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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:
2008 $40,300 (5th highest in Europe)
2007 $39,700
2006 $38,600
GDP annual growth rate:
2008: 1.8%
2007: 3.5%
2006: 3.4%
unemployment rate for 2008: 4.5%
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.
Military expenditures as a percentage of GDP: 1.6 (2005)
Deaths: 8.71. Births: 10.54, down from 11.14 in 2005
Estimated for 2008: 16.65 million, up from 16.4 million in 2005 and 14.5 million in 1985. Growth rate estimated in 2008: 0.436 percent per year.
Density for 2005, 395 per square kilometer -- one of Europe's more densely populated nations.
More arriving than leaving, a net gain of 2.55 persons per 1,000 population, down from 2.68 in 2005.
Infant mortality esstimated for 2008: 4.81, down from 5.04 in 2005 (deaths before the age of one year, per 1,000 live births).
Average life expectancy at birth estimated for 2008: 79.25 years.
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).
As of 1998, 40 percent unaffiliated, 31 percent Catholic, 21 percent Protestant and 4.4 percent Muslim.
Schools are financed by the state whether they are Catholic, Protestant or Muslim.
83 percent Dutch, 9 percent non-European, largely Turkish, Moroccans, Indonesians and Surinamese.
The Netherlands has been listed in the top four.
SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Copyright © 2008 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.