EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications
Netherlands

Telephones - main lines in use:

7.334 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

17.3 million (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: highly developed and well maintained domestic: extensive fixed-line fiber-optic network; large cellular telephone system with 5 major operators utilizing the third generation of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) technology international: country code - 31; submarine cables provide links to the US and Europe; satellite earth stations - 5 (3 Intelsat - 1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 4, FM 246, shortwave 3 (2004)

Radios:

15.3 million (1996)

Television broadcast stations:

21 (plus 26 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

8.1 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.nl

Internet hosts:

10.983 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

52 (2000)

Internet users:

15 million (2007)

Transportation
Netherlands

Airports:

27 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 20 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 81 km; gas 7,394 km; oil 578 km; refined products 716 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,797 km standard gauge: 2,797 km 1.435-m gauge (2,064 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 134,981 km (includes 2,604 km of expressways) (2006)

Waterways:

6,211 km (navigable for ships of 50 tons) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 622 by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 381, carrier 19, chemical tanker 44, container 76, liquefied gas 15, passenger 16, passenger/cargo 15, petroleum tanker 11, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 23, specialized tanker 3 foreign-owned: 203 (Belgium 2, Cyprus 8, Denmark 29, Finland 14, France 1, Germany 75, Ireland 10, Italy 1, South Korea 1, Norway 12, Sweden 28, Turkey 1, UAE 5, UK 2, US 14) registered in other countries: 178 (Antigua and Barbuda 20, Australia 2, Austria 2, Bahamas 9, Cambodia 1, Canada 1, Cyprus 22, Germany 1, Gibraltar 21, Isle of Man 1, Liberia 6, Luxembourg 2, Marshall Islands 8, Netherlands Antilles 38, Panama 14, Paraguay 1, Philippines 23, Portugal 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, US 1, unknown 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Amsterdam, IJmuiden, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Vlissingen

Military
Netherlands

Military branches:

Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Naval Air
Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force (Koninklijke
Luchtmacht, KLu), Royal Military Police (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

20 years of age for an all-volunteer force (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,950,825 females age 16-49: 3,850,800 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,233,773 females age 16-49: 3,150,790 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 105,735 female: 100,747 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues
Netherlands

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

major European producer of synthetic drugs, including ecstasy, and cannabis cultivator; important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe; major source of US-bound ecstasy; large financial sector vulnerable to money laundering; significant consumer of ecstasy

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

@Netherlands Antilles

Introduction
Netherlands Antilles

Background:

Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, the island of Curacao was hard hit by the abolition of slavery in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of oil refineries to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The island of Saint Martin is shared with France; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles; its northern portion, called Saint Martin, is an overseas collectivity of France.

Geography
Netherlands Antilles

Location:

Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - composed of five
islands, Curacao and Bonaire located off the coast of Venezuela, and
Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius lie east of the US Virgin
Islands

Geographic coordinates:

Bonaire: 12 12 N, 68 15 W
Curacao: 12 10 N, 69 00 W
Saba: 17 38 N, 63 14 W
Sint Eustatius: 17 30 N, 62 58 W
Sint Maarten: 18 04 N, 63 04 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 960 sq km land: 960 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)

Area - comparative:

more than five times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

total: 15 km border countries: Saint Martin 15 km

Coastline:

364 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm

Climate:

tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds

Terrain:

generally hilly, volcanic interiors

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m

Natural resources:

phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)

Land use:

arable land: 10% permanent crops: 0% other: 90% (2005)

Irrigated land: