Capital
: Amsterdam
Area:
41,528 sq km (16,034 sq miles).
Population
of Netherlands : 16,254,933 (official estimate 2004).
Population of Amsterdam :
735,562 (2003).
Population Density : 479.9 per sq km
Geography
: The Netherlands shares
borders to the south with Belgium and to the east
with Germany and the North Sea lies to the north
and west. Large areas of The Netherlands have been reclaimed from
the sea and consequently one-fifth of the country lies below the
sea level. The country is flat and level and is criss-crossed by
rivers and canals.
Areas reclaimed from the sea, known as polders, are very fertile.
The landscape is broken by the forest of Arnhem,
the bulb fields in the west, the lakes of the central and northern
areas, and coastal dunes that are among the most impressive in Europe.
Government :
Constitutional monarchy since 1848.
Head of State:
Queen Beatrix Van Oranje Nassau since 1980.
Head of
Government: Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende since 2002.
Seat of Government: The Hague
Language : Dutch
is the official language. English, German
and French are widely spoken.
Religion : 31 per cent Roman
Catholic, 21 per cent Protestant, 40 per cent do not profess any
religion.
Time : GMT +
1 (GMT from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday
in October).
Electricity
: 230 volts AC, 50Hz. Two-pin European-style plugs are in use. |
