Introduction
The Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EC (now the EU), and participated in the introduction of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 1999.
Location
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and German
Geographic coordinates
52 30 N, 5 45 E
Area
total: 41,526 sq km
water: 7,643 sq km
land: 33,883 sq km
Land boundaries
total: 1,027 km
border countries: Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km
Natural resources
natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land
Irrigated land
5,650 sq km (1998 est.)
Environment - current issues
water pollution in the form of heavy metals, organic compounds, and nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates; air pollution from vehicles and refining activities; acid rain
Environment - international agreements
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
Geography - note
located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde)
Population
16,318,199 (July 2004 est.)