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| So, you think you
know all about Holland? It's all tulips, windmills and dykes,
right? Well,
here are some facts to increase your knowledge on all things
Dutch. |
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 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 (now the EU), and participated in the
introduction of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 1999.
Area:
total: 41,526 sq km
Water: 7,643 sq km
Land: 33,883 sq km
Area Comparative:
3/4 the size of Nova Scotia
Border Countries:
Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km
Climate:
temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters
Terrain:
mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders);
some hills in southeast
Natural Resources:
natural gas, petroleum, arable land
Geography:
located at mouths of three major European rivers
(Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde)
Population:
16,150,511 (July 2003 est.)
Age Structure:
0-14 years: 18.2% (male 1,501,127; female 1,436,453)
15-64 years: 67.9% (male 5,576,141; female 5,389,764)
65 years and over: 13.9% (male 929,087; female 1,317,939) (2003
est.)
median age: total: 38.6 years
male: 37.7 years
female: 39.5 years (2002)
Life Expectancy at Birth:
total population: 78.74 years
male: 75.85 years
female: 81.76 years (2003 est.)
Economic Overview:
The Netherlands is a prosperous and open
economy depending heavily on foreign trade. The economy is
noted for
stable industrial relations, moderate unemployment and 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. The country continues to be one
of the leading European nations for attracting foreign direct
investment.
Economic growth slowed considerably in 2001-03, as part of
the global economic slowdown, but for the four years before
that,
annual growth averaged nearly 4%, well above the EU average.
The government is wrestling with a deteriorating budget position,
and is moving toward the EU 3% limit.
Other Facts:
Amsterdam may be the capital of Holland, but the seat of
government is located in The Hague.
There are approximately 1,000 working windmills in the
Netherlands.
Love to cycle? The country boasts some 9,000 miles of
cycling tracks. There are twice as many bikes as cars
in Holland,
about one to each inhabitant.
The Netherlands has the highest concentration of museums
in the world; 42 are in Amsterdam.
One-fourth of Holland is below sea level, and that includes
Schiphol Airport.
Rotterdam is the world's largest seaport.
Sources: CIA World Fact Book, LookSmart
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