NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
Kingdom of the Netherlands
Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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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. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany |
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Geographic coordinates:
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52 30 N, 5 45 E |
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Map references:
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Europe |
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Area:
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total: 41,526 sq km
water: 7,643 sq km land: 33,883 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,027 km
border countries: Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km |
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Coastline:
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451 km |
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters |
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Terrain:
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mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Zuidplaspolder -7 m
highest point: Vaalserberg 322 m |
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Natural resources:
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natural gas, petroleum, arable land |
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Land use:
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arable land: 26.53%
permanent crops: 1.03% other: 72.44% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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5,650 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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flooding |
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Environment - current issues:
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water pollution in the form of heavy metals, organic compounds, and nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates; air pollution from vehicles and refining activities; acid rain |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
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Geography - note:
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located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde) |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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16,067,754 (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 18.3% (male 1,502,687; female 1,437,141)
15-64 years: 67.9% (male 5,548,188; female 5,362,412) 65 years and over: 13.8% (male 913,020; female 1,304,306) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.53% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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11.58 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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8.67 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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2.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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4.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 78.58 years
female: 81.59 years (2002 est.) male: 75.7 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.65 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.19% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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15,000 (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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100 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)
adjective: Dutch |
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Ethnic groups:
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Dutch 83%, other 17% (of which 9% are non-western origin mainly Turks, Moroccans, Antilleans, Surinamese and Indonesians) (1999 est.) |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 31%, Protestant 21%, Muslim 4.4%, other 3.6%, unaffiliated 40% (1998) |
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Languages:
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Dutch |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (2000 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |