Country data

Location: Europe

Time zone: CET

Total area: 41,543 km²

Land area: 33,893 km²

Water area: 7,650 km²

Length of the state border: 1,027 km

Bordering countries:
Belgium: 450 km
Germany: 577 km

Coastline: 451 km

Capital: Amsterdam

Provinces: 12
Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland

Electric current: 220 V / 50 Hz

Telephone code: 00 31 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Vaalserberg 322 m

Population

Population: approx. 16.9 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 0.4% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 407

Life expectancy: 79 (male), 83 (female)

Official language: Dutch, German, English, French

Religions:

• 28% Roman Catholic
• 19% Protestants
• 53% other

Climate

In the mild maritime climate, the weather is very changeable. Little rain falls in the summer period. The pleasant temperatures (around 20 ° C) are weakened again by the prevailing winds.

The winter months are cold and humid, with an average temperature between -5 ° C and 10 ° C. It often rains and occasionally snow.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: € / Euro (EUR)

Division: 1 € = 100 cents

ATMs: Available in many cities.

International credit cards: Accepted in many hotels and shops.

Regulations: Foreign and national currencies can be imported and exported in unlimited amounts.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco
• 1 liter of alcoholic beverages

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

Travel advice

Increased security checks are in place on the access routes to and from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. You should plan appropriate delays in your trip.

Economy

Fishing and finance are the main industries in the Netherlands.

Most of the gross domestic product is generated by the services offered there.

Industries: building materials, chemistry, finance, fishing and processing, mechanical engineering, microelectronics, tourism

Natural resources: natural gas, oil, farmland

Land use:

• Usable land: 25%
• Grain cultivation: 3%
• Pasture area: 25%
• Forests: 8%
• other: 39%

Plants

The original flora of the Netherlands hardly exists in the original.

Almost all existing plants and tree species were planted through state afforestation programs.

Animals

Various species of birds and fish still exist in the Netherlands.

The habitat of animals on land was almost completely wiped out by industrial development.