 m |
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Lowest point below Amsterdam Ordnance Datum (NAP): Nieuwerkerk aan de IJssel (South Holland) |
-6.7 m |
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Land below sea level: |
24% |
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Climate |
temperate maritime |
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Average temperature in July 2001 |
18.3°C |
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Average temperature in January 2001 |
2.6°C |
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Annual average hours of sunshine |
1,550 |
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Annual average rainfall |
797 mm |
3 Population (2001)
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Population |
16 million |
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Population per km2 of land |
472 |
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Population growth (2000) |
0.6% |
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Average life expectancy |
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Men |
75.5 years |
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Women |
80.7 years |
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Population by age |
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0 – 19 |
24.4% |
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20 – 39 |
29.6% |
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40 – 64 |
32.4% |
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65 and older |
13.6% |
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Population 18 years and older by religion (1999) |
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Catholic |
31% |
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Protestant |
21% |
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Muslim |
4% |
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Other |
3% |
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None |
41% |
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Computer and Internet use |
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Persons with a computer at home |
74% |
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Persons with an Internet connection at home |
57% |
4 Economy (2001)
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Currency |
Euro |
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Exchange rate |
€1 = US$ 0.88 (April 2002) |
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Macroeconomic figures |
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Gross domestic product (GDP) (1999) |
€372 billion |
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Per capita GDP |
> €23,500 |
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GDP growth (3rd quarter of 2001) |
0.8% |
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Inflation rate (2001) |
4.6% |
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Unemployment rate (October-December 2001) |
2.4% |
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Total workforce (persons aged 15 - 64) |
7.3 million |
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Those in work (aged 15 - 64) |
7.1 million |
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Those in work per economic sector (2000) |
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Agriculture |
3.7% |
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Manufacturing |
15.8% |
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Commerce |
16.3% |
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Services |
52.8% |
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Public sector |
11.3% |
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Contribution to GDP per economic sector (2000) |
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Agriculture and fisheries |
2.6% |
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Extractive industries |
2.6% |
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Manufacturing |
17.9% |
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Trade |
13.1% |
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Transport and communications |
7.3% |
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Other services (construction, care, hotels and catering, financial services) |
45.2% |
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Public sector |
11.3% |
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Exports per economic sector |
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Machinery and transport equipment |
33.4% |
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Chemicals |
15.8% |
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Manufactured goods |
21.5% |
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Food, drink, and tobacco products |
14.6% |
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Raw materials |
6.0% |
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Fuels |
8.7% |
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Destinations of Dutch exports (1999) |
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Germany |
26% |
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Belgium and Luxembourg |
12% |
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France |
11% |
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United Kingdom |
11% |
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Other EU countries |
18% |
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Eastern Europe |
3% |
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Other European countries |
4% |
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Asia |
6% |
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United States |
4% |
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Other countries |
5% |
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Dutch foreign investment (in millions of euros, 2000) |
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European Union |
30,380 |
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Japan |
180 |
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United States |
38,225 |
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Eastern Europe |
2,356 |
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Other countries |
8,153 |
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Total |
79,294 |
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Foreign investment in the Netherlands (in millions of euros, 2000) |
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European Union |
32,815 |
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Japan |
3,732 |
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United States |
16,645 |
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Other European countries |
1,952 |
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Other countries |
4,565 |
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Total |
59,709 |
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Main airport |
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport |
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Volume of traffic (2000): |
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Number of passengers |
39.6 million |
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Freight tonnage |
1.2 million tonnes |
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Main seaport |
Rotterdam |
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Freight tonnage (2001) |
316 million tonnes |
5 Public holidays and commemorative days (2002)
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New Year's Day |
1 January |
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Easter |
31 March - 1 April |
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Queen's Birthday |
30 April |
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Remembrance Day |
4 May |
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Liberation Day |
5 May |
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Ascension |
9 May |
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Whitsun |
19 - 20 May |
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Christmas |
26 December |
6 Sources
The above facts and figures relate to 2001 unless stated otherwise.
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Statistics Netherlands (CBS) |
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Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) |
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De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) |
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The Netherlands Foreign Trade Agency (EVD) |
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Amsterdam Schiphol Airport |
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Rotterdam Port Authority |
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