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 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).

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:
Yahoo Netherlands page
wikipedia: Netherlands

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

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:
Government (Royal Flight)
Coast Guard (Kustwacht)

Public Service Aviation:
Civil Police (Rijkspolitie)

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

Private Aviation:
To be added

Aircraft Manufacturers:
Aviolanda
De Schelde
Fokker
Koolhoven
Pander

Airports, Airfields and Air Bases:
Civil Airports and Airfields-
Schiphol International Airport
other regional airports
Military Air Bases and Airfields-
Military Air Bases Listing

Aviation Museums:
Aviodrome
Militaire Luchtvaart Museum
Vliegend Museum Seppe

Aviation-Related Magazines:
Netherlands Aviation Magazines Guide

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