|
THE NETHERLANDS IN
BRIEF
Bron: http://www.dutchpress.nl |
|
GDP |
approx. € 450
billion
|
|
Export |
approx. € 310
billion
|
|
Import |
approx. € 285
billion
|
|
Population |
approx. 16.3
million
|
|
Area |
approx. 15,500
sq.miles. |
Economic growth
(2004/estimates
2005) |
+1.4/1,0-1,5
|
|
Interest rate
(10 years
benchmark
capital market) |
3.5% |
Inflation (Year
April 2005)
|
1.3%
|
|
Unemployment
rate (Jan.-
March 2005) |
7.0% |
|
|
MORE FACTS AND
FIGURES
|
 Map
of The Netherlands
Situated along the North
Sea, bordering Germany
in the east and Belgium
in the south.
|
Holland
or The Netherlands?
Foreigners often wonder
about the name of the
country. Is it Holland,
The Netherlands and why
do they speak Dutch then? |
Battle
against water
The battle against
water from the North Sea
and the great rivers
played an important role
in Dutch history and
still continues nowadays.
|
Internationally
Orientated
A small and extremely
densely populated
country can't ignore
what's going on in the
rest of the world. The
Netherlands have become
a nation that relies
heavily on international
trade. |
Birthplace
of Share Trading
The Netherlands were the
first to trade shares
and bonds. |
Small
Country, Big Companies
For such a small
country, Holland is home
to a surprisingly large
number of
multinationals.
|
Early
EC adapter
One of the founding
members of the European
Community, The
Netherlands also became
part of the Euro-zone at
the start of 2002.
|
Infrastructure
Dense networks for road,
rail, waterways and
telecommunications turn
out to be a blessing for
future growth.
|
E-Commerce
Still of minor
importance within the
Dutch economy.
|
Politics
A kingdom with a stable
parlementary democracy.
|
Burden
of Taxation
A very high level of
social security does
make for quite high
taxes. In 2001 a new (simpler)
tax system will be
installed. |
The
"Polder model"
The model that ensured
economic growth in The
Netherlands at the end
of the last century was
mainly based on
negociation.
|
Labor
Also on the labor market
we saw that the Polder
model has influence.
|
Corporate
Accommodation
Rent levels are still
quite reasonable
compared to other
countries. |
Banks
and Monetary traffic
Several large parties
dominate the Dutch
banking world.
|
A
Welcome without
restrictions
English spoken virtually
anywhere, a history of
international trade and
relatively open borders
for foreign companies
will surely make you
feel welcome.
|
