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General Information
Area: 41,528 sq km (16,034 sq miles).
Population: 15,981,472 (2001).
Population Density: 384.8
Capital: Amsterdam. Population: 736,538 (2001).
Seat of Government: The Hague. Population: 443,745 (2001).
GEOGRAPHY: The Netherlands shares borders to the south with Belgium and to the east with Germany, while the North Sea lies to the north and west. Large areas of The Netherlands have been reclaimed from the sea and consequently one fifth of the country lies below sea level. The country is flat and level and is criss-crossed by rivers and canals. Areas reclaimed from the sea, known as polders, are extremely fertile. The landscape is broken by the forest of Arnhem, the bulb fields in the west, the lakes of the central and northern areas, and coastal dunes that are among the most impressive in Europe.
Government: Consitutional monarchy since 1848. Head of State: Queen Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard since 1980. Head of Government: Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende since 2003.
Language: Dutch is the official language. English, German and French are widely spoken.
Religion: 38 per cent Roman Catholic, 30 per cent Protestant; 26 per cent do not profess any religion.
Time: GMT + 1 (GMT from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).
Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Two-pin European-style plugs are in use.
Communications:
Telephone
Full IDD is available. Country code: 31 (followed by 20 for Amsterdam, 10 for Rotterdam and 70 for The Hague). Outgoing international code: 00. Telephone information is given in French, English and German. The cheap rate is from Mon-Fri 2000-0800. Calls can be made from public booths or post offices. Most booths only accept cards, which can be bought at post offices, VVV offices, and shops displaying the PTT-telephone card poster; and sometimes coins.
Mobile telephone
GSM 900 and 1800 networks across the Netherlands. Operators include KPN Telecom (website: www.mobiel.net), Ben (website: www.ben.nl), Dutchtone (website: www.dutchtone.nl) and O2 (website: www.O2.nl).
Fax
Services are widely available and are also provided by some hotels.
Internet
There are many Internet cafes and some Internet access centres. Business centres also provide public access. Using the Internet is very straightforward in Amsterdam, where PCs are available free of charge in libraries and public buildings.
Telegram
Facilities are available at all main post offices; telegrams can also be sent directly from telephone kiosks.
Post
Stamps are available from all post offices as well as from tobacconists and kiosks selling postcards and souvenirs. Mail within Europe takes approximately five days. Post offices are open Mon-Fri 0900-1700. Some post offices in major towns are also open on late shopping nights (Thursday or Friday night) and Sat 1000-1300. There are all-night post offices in Amsterdam (Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, behind the Royal Palace) and Rotterdam (Coolsingel).
Press
The main newspapers are De Telegraaf, De Volkskrant, Trouw and NRC Handelsblad (an evening paper). Foreign newspapers are widely available.
BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change.
BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice):
Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov):
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
Terms and Conditions apply.
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