pollution in the form of heavy
metals, organic compounds, and nutrients such as nitrates and
phosphates; air pollution from vehicles and refining activities; acid
rain

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile
Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity

Geography - note: located at mouths of three major European rivers
(Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde)

@Netherlands:People

Population: 15,649,729 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 1,466,463; female 1,401,507)
15-64 years : 68% (male 5,432,512; female 5,248,823)
65 years and over: 14% (male 848,853; female 1,251,571) (July 1997
est.)

Population growth rate: 0.53% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 11.84 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 8.69 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years : 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 5.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.87 years
male: 75 years
female : 80.88 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality:
noun : Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)
adjective: Dutch

Ethnic groups: Dutch 96%, Moroccans, Turks, and other 4% (1988)

Religions: Roman Catholic 34%, Protestant 25%, Muslim 3%, other 2%,
unaffiliated 36% (1991)

Languages: Dutch

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1979 est.)
male : NA%
female: NA%

@Netherlands:Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands
conventional short form : Netherlands
local long form: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
local short form: Nederland

Data code: NL

Government type: constitutional monarchy

National capital: Amsterdam; The Hague is the seat o