ABSTRACT

FACTS ABOUT THE NETHERLANDS Area: e Netherlands is a comparatively small country of 41,543 square kilometers (of which 33,893 sq. km. is land) divided into 12 provinces. Population: e population is approximately 16.7 million (2012 estimate), with 3.9 million being under the age of 20. Population growth ranged from 1.9% in 1960 to 0.5% in 2011. Population density is 448 people/sq. km, which is among the highest in the world. Amsterdam is the nation’s capital (population: 790.044) and e Hague (population: 502.055) is the city where the government is seated. Climate: e temperature is temperate and marine, with cool summers and mild winters. Economy: e Netherlands is a modern, industrialized, and auent welfare state based on private enterprise. Rotterdam has one of the biggest sea harbors in the world. Unemployment is 5.3% (2012). e Netherlands has a highly sophisticated social service system, which absorbs about 25% of the domestic income. Government: e Dutch government is based on a parliamentary democracy with the monarch (King Willem Alexander) being a hereditary title.