Country Facts

Full name: The Kingdom of the Netherlands
Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
Population: 16.3 million
Capital: Amsterdam
Seat of government: the Hague
Languages: Dutch (official)
Frisian (official)
Currency: Euros  EUR  €
1 €=100 cents
Religion: Christian (Roman Catholic and Protestant): 51%
Muslim 5.5%
No religious affiliation: 41%
Goverment type: Constitutional monarchy
Head of state: Queen Beatrix
Prime minister: Jan Peter Balkenende

Queen Beatrix appointed Jan Peter Balkenende as head of a three-party centrist coalition in February 2007. Mr Balkenende's Christian Democrats govern with the Labour Party and the Christian Union.
Area: 41,864 sq km (16,164 sq miles)
Coastline: 541 km (336 miles)
Elevation extremes: Lowest point: Zuidplaspolder   -7 m (-23 ft)
Highest point: Vaalserberg   322 m (1056 ft)
Natural resources: Natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land
Land use: Arable land: 21.96%
Permanent crops: 0.77%
Other: 77.27%
Administrative divisions: 12 provinces: Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland (Fryslan), Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant (North Brabant), Noord-Holland (North Holland), Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland (South Holland)
Dependent areas: Aruba, Netherlands Antilles