| Geography | Netherlands |
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Location:
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Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany |
Geographic coordinates:
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52 30 N, 5 45 E |
Map references:
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Europe |
Area:
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total: 41,543 sq km
land: 33,893 sq km
water: 7,650 sq km |
Area - comparative:
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slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey |
Land boundaries:
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total: 1,027 km
border countries: Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km |
Coastline:
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451 km |
Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Climate:
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temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters |
Terrain:
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mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast |
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Zuidplaspolder -7 m
highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m (on the island of Saba in the Caribbean, now considered an integral part of the Netherlands following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles)
note: the highest point on continental Netherlands is Vaalserberg at 322 m |
Natural resources:
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natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land |
Land use:
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arable land: 21.96%
permanent crops: 0.77%
other: 77.27% (2005) |
Irrigated land:
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4,600 sq km (2008) |
Total renewable water resources:
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89.7 cu km (2005) |
Total renewable water resources - per capita:
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5,325 cubic meters per capita |
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 8.86 cu km/yr (6%/60%/34%)
per capita: 544 cu m/yr (2001) |
Natural hazards:
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flooding |
Environment - current issues:
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water 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:
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party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note:
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located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde) |
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