| Location | Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany |
| Geographic coordinates | 52 31 N, 5 46 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: 1,053 km border countries (2): Belgium 478 km, Germany 575 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 | highest point: Mount Scenery (on the island of Saba in the Caribbean, now considered an integral part of the Netherlands following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles) 862 m lowest point: Zuidplaspolder -7 m mean elevation: 30 m 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 | agricultural land: 55.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 29.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 1.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 24.2% (2018 est.) forest: 10.8% (2018 est.) other: 34.1% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 4,860 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 91 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | flooding volcanism: Mount Scenery (887 m), located on the island of Saba in the Caribbean, last erupted in 1640;; Round Hill (601 m), a dormant volcano also known as The Quill, is located on the island of St. Eustatius in the Caribbean;; these islands are at the northern end of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends south to Grenada |
| Geography - note | located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde); about a quarter of the country lies below sea level and only about half of the land exceeds one meter above sea level |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
