Area
41,528 sq km (16,034 sq miles).

Population
16,254,933 (official estimate 2004).

Population Density
479.9 per sq km.

Capital
Amsterdam.
Population: 735,562 (2003). Seat of Government: The Hague. Population: 463,826 (2003).

Government
Constitutional monarchy since 1848.
Head of State: Queen Beatrix Van Oranje Nassau since 1980.
Head of Government: Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende since 2002.

Language
Dutch is the official language. English, German and French are widely spoken.

Religion
31 per cent Roman Catholic, 21 per cent Protestant; 40 per cent do not profess any religion.

Time
GMT + 1 (GMT from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

Electricity
230 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. There is a cheaper rate 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 are KPN Mobile (website: www.kpn.com), Orange (website: www.orange.nl), Telfort (website: www.telfort.nl) and T-mobile (website: www.t-mobile.nl; also provides a 3G service).

Fax
Services are widely available and are also provided by some hotels.

Internet
There are many Internet cafes and some Internet access centers. Business centers 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 office hours: 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 NRC Handelsblad (an evening paper), De Telegraaf, Trouw and De Volkskrant. Foreign newspapers are widely available.

Radio
BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.

Public Holidays

Jan 1 2005:   New Year’s Day.
Mar 25-28:   Easter.
Apr 30:   Queen’s Day.
May 5:   Ascension/Liberation Day.
May 16:   Whit Monday.
Dec 25:   Christmas Day.
Dec 26:   Boxing Day.
Jan 1 2006:   New Year’s Day.
Apr 14-17:   Easter.
Apr 29:   Queen’s Day.
May 5:   Liberation Day.
May 25:    Ascension.
Jun 5:   Whit Monday.
Dec 25:   Christmas Day.
Dec 26:   Boxing Day.

Special Events
For a complete list of events and festivals held in The Netherlands, contact the Press and Public Relations Officer at The Royal Netherlands Embassy or The Netherlands Board of Tourism (see General Info section). The following is a selection of special events occurring in The Netherlands in 2005:

Jan 26-Feb 6:   Film Festival Rotterdam.
Feb 6-9:   Carnaval, Landelijk (parades throughout the country).
Jun 8-18:   Pasar Malam Besar (largest Eurasian festival in the world), Den Haag.
Jun 18-24:   Poetry International, Rotterdam.
Jun 22-25:   Folkloristisch Dansfestival, Bolsward.
Jul 7-9:   Bospop, Weert.
Jul 8-10:   North Sea Jazz Festival, Den Haag.
Jul 23-28:   Kwakoe Zomer Festival (multicultural festival), Amsterdam.
Aug 3-7:    International Folkloristisch Dansfestival, Odoorn.
Aug 6-8:   Amsterdam Gay Pride (and Canal Parade).
Aug 26-Sep 4:   Holland Festival, Amsterdam.
Oct 16:   Amsterdam Marathon.
Oct 18-20:   Zuidlaardermarkt (biggest horse and cattle market in Western Europe), Zuidlaren.

Contact Information:

Location
Northwest Europe.

Country dialing code
31.

Nederlands Bureau voor Toerisme & Congressen (Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions)
Street address: Vlietweg 15, 2266 KA Leidschendam, The Netherlands
Postal address: PO Box 458, 2260 MG Leidschendam, The Netherlands
Tel: (70) 370 5705. Fax: (70) 320 1654.
E-mail: info@holland.com
Website: www.holland.com

Royal Netherlands Embassy
38 Hyde Park Gate, London SW7 5DP, UK
Tel: (020) 7590 3200 or (09065) 508 916 (visa information line; calls cost £1 per minute). Fax: (020) 7225 0947 (general) or 7581 3458 (consular section).
E-mail: london@netherlands-embassy.org.uk (general information) or consular@netherlands-embassy.org.uk.
Website: www.netherlands-embassy.org.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700; 0900-1200 (passport and visa section; by appointment only).
Visa applications are on a first-come, first-served basis. The passport and visa section is closed on the first Wednesday of every month.

Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions (NBTC)
PO Box 30783, London WC2B 6DH, UK
Tel: (020) 7539 7950 or (09068) 717 777 (brochure line; calls cost 60p per minute). Fax: (020) 7539 7953.
E-mail: info-uk@holland.com
Website: www.holland.com/uk

British Embassy
Lange Voorhout 10, 2514 ED The Hague, The Netherlands
Tel: (70) 427 0427. Fax: (70) 427 0348.
E-mail: library@britain.nl
Website: www.britain.nl
For visas and passports, contact the Consulate General.

British Consulate General
Konigslaan 44, PO Box 75488, 1070 AL Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Tel: (20) 676 4343. Fax: (20) 676 1069 (visa section) or 675 8381 (consular section).
E-mail: visaenquiries.amsterdam@fco.gov.uk or OtherConsularEnquiries@fco.gov.uk
Website: www.britain.nl

Royal Netherlands Embassy
4200 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 244 5300. Fax: (202) 362 3430.
E-mail: was-sccscd@embisnbuze.nl
Website: www.netherlands-embassy.org

Consulate General of The Netherlands
1 Rockefeller Plaza, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10020
Tel: (212) 246 1429. Fax: (212) 333 3603.
E-mail: Wanyc@minbuza.nl or webmaster@netherlands-embassy.org or nyc-visa.passport@minbuza.nl
Website: www.cgny.org
Consulates General also in: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami.

Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions (NBTC)
355 Lexington Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10017, USA
Tel: (212) 370 7360. Fax: (212) 370 9507.
E-mail: information@goholland.com
Website: www.holland.com

Embassy of the United States of America
Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ The Hague, The Netherlands
Tel: (70) 310 9209. Fax: (70) 361 4688.
Website: www.usemb.nl

Consulate General of the United States of America
Museumplein 19, 1071 DJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Tel: (20) 575 5309. Fax: (20) 575 5310 (visa section).
Website: www.usemb.nl

Royal Netherlands Embassy
350 Albert Street, Suite 2020, Constitution Square Building, Ottawa, Ontario K1R 1A4, Canada
Tel: (613) 237 5030. Fax: (613) 237 6471.
E-mail: nlgovott@netherlandsembassy.ca
Website: www.netherlandsembassy.ca
Consulates in: Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Kingston, London, Québec, Regina, Saint John, St John’s and Winnipeg.
Consulates General in: Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver.

Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions (NBTC)
601 Dundas Street West, Box 24010, Whitby, Ontario L1N 8X8, Canada
Tel: (905) 666 5960. Fax: (905) 666 5391.
E-mail: information@holland.com
Website: www.holland.com/ca

Canadian Embassy
Street address: Sophialaan 7, 2514 JP The Hague, The Netherlands
Postal address: PO Box 30820, 2500 GV The Hague, The Netherlands
Tel: (70) 311 1600. Fax: (70) 311 1620.
E-mail: info@canada.nl
Website: www.canada.nl