The coastline is often fringed by sand dunes, and inland large tracts of land reclaimed from the sea form the fertile polders. The Dutch climate is mild and maritime.
Rainfall is spread evenly throughout the year.
At elections in May 1994, the outgoing prime minister, Ruud Lubbers, stood down in favour of Elco Brinkman. However, Brinkman was unable to command sufficient support in the Dutch parliament and resigned, making way for a coalition of the Labour, right wing Liberal and centre-left D66 parties, under Labour leader Wim Kok. Dutch politics since World War II have been much focused on Europe and less on the country's former colonial links. The nation is an advocate of European unity, and during its European Union presidency in 1991 was instrumental in convening member states at Maastricht with the aim of further integration in political, economic and social policy. The country is also intensively farmed with both livestock and mixed crops, including cereals, sugar-beet and vegetables.