# The 1992 CIA World Factbook

## Part 61

Book page: https://www.cyberlibrary.org/en/books/the-1992-cia-world-factbook-48/index.md

Currency: Nepalese rupee (plural - rupees); 1 Nepalese rupee (NR) = 100 paisa Exchange rates: Nepalese rupees (NRs) per US$1 - 42.7 (January 1992), 37.255 (1991), 29.370 (1990), 27.189 (1989), 23.289 (1988), 21.819 (1987) Fiscal year: 16 July - 15 July

:Nepal Communications

Railroads: 52 km (1990), all 0.762-meter narrow gauge; all in Terai close to Indian border; 10 km from Raxaul to Birganj is government owned Highways: 7,080 km total (1990); 2,898 km paved, 1,660 km gravel or crushed stone; also 2,522 km of seasonally motorable tracks Civil air: 5 major and 11 minor transport aircraft Airports: 37 total, 37 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 8 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radio communication and broadcast service; international radio communication service is poor; 50,000 telephones (1990); broadcast stations - 88 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station

:Nepal Defense Forces

Branches: Royal Nepalese Army, Royal Nepalese Army Air Service, Nepalese Police Force Manpower availability: males 15-49, 4,798,984; 2,488,749 fit for military service; 225,873 reach military age (17) annually Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $34 million, 2% of GDP (FY92)

:Netherlands Geography

Total area: 37,330 km2 Land area: 33,920 km2 Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey Land boundaries: 1,027 km total; Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km Coastline: 451 km Maritime claims: Continental shelf: not specific Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: none Climate: temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters Terrain: mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast Natural resources: natural gas, crude oil, fertile soil Land use: arable land 26%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 32%; forest and woodland 9%; other 32%; includes irrigated 16% Environment: 27% of the land area is below sea level and protected from the North Sea by dikes Note: located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, Schelde)

:Netherlands People

Population: 15,112,064 (July 1992), growth rate 0.6% (1992) Birth rate: 13 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 81 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1992) Nationality: noun - Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women); adjective - Dutch Ethnic divisions: Dutch 96%, Moroccans, Turks, and other 4% (1988) Religions: Roman Catholic 36%, Protestant 27%, other 6%, unaffiliated 31% (1988) Languages: Dutch Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1979 est.) Labor force: 5,300,000; services 50.1%, manufacturing and construction 28.2%, government 15.9%, agriculture 5.8% (1986) Organized labor: 29% of labor force

:Netherlands Government

Long-form name: Kingdom of the Netherlands Type: constitutional monarchy Capital: Amsterdam; The Hague is the seat of government Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (provincien, singular - provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland Independence: 1579 (from Spain) Constitution: 17 February 1983 Dependent areas: Aruba, Netherlands Antilles Legal system: civil law system incorporating French penal theory; judicial review in the Supreme Court of legislation of lower order rather than Acts of the States General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations National holiday: Queen's Day, 30 April (1938) Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, vice prime minister, Cabinet, Cabinet of Ministers Legislative branch: bicameral legislature (Staten Generaal) consists of an upper chamber or First Chamber (Eerste Kamer) and a lower chamber or Second Chamber (Tweede Kamer) Judicial branch: Supreme Court (De Hoge Raad) Leaders: Chief of State: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER, Prince of Orange, son of Queen Beatrix (born 27 April 1967) Head of Government: Prime Minister Ruud (Rudolph) F. M. LUBBERS (since 4 November 1982); Vice Prime Minister Wim KOK (since 2 November 1989) Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Willem van VELZEN; Labor (PvdA), Wim KOK; Liberal (VVD), Joris VOORHOEVE; Democrats '66 (D'66), Hans van MIERIO; a host of minor parties Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: First Chamber: last held on 9 June l991 (next to be held 9 June 1995); results - elected by the country's 12 provincial councils; seats - (75 total) percent of seats by party NA Second Chamber: last held on 6 September 1989 (next to be held by September 1993); results - CDA 35.3%, PvdA 31. 9%, VVD 14.6%, D'66 7.9%, other 10.3%; seats - (150 total) CDA 54, PvdA 49, VVD 22, D'66 12, other 13 Communists: about 6,000

:Netherlands Government

Other political or pressure groups: large multinational firms; Federation of Netherlands Trade Union Movement (comprising Socialist and Catholic trade unions) and a Protestant trade union; Federation of Catholic and Protestant Employers Associations; the nondenominational Federation of Netherlands Enterprises; and IKV - Interchurch Peace Council Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMS, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Johan Hendrick MEESMAN; Chancery at 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 244-5300; there are Dutch Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco US: Ambassador C. Howard WILKINS, Jr.; Embassy at Lange Voorhout 102, The Hague (mailing address PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715); telephone [31] (70) 310-9209; FAX [31] (70) 361-4688; there is a US Consulate General in Amsterdam Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue; similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer

:Netherlands Economy

Overview: This highly developed and affluent economy is based on private enterprise. The government makes its presence felt, however, through many regulations, permit requirements, and welfare programs affecting most aspects of economic activity. The trade and financial services sector contributes over 50% of GDP. Industrial activity provides about 25% of GDP and is led by the food-processing, oil-refining, and metalworking industries. The highly mechanized agricultural sector employs only 5% of the labor force, but provides large surpluses for export and the domestic food-processing industry. An unemployment rate of 6.2% and a sizable budget deficit are currently the most serious economic problems. GDP: purchasing power equivalent - $249.6 billion, per capita $16,600; real growth rate 2.2% (1991 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (1991 est.) Unemployment rate: 6.2% (1991 est.) Budget: revenues $98.7 billion; expenditures $110.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991) Exports: $131.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: agricultural products, processed foods and tobacco, natural gas, chemicals, metal products, textiles, clothing partners: EC 74.9% (FRG 28.3%, Belgium-Luxembourg 14.2%, France 10.7%, UK 10.2%), US 4.7% (1988) Imports: $125.9 billion (c.i.f., 1990) commodities: raw materials and semifinished products, consumer goods, transportation equipment, crude oil, food products partners: EC 63.8% (FRG 26.5%, Belgium-Luxembourg 23.1%, UK 8.1%), US 7.9% (1988) External debt: none Industrial production: growth rate 1.7% (1991 est.); accounts for 25% of GDP Electricity: 22,216,000 kW capacity; 63,570 million kWh produced, 4,300 kWh per capita (1991) Industries: agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, fishing, construction, microelectronics Agriculture: accounts for 4% of GDP; animal production predominates; crops - grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; shortages of grain, fats, and oils Illicit drugs: European producer of illicit amphetamines and other synethic drugs Economic aid: donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $19.4 billion Currency: Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (plural - guilders, gulden, or florins); 1 Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (f.) = 100 cents

:Netherlands Economy

Exchange rates: Netherlands guilders, gulden, or florins (f.) per US$1 - 1.7753 (January 1992), 1.8697 (1991), 1.8209 (1990), 2.1207 (1989), 1.9766 (1988), 2.0257 (1987) Fiscal year: calendar year

:Netherlands Communications

Railroads: 3,037 km track (includes 1,871 km electrified and 1,800 km double track); 2,871 km 1.435-meter standard gauge operated by Netherlands Railways (NS); 166 km privately owned Highways: 108,360 km total; 92,525 km paved (including 2,185 km of limited access, divided highways); 15,835 km gravel, crushed stone Inland waterways: 6,340 km, of which 35% is usable by craft of 1,000 metric ton capacity or larger Pipelines: crude oil 418 km; petroleum products 965 km; natural gas 10,230 km Ports: maritime - Amsterdam, Delfzijl, Den Helder, Dordrecht, Eemshaven, Ijmuiden, Rotterdam, Scheveningen, Terneuzen, Vlissingen; inland - 29 ports Merchant marine: 345 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,630,962 GRT/3,687,598 DWT; includes 3 short-sea passenger, 191 cargo, 30 refrigerated cargo, 24 container, 12 roll-on/roll-off, 2 livestock carrier, 10 multifunction large-load carrier, 22 oil tanker, 27 chemical tanker, 10 liquefied gas, 2 specialized tanker, 9 bulk, 3 combination bulk; note - many Dutch-owned ships are also registered on the captive Netherlands Antilles register Civil air: 98 major transport aircraft Airports: 28 total, 28 usable; 19 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 11 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 6 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: highly developed, well maintained, and integrated; extensive redundant system of multiconductor cables, supplemented by radio relay links; 9,418,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 3 (3 relays) AM, 12 (39 repeaters) FM, 8 (7 repeaters) TV; 5 submarine cables; 1 communication satellite earth station operating in INTELSAT (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean antenna) and EUTELSAT systems; nationwide mobile phone system

:Netherlands Defense Forces

Branches: Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (including Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force, Royal Constabulary Manpower availability: males 15-49, 4,144,477; 3,649,746 fit for military service; 111,952 reach military age (20) annually Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $7.2 billion, 2.9% of GDP (1991)

:Netherlands Antilles Geography

Total area: 960 km2 Land area: 960 km2; includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin) Comparative area: slightly less than 5.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: none Coastline: 364 km Maritime claims: Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: none Climate: tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds Terrain: generally hilly, volcanic interiors Natural resources: phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only) Land use: arable land 8%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 92% Environment: Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt, so rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October Note: consists of two island groups - Curacao and Bonaire are located off the coast of Venezuela, and Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius lie 800 km to the north

:Netherlands Antilles People

Population: 184,325 (July 1992), growth rate 0.3% (1992) Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: -9 migrants/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 11 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 77 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1992) Nationality: noun - Netherlands Antillean(s); adjective - Netherlands Antillean Ethnic divisions: mixed African 85%; remainder Carib Indian, European, Latin, and Oriental Religions: predominantly Roman Catholic; Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist Languages: Dutch (official); Papiamento, a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect predominates; English widely spoken; Spanish Literacy: 94% (male 94%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981) Labor force: 89,000; government 65%, industry and commerce 28% (1983) Organized labor: 60-70% of labor force

:Netherlands Antilles Government

Long-form name: none Digraph: political parties are indigenous to each island *** Type: part of the Dutch realm - full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954 Capital: Willemstad Administrative divisions: none (part of the Dutch realm) Independence: none (part of the Dutch realm) Constitution: 29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence National holiday: Queen's Day, 30 April (1938) Executive branch: Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, vice prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet) Legislative branch: legislature (Staten) Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice Leaders: Chief of State: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Jaime SALEH (since October 1989) Head of Government: Prime Minister Maria LIBERIA-PETERS (since 17 May 1988, previously served from September 1984 to November 1985) Political parties and leaders: political parties are indigenous to each island Bonaire: Patriotic Union of Bonaire (UPB), Rudy ELLIS; Democratic Party of Bonaire (PDB), Franklin CRESTIAN Curacao: National People's Party (PNP), Maria LIBERIA-PETERS; New Antilles Movement (MAN), Domenico Felip Don MARTINA; Workers' Liberation Front (FOL), Wilson (Papa) GODETT; Socialist Independent (SI), George HUECK and Nelson MONTE; Democratic Party of Curacao (DP), Augustin DIAZ; Nos Patria, Chin BEHILIA Saba: Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM Saba), Will JOHNSON; Saba Democratic Labor Movement, Vernon HASSELL; Saba Unity Party, Carmen SIMMONDS Sint Eustatius: Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius (DP-St.E), K. Van PUTTEN; Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM); St. Eustatius Alliance (SEA), Ralph BERKEL Sint Maarten: Democratic Party of Sint Maarten (DP-St.M), Claude WATHEY; Patriotic Movement of Sint Maarten (SPA), Vance JAMES Suffrage: universal at age 18

:Netherlands Antilles Government

Elections: Staten: last held on 16 March 1990 (next to be held March 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (22 total) PNP 7, FOL-SI 3, UPB 3, MAN 2, DP-St. M 2, DP 1, SPM 1, WIPM 1, DP-St. E 1, Nos Patria 1; note - the government of Prime Minister Maria LIBERIA-PETERS is a coalition of several parties Member of: CARICOM (observer), ECLAC (associate), ICFTU, INTERPOL, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WMO, WTO (associate) Diplomatic representation: as an autonomous part of the Netherlands, Netherlands Antillean interests in the US are represented by the Netherlands US: Consul General Sharon P. WILKINSON; Consulate General at Sint Anna Boulevard 19, Willemstad, Curacao (mailing address P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao); telephone [599] (9) 613066; FAX [599] (9) 616489 Flag: white with a horizontal blue stripe in the center superimposed on a vertical red band also centered; five white five-pointed stars are arranged in an oval pattern in the center of the blue band; the five stars represent the five main islands of Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten

:Netherlands Antilles Economy

Overview: Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance are the mainstays of the economy. The islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure as compared with other countries in the region. Unlike many Latin American countries, the Netherlands Antilles has avoided large international debt. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, with the US being the major supplier. GDP: exchange rate conversion - $1.4 billion, per capita $7,600; real growth rate 1.5% (1990 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (1990 est.) Unemployment rate: 21% (1991) Budget: revenues $454 million; expenditures $525 million, including capital expenditures of $42 million (1989 est.) Exports: $1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1988) commodities: petroleum products 98% partners: US 40%, Italy 6%, The Bahamas 5% Imports: $1.4 billion (c.i.f., 1988) commodities: crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures partners: Venezuela 42%, US 18%, Netherlands 6% External debt: $701.2 million (December 1987) Industrial production: growth rate NA% Electricity: 125,000 kW capacity; 365 million kWh produced, 1,985 kWh per capita (1991) Industries: tourism (Curacao and Sint Maarten), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao) Agriculture: hampered by poor soils and scarcity of water; chief products - aloes, sorghum, peanuts, fresh vegetables, tropical fruit; not self-sufficient in food Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $513 million Currency: Netherlands Antillean guilder, gulden, or florin (plural - guilders, gulden, or florins); 1 Netherlands Antillean guilder, gulden, or florin (NAf.) = 100 cents Exchange rates: Netherlands Antillean guilders, gulden, or florins (NAf.) per US$1 - 1.79 (fixed rate since 1989; 1.80 fixed rate 1971-88) Fiscal year: calendar year

:Netherlands Antilles Communications

Highways: 950 km total; 300 km paved, 650 km gravel and earth Ports: Willemstad, Philipsburg, Kralendijk Merchant marine: 80 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 607,010 GRT/695,864 DWT; includes 4 passenger, 27 cargo, 13 refrigerated cargo, 7 container, 9 roll-on/roll-off, 11 multifunction large-load carrier, 4 chemical tanker, 3 liquefied gas, 1 bulk, 1 oil tanker; note - all but a few are foreign owned, mostly in the Netherlands Civil air: 8 major transport aircraft Airports: 7 total, 6 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: generally adequate facilities; extensive interisland radio relay links; broadcast stations - 9 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV; 2 submarine cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

:Netherlands Antilles Defense Forces

Branches: Royal Netherlands Navy, Marine Corps, Royal Netherlands Air Force, National Guard, Police Force Manpower availability: males 15-49 49,082; 27,656 fit for military service; 1,673 reach military age (20) annually Note: defense is responsibility of the Netherlands

:New Caledonia Geography

Total area: 19,060 km2 Land area: 18,760 km2 Comparative area: slightly smaller than New Jersey Land boundaries: none Coastline: 2,254 km Maritime claims: Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: none Climate: tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid Terrain: coastal plains with interior mountains Natural resources: nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 14%; forest and woodland 51%; other 35% Environment: typhoons most frequent from November to March Note: located 1,750 km east of Australia in the South Pacific Ocean

:New Caledonia People

Population: 174,805 (July 1992), growth rate 1.9% (1992) Birth rate: 23 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 17 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 76 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 2.7 children born/woman (1992) Nationality: noun - New Caledonian(s); adjective - New Caledonian Ethnic divisions: Melanesian 42.5%, European 37.1%, Wallisian 8.4%, Polynesian 3.8%, Indonesian 3.6%, Vietnamese 1.6%, other 3.0% Religions: Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10% Languages: French; 28 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects Literacy: 91% (male 91%, female 90%) age 15 and over can read and write (1976) Labor force: 50,469; foreign workers for plantations and mines from Wallis and Futuna, Vanuatu, and French Polynesia (1980 est.) Organized labor: NA

:New Caledonia Government