Netherlands, map of of the Netherlands

Brief information about the country

Оfficial name:  Kingdom of the Netherlands

Location: is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, and Aruba. The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy, located in Western Europe. It is bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east.

Total area: 41,526 sq km

Population: 16,570,613 (July 2007 est.); Ethnic groups: 80.8% Dutch, 2.4% German, 2.4% Indonesian (Indo-European, Indo-Dutch, Moluccan), 2.2% Turks.

Capital: Amsterdam
 
Principal cities: Rotterdam, the Hague

Climate: temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters

Official language: Dutch

The political structure: constitutional monarchy; the head of state is the monarch, at present Queen Beatrix. Head of government: Prime Minister Jan Peter BALKENENDE (since 22 July 2002).

International organization participation: EU, NATO, UN, UNESCO, WTO, Shengen zone.

How to get there: Schiphol Airport, near Amsterdam, is a European hub, and after London, Paris and Frankfurt the largest of Europe. It is by far the biggest international airport in the country. Other international airports are Rotterdam Airport, Eindhoven Airport, Maastricht/Aachen Airport and Groningen-Eelde Airport.

Currency: euro (since 2002)

Time zone: 2 hours behind Moscow time.

Religion:  Roman Catholic 31%, Dutch Reformed 13%, Calvinist 7%, Muslim 5.5%.

National Holiday: Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX), 30 April.

The reference web-site “Wikipedia”