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August 30: 2010
In her new book, Nomad, Ayaan Hirsi Ali describes Holland as "the safest place I had ever lived, and the place where I was happiest." She writes that "although Dutch people are fond of calling Holland a classless society, that is far from reality." She adds that the Dutch politician, Pim Fortuyn, "called the political leadership class of Holland the regenten, the regents, who control real power behind the scenes. The regeten form an elite triangle: the upper class and royalty ... leaders of the unions, and directors of cooporations."
Fortuyn was murdered in 2002 in what is described as "the Netherlands' first modern age political assassination (excluding WW II events)." His assassin was Voert van der Graff, "a self-described animal rights activist and environmntalist extremist." (Wikipedia)
In February 2002, Fortuyn had said that he favored putting an end to Muslim immigration, if possible. The rumor spread that the assassin was in the pay of al Qaeda. But Dutch authorities found no such link.
Ayaan's friend and political ally, Theo van Gogh, was murdered by a young Dutch-Morooccan, Mohammed Bouyeri, on a street in Amsterdam, on November 2, 2004. Van Gogh's assassination was followed by attacks on mosques.
Western Europe, between Belgium and Germany. Slightly smaller than New Jersey. Capital: Amsterdam.
The Netherlands has approximately 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles) of dikes, and 27 percent of the country is below sea level -- where 60 percent of the population lives. Flooding has been made more of a danger by developments on the Upper Rhine lowland plain: urbanization, deforestation and canalization of sections of rivers, which have taken away much of the buffer function of rivers.
Over 60 percent of the Netherlands is below sea level. To protect against flooding, between 1950 and 1997 the Dutch built the Deltaworks. According to Wikipedia, "The works consist of dams, sluices, locks, dikes, and storm surge barriers. The aim of the dams, sluices, and storm surge barriers was to shorten the Dutch coastline, thus reducing the number of dikes that had to be raised. The American Society of Civil Engineers has declared the works to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World."
Constitutional monarchy. Prime Minister appointed by the monarch, usually the leader of the political party that won a majority in national elections.
Bicameral legislature, members of the First Chamber appointed by provincial councils, members of the Second Chamber elected by popular vote to a four-year term.
A founding member of NATO and the European Economic Community (now the European Union. Participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999.
In 2002 an anti-immigration politician, Pim Fortuyn, was assassinated.
On November 2, 2004 the movie maker Theo Van Gogh, who had produced a film about the treatment of women in Islamic societies, was murdered by a Muslim young man. This was followed by attacks on Islamic sites and calls to continue the toleration that is common among the Dutch.
Estimate per capita GDP (2009 U.S. dollars)
2009: $39,200 (ranks 22nd)
2008: $40,000
2007: $40,300
2009: -4.3%
2008: 2%
2007: 3.6%
2009: 5%
2008: 4.%
Wealth distribution in household income or consumption:
highest 10%: 22.9% (1999 estimate.)
The Netherlands produces a large surplus of food, which it exports. It also exports machinery and equipment, chemicals and fuel. Its largest export partner is Germany, at 25.3 percent in 2003.
Value Added Tax: 19% (2009)
2005: 1.6%
Living in an urban area: 82% (2008)
July 2010: 16.715 million. Growth rate: 0.412%
July 2009: 16.175 million
July 2008: 16.65 million
1985: 14.5 million
Density for 2005, 395 per square kilometer -- one of Europe's more densely populated nations.
2010: 4.73 deaths
2009: 4.75
2008: 4.81
2005: 5.04
2010: 78.4 years (ranks 30th)
2009: 79.4
2008: 79.25
Living with HIV/AIDS, ages 15 to 49: 0.2 percent. (2001)
Ten percent of Catholics in the Netherlands attend mass weekly (New York Times, April 19, 2005).
2006: Roman CAtholic 30%, Durth Reformed 11%, Calvinist 6%. other Prestant 3%, Muslim 5.8%, other 2.2%, none 42%
Schools are financed by the state whether they are Catholic, Protestant or Muslim.
2008: Dutch 80.73%, European Union 5%, Turkish 2.2%, Surinamese 2%, Moroccan 2%, Netherlands Antilles & Arabs 0.8%, other 4.8 %.
The Netherlands has been listed in the top four.
SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Copyright © 2010 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.