Netherlands

Location	Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany
Geographic coordinates	52 30 N, 5 45 E
Map references	Europe
Area	total: 41,543 sq km land: 33,893 sq km water: 7,650 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Land boundaries	total: 1,027 km border countries: Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km
Coastline	451 km
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate	temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters
Terrain	mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast
Elevation extremes	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	natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land
Land use	arable land: 21.96% permanent crops: 0.77% other: 77.27% (2005)
Irrigated land	4,600 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	89.7 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 8.86 cu km/yr (6%/60%/34%) per capita: 544 cu m/yr (2001)
Natural hazards	flooding
Environment - current issues	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	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, 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	located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde)