- Capital: Amsterdam, The Hague is the seat of government
- Time: +1 GMT
- Area: 41,526 sq km
- Population: 15,731,112 (estimated on July 1998)
- Currency: Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin
- Form of government: constitutional monarchy; bicameral States General consists of the First Chamber (75 seats, members indirectly elected by the country's 12 provincial councils for four-year terms) and the Second Chamber (150, seats, members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); the Queen is a hereditary, constitutional monarch; the Prime minister and the Cabinet are appointed by the queen
- Official language: Dutch
- Religion: Roman Catholic (34%), Protestant (25%), Muslim (3%), other (2%), unaffilated (36%)
- National holiday: Queen's Day, 30 April
