Netherlands

Kingdom of the Netherlands

Key Facts

Date of Independence:

30 January 1648

Capital City:

Amsterdam

Total Area Ranking:

134 of 236 in the World

Population Size Ranking:

61 of 242 in the World

Status:

current




The Country

Geography

The Netherlands is located on the western edge of the North European Plain, at the delta of five major rivers. Forty per cent of the country is below sea level and another third is less than 1 m (3 ft) above sea level. The coastal area is protected by a network of dunes, dikes and canals to prevent flooding. The total land area is 33,920 sq km (13,097 sq miles).

The country is bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south and Germany to the east. The population of 15.7 million (2000 figure) is 96% Dutch, with 1% Moroccan, 1% Turkish and 2% other ethnic groups. Approximately one third of the population is Roman Catholic, one third Protestant and one third other faiths. The capital city is Amsterdam, but the government operates from The Hague (‘s-Gravenhage).

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Overseas Territories

Netherlands East Indies:
The Republic of Indonesia was formerly a Dutch colony. It gained formal independence in 1949, although some territories where handed over later. Historical details can be found on wikipedia.

Netherlands Antilles:
The Netherlands Antilles comprise two groups of islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Curacao, Bonaire and Aruba. For more information, see wikipedia.

Suriname:
Suriname in South America was a Dutch colony until independence in 1975.

National History

Summary Narrative History

Timeline – Key Dates in Dutch History

Further National Information

BBC News Profile: Netherlands
Yahoo Netherlands page
wikipedia: Netherlands
wikipedia: History of the Netherlands



Aviation

Text to be added on the development of aviation in the Netherlands.



Markings

Civil Aircraft Registrations

Civil aircraft in the Netherlands and NEI used the registration sequence H-NAAA onwards 1919-1929. From 1929 the sequence PH-AAA onwards was used at home, PJ-AAA onwards in the Netherlands Antilles and PK-AAA onwards in the NEI. Gliders registrations use numbers instead of letters.

An incomplete all-time Dutch civil aircraft register listing is here. There is also a better Register listing available.



Aircraft Operators

Military Air Arms

Current military air arms-
Air Force (Konninklijke Luchtmacht – KLu)
Naval Aviation (Marine Luchvaartdienst – MLD)

Historical military air arms-
Army Aviation (Luchtvaart Afdeling – LVA) [1914-1940]
NEI Aviation (Aviation Department of the Dutch East Indies Army – ML-KNIL) [1914-1941]

Central Government Agencies

Aviation Authority (Rijksluchtvaartdienst)
Government
Coast Guard (Kustwacht)

Public Service Aviation

Medical Aviation (ANWB Medical Air Assistance)
Police Aviation (Politie)

Commercial Aviation

KLM
KNILM (1928-1947)
Martinair Holland
Schreiner Airways
Transavia

wikipedia: Airlines of Netherlands
The World’s Airlines: Netherlands

Private Aviation

To be added



Industry

Aircraft Manufacturers

Aviolanda
De Schelde
Fokker
Koolhoven
Pander

Aircraft Maintenance/Repair Depots

None known.



Airfields

Civil Airports & Airfields

Schiphol International Airport
other regional airports
Airports in Netherlands

Military Air Bases & Airfields

Military Air Bases Listing



On Show

Aviation Museums

Aviodrome
Militaire Luchtvaart Museum
Vliegend Museum Seppe

Airshow Dates

Key Airshow Dates



More Information

Aviation-Related Magazines

Magazines Guide for the Netherlands

Aviation Bibliography

Netherlands Aviation Bibliography – to be added

Web Links

Dutch Aviation Page

Dutch-Aviation.nl

National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR)

Aviation.nl

Dutch Historic Aviation Sites

World War II Allied Aircraft Crashes in The Netherlands