Netherlands
Country Guide

Explore Netherlands

Netherlands with its capital Amsterdam is located in Europe (Western Europe, bordering the North Sea). It covers some 41,544 square kilometers (slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey) with a population of 17,084,700. Dutch and Western Frisian are the languages spoken by people in Netherlands. As an interesting fact, is sharing borders with Belgium and Germany.

Netherlands is a Benelux country, bordering Germany to the east and Belgium to the south. For many foreigners, nothing captures the idea of the Netherlands more vividly than windmills, wooden shoes, tulips, and remarkably flat lands. Wandering through the magnificent city of Amsterdam, with its lovely canals and hundreds of 17th century monuments, is a delightful experience. For most people, a visit to The Netherlands would not be complete without a good day in its bustling capital. Nevertheless, it is only one of many towns in the country that offers a beautiful, historic centre.

Popular Destinations in Netherlands

Administrative regions of Netherlands

• Limburg
• North Brabant
• Provincie Drenthe
• Provincie Flevoland
• Provincie Friesland
• Provincie Gelderland
• Provincie Groningen
• Provincie Noord-Holland
• Provincie Overijssel
• Provincie Utrecht
• Provincie Zeeland
• South Holland

About the country

The topography is mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders) with some hills in southeast. The average density of population is about 411 per km². The climate in Netherlands can be described as temperatemarine, cool summers and mild winters. Potential natural disasters are flooding Mount Scenery (887 m), located on the island of Saba in the Caribbean, last erupted in 1640; Round Hill (601 m), a dormant volcano also known as The Quill, is located on the island of St. Eustatius in the Caribbean; these islands are at the northern end o

To reach someone Netherlands dial +31 prior to a number. The local cellular networks are operated on 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 3G, 4G. Websites typically end with the top level domain ".nl". If you want to bring electric appliances (e.g. battery chaarger), keep in min the local 230 V - 50 Hz (plugs: C, F). The sign for the locally used currency Euro is EUR.

Three equal horizontal bands of red (bright vermilion; top), white, and blue (cobalt); similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer; the colors were derived from those of WILLIAM I, Prince of Orange, who led the Dutch Revolt against Spanish sovereignty in the latter half of the 16th century; originally the upper band was orange, but because its dye tended to turn red over time, the red shade was eventually made the permanent color; the banner is perhaps the oldest tricolor in continuous use.

The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a 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 German invasion and occupation 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. In October 2010, the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and the three smallest islands - Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba - became special municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands of Sint Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent countries forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Geography

Area
Total (World Rank: 135)	41,543	sq km
Land (World Rank: 135)	33,893	sq km
Water (World Rank: 59)	7,650	sq km
Forest (World Rank: 74)	24.20	%
Comparative	slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Coastline
451
Landborder
1053
Elevation
Lowest point (World Rank: 49)	-7	m
Highest point (World Rank: 176)	862	m
Agricultural land
Total (World Rank: 56)	55.10	%
Arable (World Rank: 31)	29.80	%
Permanent crops (World Rank: 116)	1.10	%
Permanent pastures (World Rank: 74)	24.20	%
Irrigated land (World Rank: 56)	4,860	sq km
Map reference
Europe
Environment
Issues	- acid rain - air pollution from vehicles and refining activities - and nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates - organic compounds - water pollution in the form of heavy metals
Agreement party	- Air Pollution - Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides - Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants - Air Pollution-Sulfur 85 - Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 - Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds - Antarctic Treaty - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol - Antarctic-Marine Living Resources - Biodiversity - Climate Change - Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol - Desertification - Endangered Species - Environmental Modification - Hazardous Wastes - Law of the Sea - Marine Dumping - Marine Life Conservation - Ozone Layer Protection - Ship Pollution - Tropical Timber 83 - Tropical Timber 94 - Wetlands - Whaling
Hazzards	- flooding - Mount Scenery (887 m), located on the island of Saba in the Caribbean, last erupted in 1640; Round Hill (601 m), a dormant volcano also known as The Quill, is located on the island of St. Eustatius in the Caribbean; these islands are at the northern end o
Location
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany
Climate
temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters
Terrain
mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast

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People

Population
Total (World Rank: 66)	17,084,700
Deathrate (World Rank: 67)	0.89	%
Birthrate (World Rank: 178)	1.09	%
Growthrate (World Rank: 161)	0.39	%
Migration rate (World Rank: 48)	0.19	%
Fertility rate (World Rank: 152)	1.78	%
Median age
Male (World Rank: 18)	41.50
Female (World Rank: 28)	43.60
Age structure
0 14 male (World Rank: 86)	1,434,920
0 14 female (World Rank: 86)	1,368,440
15 24 male (World Rank: 82)	1,051,320
15 24 female (World Rank: 81)	1,010,970
25 54 male (World Rank: 62)	3,387,720
25 54 female (World Rank: 62)	3,364,010
55 64 male (World Rank: 42)	1,128,480
55 64 female (World Rank: 44)	1,139,700
65 x male (World Rank: 31)	1,449,750
65 x female (World Rank: 33)	1,749,410
Health
Infant mortality rate (World Rank: 198)	0.36	%
Life expectancy total (World Rank: 25)	81	years
Life expectancy female (World Rank: 30)	84	years
Life expectancy male (World Rank: 21)	79	years
Physicians per 1000 (World Rank: 29)	3.35
Hospital bed per 1000 (World Rank: 44)	4.70
Sanitation access total (World Rank: 48)	97.70	%
Obesity adult (World Rank: 99)	20.40	%
Drinking water access (World Rank: 7)	100.00	%

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Energy

Electricity
Production (World Rank: 34)	102,500,000,000	kWh
Consumption (World Rank: 32)	106,000,000,000	kWh
Export (World Rank: 8)	19,340,000,000	kWh
Import (World Rank: 7)	24,260,000,000	kWh
Source fossil (World Rank: 89)	80.40	%
Source nuclear (World Rank: 144)	1.40	%
Source renew (World Rank: 26)	22.00	%
Crude oil
Production (World Rank: 71)	18,090	bbl / day
Exports (World Rank: 62)	6,335	bbl / day
Imports (World Rank: 11)	1,090,000	bbl / day
Proved reserves (World Rank: 71)	113,200,000	bbl
Refined products
Production (World Rank: 15)	1,280,000	bbl / day
Consumption (World Rank: 21)	973,000	bbl / day
Export (World Rank: 3)	2,331,000	bbl / day
Import (World Rank: 3)	2,100,000	bbl / day
Natural gas
Production (World Rank: 16)	47,460,000,000	m³
Consumption (World Rank: 29)	39,960,000,000	m³
Export (World Rank: 5)	53,650,000,000	m³
Import (World Rank: 5)	0	m³
Carbon footprint
184800000

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Nation

Budget
Education (World Rank: 41)	6	% of GDP
Military (World Rank: 102)	1	% of GDP
Health (World Rank: 15)	11	% of GDP
Surplus (World Rank: 36)	0	% of GDP
National symbol
tulip
Adjective
Dutch
Noun
Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)
Background
The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a 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 German invasion and occupation 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. In October 2010, the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and the three smallest islands - Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba - became special municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands of Sint Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent countries forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Flag description
three equal horizontal bands of red (bright vermilion; top), white, and blue (cobalt); similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer; the colors were derived from those of WILLIAM I, Prince of Orange, who led the Dutch Revolt against Spanish sovereignty in the latter half of the 16th century; originally the upper band was orange, but because its dye tended to turn red over time, the red shade was eventually made the permanent color; the banner is perhaps the oldest tricolor in continuous use

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Economy

Gdp
Purchasing power parity (World Rank: 27)	872,800,000,000	USD
Real growth rate (World Rank: 127)	2.20	%
Per capita purchasing power parity (World Rank: 22)	51,200	USD
Source agriculture (World Rank: 188)	1.60	%
Source industry (World Rank: 165)	17.90	%
Source service (World Rank: 64)	70.20	%
Labourforce
Total (World Rank: 61)	7,936,000
In poverty (World Rank: 154)	8.80	%
Products
Industries	- agroindustries - chemicals - construction - electrical machinery - engineering products - equipment - fishing - metal - microelectronics - petroleum
Agriculture	- dairy - livestock products - ornamentals - poultry - propagation materials - vegetables
Exports	- chemicals - food - livestock - machinery - manufactured goods - mineral fuels - transport equipment
Imports	- chemicals - clothing - foodstuffs - fuels - machinery - transport equipment

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Communication

Phone
Landline total (World Rank: 25)	6,801,680
Landline per 100 (World Rank: 37)	40.00
Mobile per 100 (World Rank: 57)	129.00
Assessment	0
Internet
Users (World Rank: 38)	15,385,200
Population (World Rank: 22)	90.40	%

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Transport

Air
Airports paved (World Rank: 73)	23.00
Airports unpaved (World Rank: 146)	6.00
Heliports (World Rank: 103)	1.00
Rail
Total length (World Rank: 60)	3,058
Road
Total length (World Rank: 37)	139,124
Water
Total length (World Rank: 22)	6,237

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