In response to some Frequently Asked Questions about The Netherlands I have composed the table below. Although I agree that there are "lies, damned lies and statistics", I think the figures below do illustrate some of the differences, and similarities between the two countries. The most striking difference to me is the population density: for every 1 American per sq km, there are over 13 Dutchmen.
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| USA | The Netherlands | Ratio (US/NL) | |
| Map | USA | The Netherlands | |
| Location | 38 00 N, 97 00 W | 52 30 N, 5 45 E | |
| Area | 9,629,091 sq km | 41,532 sq km | 231.8 |
| Population | 275,562,673 (July 2000 est.) | 15,892,237 (July 2000 est.) | 17.3 |
| Pop. density | 27.6 inhabitants / sq km | 382.7 | 0.072 |
| Language | English, Spanish | Dutch | |
| Elevation extremes | -86 m to 6,194 m | -7 m to 321 m | |
| Life expectancy | 77.12 years | 78.28 years | 0.99 |
| Religion | Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10% (1989) | Roman Catholic 34%, Protestant 25%, Muslim 3%, other 2%, unaffiliated 36% (1991) | |
| Government type | federal republic | constitutional monarchy | |
| # serious political parties | 2 (Democrat & Republican) | 5 (CDA, D'66, Groen Links, PvDA, VVD) | |
| GDP | $9.255 trillion (1999 est.) | $365.1 billion (1999 est.) | |
| Draft | No | No | |
| NATO | Founding member | Founding member | |
| Income/capita | ? | ? | |
| Exports - imports | $ -249 billion (net importer) | $ 17 billion (net exporter) | |
| Unemployment rate | 4.2% (1999) | 3.5% (1999 est.) | 1.2 |
| Currency | 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents | 1 Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (f.) = 100 cents; note - to be replaced by the euro on 1 January 2002 | |
| Televisions/inhabitant | 0.79 (1997) | 0.51 (1997) | |
| Drinking age | 21 | 16 | |
| Driving age | 16 | 18 | |
| Price of gas | $ 1.3/gallon = $ 0.34/liter | $ 4.3/gallon = $ 1.12/liter [1] | 0.30 |
| Illicit drugs | consumer of cocaine shipped from Colombia through Mexico and the Caribbean; consumer of heroin, marijuana, and increasingly methamphetamines from Mexico; consumer of high-quality Southeast Asian heroin; illicit producer of cannabis, marijuana, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, and methamphetamines; drug-money-laundering center | major European producer of illicit amphetamines and other synthetic drugs; important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe. Author's note: marijuana use is legal, hard drug use is not. |
|
| Percentage of 10th graders that have tried marijuana [4] | 41% | 28% | |
| Homicides | 6.8 / 100,000 inhabitants (1997) [2] | 1.5 / 100,000 inhabitants (1996- 1998 av.) [3] |
References:
If unspecified: http://www.cia.gov
[1] http://www.shell.com
[2] http://www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/crime.html
[3] Centraal Bureau voor Statistiek
[4] Time Magazine, 2001.