Nationality: noun—Dutchman(men), Dutch woman(women); adjective—Dutch
Ethnic divisions: 96% Dutch, 4% Moroccans, Turks, and others (1988)
Religion: 36% Roman Catholic, 27% Protestant, 4% other, 33% unaffiliated (1986)
Language: Dutch
Literacy: 99%
Labor force: 5,300,000; 50.1% services, 28.2% manufacturing and construction, 15.9% government, 5.8% agriculture (1986)
Organized labor: 29% of labor force
Government
Long-form name: Kingdom of the
Netherlands
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Amsterdam, but government resides at The Hague
Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (provinciën, 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)
Constitution: 17 February 1983
Legal system: civil law system incorporating French penal theory; judicial review in the Supreme Court of legislation of lower order rather than Acts of Parliament; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)
Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, vice prime minister, Cabinet, Cabinet of Ministers
Legislative branch: bicameral States General (Staten Generaal) consists of an upper chamber or First Chamber (Eerste Kamer) and a lower chamber or Second Chamber (Tweede Kamer)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (De Hoge Raad)
Leaders: Chief of State—Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER, Prince of Orange, son of Queen Beatrix (born 27 April 1967);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Ruud (Rudolph) F. M. LUBBERS (since 4 November 1982); Deputy Prime Minister Wim KOK (since 2 November 1989)
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Willem van Velzen; Labor (PvdA), Wim Kok; Liberal (VVD), Joris Voorhoeve; Democrats '66 (D'66), Hans van Mierio; Communist (CPN), Henk Hoekstra; a host of minor parties
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: First Chamber—last held on 9 June 1987 (next to be held 9 June 1991); results—elected by the country's 12 provincial councils; seats—(75 total) percent of seats by party NA;
Second Chamber—last held on 6 September 1989 (next to be held by September 1993); results—CDA 35.3%, PvdA 31.9%, VVD 14.6%, D'66 7.9%, others 10.3%; seats—(150 total) CDA 54, PvdA 49, VVD 22, D'66 12, others 13
Communists: about 6,000
Other political or pressure groups: 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 IKV—Interchurch Peace Council
Member of: ADB, Benelux, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, ECE, EIB, EMS, ESA, ESCAP, FAQ, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INRO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITC, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council (with respect to interests of the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname), NATO, OAS (observer), OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WHO,
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Richard H. FEIN; Chancery at 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 244-5300; there are Dutch Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco; US—Ambassador C. Howard WILKINS; Embassy at Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ The Hague (mailing address APO New York 09159); telephone [31](70) 62-49-11; there is a US Consulate General in Amsterdam
Flag: 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
Overview: This highly developed and
affluent economy is based on private
enterprise. The government makes its presence
felt, however, through many regulations,
permit requirements, and welfare
programs affecting most aspects of
economic activity. The trade and financial
services sector contributes over 50% of
GDP. Industrial activity, including
construction, provides about 25% of GDP,
and is led by the food-processing,
oil-refining, and metal-working industries.
The highly mechanized agricultural sector
employs only 6% of the labor force, but
provides large surpluses for export and the
domestic food-processing industry. An
unemployment rate of over 8.6% and a
sizable budget deficit are currently the most
serious economic problems.
GDP: $205.9 billion, per capita $13,900; real growth rate 4.2% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 8.6% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $71 billion; expenditures $82 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA billion (1989)
Exports: $110.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities—agricultural products, processed foods and tobacco, natural gas, chemicals, metal products, textiles, clothing; partners—EC 74.9% (FRG 28.3%, Belgium-Luxembourg 14.2%, France 10.7%, UK 10.2%), US 4.7% (1988)
Imports: $100.9 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities—raw materials and semifinished products, consumer goods, transportation equipment, crude oil, food products; partners—EC 63.8% (FRG 26.5%, Belgium-Luxembourg 23.1%, UK 8.1%), US 7.9% (1988)
External debt: none
Industrial production: growth rate 4.8% (1989 est.)
Electricity: 22,216,000 kW capacity; 63,570 million kWh produced, 4,300 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, fishing, construction, microelectronics
Agriculture: accounts for 4% of GDP; animal production predominates; crops—grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; shortages of grain, fats, and oils
Aid: donor—ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $15.8 billion
Currency: Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (plural guilders, gulden, or florins); 1 Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (f.) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Netherlands guilders, gulden, or florins (f.) per US$1—2.2906 (January 1990), 2.1207 (1989), 1.9766 (1988), 2.0257 (1987), 2.4500 (1986), 3.3214 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
221
