Netherlands

COUNTRY INFORMATION


Official name

Kingdom of the Netherlands


Capital

Amsterdam (The Hague is the seat of government)


Coordinates

52°30’ N, 5°45’ E


Location

The Netherlands is located in Western Europe and shares borders with Belgium on the south and Germany on the west.


Area

Total area: 41 526 sq km
Land area: 33 883 sq km
Water area: 7 643 sq km


Land boundaries

1 027 km


Coastline

451 km


Administrative division

The Netherlands is divided into 12 provinces.


Political system

The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. Monarch is the chief of state. Monarchy is hereditary. Prime Minister, the head of government, is appointed by the monarch (usually the leader of a majority party). Parliament – States General (Staten Generaal) is bicameral and consists of the First Chamber (Eerste Kamer) with 75 seats and the Second Chamber (Tweede Kamer) with 150 seats.


Population

16 715 999


Ethnic groups

Dutch 81%, EU nationals 5%, Indonesian 2%, Turkish 2%, Surinamese 2%, Moroccan 2%, other 6%


Religions

Roman Catholic 30%, Dutch Reformed 11%, Calvinist 6%, other Protestant 3%, Muslim 6%, other 44%