nery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum,
construction, microelectronics, fishing

Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (1998)

Electricity--production: 83.3 billion kWh (1997)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 94.51%
hydro: 0.1%
nuclear: 4.95%
other: 0.44% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 90.366 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 700 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 11.3 billion kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits,
vegetables; livestock

Exports: $160 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels,
food and tobacco

Exports--partners: EU 78% (Germany 27%, Belgium-Luxembourg 13%,
France 11%, UK 10%, Italy 6%), Central and Eastern Europe, US (1997)

Imports: $142 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports--commodities: machinery and transport equipment,
chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels, consumer goods

Imports--partners: EU 61% (Germany 21%, Belgium-Luxembourg 11%, UK
10%), US 9%, Central and Eastern Europe (1997)

Debt--external: $0

Economic aid--donor: ODA, $2.9 billion (1997)

Currency: 1 Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (f.) = 100
cents; note--on 1 January 2002 to be replaced by the euro

Exchange rates: Netherlands guilders, gulden, or florins (f.) per
US$1--1.8904 (January 1999), 1.9837 (1998), 1.9513 (1997), 1.6859
(1996), 1.6057 (1995), 1.8200 (1994)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some
member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed
rate of 2.20371 guilders per euro; the euro will replace the local
currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 8.431 million (1998 est.); 3.4 million cellular
telephone subscribers (1998 est.)

Telephone system: highly developed and well maintained; system of
multi-conductor cables gradually being supplemented/replaced by a
glass-fiber based telecommunication infrastructure; Mobile GSM-based
mobile telephony density rapidly growing; third generation Universal
Mobile Telecommunications System expected for introduction by the
year 2001
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; microwave radio relay
international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations--3
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Oce