Netherlands
- For other uses of the word Dutch, see Dutch (disambiguation).
The
Netherlands (
Nederland in
Dutch) is the European part of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands, a
constitutional monarchy. It is located in northwestern
Europe and borders the
North Sea,
Belgium and
Germany. The country is often — technically incorrectly — referred to by the name of the economic powerhouse of the
United Provinces (
1581–
1795):
Holland (now split into North and South Holland).
The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated and geographically low-lying countries in the world (its name literally means
the Low Countries) and is famous for its
dikess,
windmills,
wooden shoes, tulips and perceived social tolerance. Its liberal policies are often mentioned abroad. This country is also host to the
International Court of Justice. Amsterdam is the official capital as stated by the constitution.
The Hague is the administrative capital (the seat of government), the home of the Queen, and the location for most of the embassies.
The
English adjective and
noun for "from the Netherlands" or "a person from the Netherlands" is "
Dutch".
{| border=1 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 align=right width=285px style="margin-left: 0.5em; margin-bottom:0.5em"\n|+
Koninkrijk der Nederlanden\n|-\n| style=background:#efefef; align=center colspan=2 |\n{| border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0\n|-\n| align=center width=140px |
\n| align=center width=140px |
\n|-\n| align=center width=140px |
(In Detail)\n| align=center width=140px |
(Full size)\n|}\n|-\n| align=center colspan=2 style=border-bottom:3px solid gray; |
National motto: Je Maintiendrai
(French, I will maintain)\n|-\n| align=center colspan=2 |
\n|-\n| Official
language\n|
Dutch(+
Frisian in
Friesland)\n|-\n| Capitals\n|
Amsterdam,
The Hague¹\n|-\n| Largest City\n| Amsterdam\n|-\n| Queen\n| Beatrix\n|-\n| Prime minister\n| Jan Peter Balkenende\n|-\n| Area
- Total
- % water\n| Ranked 131st
41,526 km²
18.41%\n|-\n| Population
- Total (2004)
- Density\n| Ranked 59th
482/km² (rank)\n|-\n| style="vertical-align: top;" | Independence
- Assumed
- Declared
- Recognized\n| style="vertical-align: top;" | from Spain
see: Eighty Years' War
January 23, 1579
see: Union of Utrecht
July 26, 1581
see: Oath of Abjuration
by Spain on January 30 1648
see: Peace of Westphalia\n|-\n| Currency\n| Euro(€)²
, Dutch euro coins\n|-\n| Time zone\n| UTC+1\n|-\n| National anthem\n| Het Wilhelmus\n|-\n| Internet TLD\n| .NL\n|-\n| Calling Code\n| 31\n|-\n| colspan=2 | (1
) Seat of government
(2''')
Prior to 1999: Guilder\n|}
History
\nMain articles: History of the Netherlands, Dutch monarchy
Under Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and king of Spain, the region was part of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands, which also includes most of present-day Belgium. After gaining formal independence from Philip II, the son of Charles V in 1648, the Dutch, as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, grew to become one of the major seafaring and economic powers of the 17th century, referred to as the Golden Age in the Netherlands, establishing colonies and trade posts all over the globe.
After being incorporated in the French empire under Napoleon, a Dutch kingdom was formed with present-day Belgium and Luxembourg in 1815. The Belgians soon gained independence however (1830); Luxembourg fell under the Dutch monarchy as well but had different rules of ascendancy and broke away after the death of King William III. During the 19th century, the Netherlands was slow to industrialize compared to neighbouring countries.
After remaining neutral in World War I, the country was occupied by Nazi Germany in May 1940, to be fully liberated only in 1945. After the war, the Dutch economy prospered again, being a member of the economic Benelux and European Economic Community unions. The Netherlands also became a member of NATO.
The Netherlands was among the founding members of the European Union when it was formed in 1992.
Politics
\nMain article: Politics of the Netherlands
The Netherlands has been a constitutional monarchy since 1815, after it had been a republic from 1581 to 1806 (it was occupied by France between 1806 and 1815).
Head of state, since 1980, is Queen Beatrix of the House of Orange-Nassau. Formally, she appoints the members of the government. In practice, once the results of parliamentary elections are known, a coalition government is made (a process which might take several months), after which the government formed in this way is officially appointed by the queen. The head of the government is the Prime Minister or Minister President who is usually also the head of the largest party in the coalition.
The parliament consists of two houses. Elections for the 150 members of the Lower House (Tweede Kamer, or Second Chamber) take place every four years, or earlier when the Lower House has taken a no-confidence motion against the government. The less important Senate (Eerste Kamer, or First Chamber) is chosen every four years after the provincial elections by the just chosen members of the provincial parliaments. Together, the First and Second Chamber are known as the Staten Generaal, the States General.
Political scientists consider the Netherlands a classic example of a consociational state.
See also Prime Minister of the Netherlands, List of Prime Ministers of the Netherlands
Provinces & Dependencies
\nMain articles: Provinces of the Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Aruba\n
The Netherlands is divided into 12 administrative regions, called provincies (provinces):\n*Groningen - in the northeast\n*Friesland - north\n*Drenthe - northeast, south of Groningen\n*Overijssel - east, south of Drenthe\n*Flevoland - central, in the IJsselmeer\n*Guelders - (Gelderland) east central, south of Overijssel\n*Utrecht - central\n*North Holland - (Noord-Holland) northwest\n*South Holland - (Zuid-Holland) west central, south of North Holland\n*Zeeland - southwest\n*North Brabant - (Noord-Brabant) south\n*Limburg - southeast, stretching into Belgium.
All provinces are divided into municipalities (gemeenten), together 489 (from 2004: 483); see Municipalities in the Netherlands, and also Cities of the Netherlands.
A number of islands in the Caribbean Sea are dependencies of the Netherlands: the Netherlands Antilles (Nederlandse Antillen), a group of five islands, and Aruba, formerly part of the Antilles.
Geography
\nMain article: Geography of the Netherlands
A remarkable aspect of the Netherlands is the flatness of the country. About half the country is less than 1 meter above sea level, and large parts of it are actually below sea level (see map showing these areas). The highest point, the Vaalserberg, in the southeasternmost point of the country, is 321 m above sea level. Many low areas are protected by dikes and sea walls. Parts of the Netherlands, for example almost all of Flevoland province, have been reclaimed from the sea - these areas are known as polders.
The country is divided into two main parts by three rivers Rhine (Rijn), Waal and Meuse (Maas). There are several dialects spoken north and south of these great rivers.
The predominant wind direction in the Netherlands is southwest, which causes a moderate maritime climate, with cool summers and mild winters.
Also of interest: National parks (Netherlands), Zuiderzee Works.
Economy
\nMain article: Economy of the Netherlands
The Netherlands has a prosperous and open economy in which the government has successfully reduced its role since the 1980s. Industrial activity is predominantly in food-processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. A highly mechanised agricultural sector employs no more than 4% of the labor force but provides large surpluses for the food-processing industry and for exports. The Dutch rank third worldwide in value of agricultural exports, behind the US and France. The Netherlands successfully addressed the issue of public finances and stagnating job growth long before its European partners.
As a founding member of the Euro, the Netherlands replaced its former currency, the guilder, on January 1 1999 along with the other adopters of the single European currency, with the actual euro coins and banknotes following on January 1 2002.
Demographics
\nMain article: Demographics of the Netherlands
\nDutch population pyramid
(in % of total population)\n\n| % | \nMale | \nAge | \nFemale | \n% | \n
\n\n| 0.36 | \n | \n | \n85+ | \n | \n | \n1.05 | \n
\n\n| 0.60 | \n | \n | \n80-84 | \n | \n | \n1.18 | \n
\n\n| 1.14 | \n | \n | \n75-79 | \n | \n | \n1.74 | \n
\n\n| 1.55 | \n | \n | \n70-74 | \n | \n | \n1.95 | \n
\n\n| 1.93 | \n | \n | \n65-69 | \n | \n | \n2.13 | \n
\n\n| 2.30 | \n | \n | \n60-64 | \n | \n | \n2.33 | \n
\n\n| 2.77 | \n | \n | \n55-59 | \n | \n | \n2.69 | \n
\n\n| 3.73 | \n | \n | \n50-54 | \n | \n | \n3.60 | \n
\n\n| 3.65 | \n | \n | \n45-49 | \n | \n | \n3.54 | \n
\n\n| 3.93 | \n | \n | \n40-44 | \n | \n | \n3.81 | \n
\n\n| 4.27 | \n | \n | \n35-39 | \n | \n | \n4.08 | \n
\n\n| 4.25 | \n | \n | \n30-34 | \n | \n | \n4.05 | \n
\n\n| 3.63 | \n | \n | \n25-29 | \n | \n | \n3.54 | \n
\n\n| 3.04 | \n | \n | \n20-24 | \n | \n | \n2.93 | \n
\n\n| 2.96 | \n | \n | \n15-19 | \n | \n | \n2.83 | \n
\n\n| 3.11 | \n | \n | \n10-14 | \n | \n | \n2.97 | \n
\n\n| 3.20 | \n | \n | \n05-09 | \n | \n | \n3.06 | \n
\n\n| 3.11 | \n | \n | \n00-04 | \n | \n | \n2.98 | \n
\n\n| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | \n
\n\n| Data: International Data Base (2000) | \n
\n
The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with more than 400 inhabitants per square km.
There are two official languages,
Dutch and
Frisian, both of which are
Germanic languages. Frisian\nis only spoken in the northern province of
Fryslân, and it is the language which most resembles
English.\nIn addition to Dutch and Frisian, several dialects of
Low Saxon are spoken in much of the north; they have no official recognition.\nAt the national borders in the south, the Dutch language shifts into other varieties of
Low Franconian and German speech, which may or may not be best classified as Dutch, most notably
West Flemish and
German.
The main religions are
Catholicism (18% in
1999) (
dioceses) and
Protestantism (15%). About 63% of the Dutch don't consider themselves to be members of a church. The part of the country south of the three rivers is (or was) generally Catholic, with the northern part Protestant (mostly of the
Dutch Reformed Church).
The Dutch are known as a tolerant people. Their image abroad is mainly based on trade, tulips,
windmills,
wooden shoess,
cheese and
Delftware pottery. More recently the liberal Dutch policies on
recreational drugs,
prostitution,
same-sex marriage and
euthanasia have received international attention;
Amsterdam is widely perceived abroad as a city where 'anything goes'.\nSee also
Drug policy of the Netherlands,
Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands.
Culture
\nMain article: Culture of the Netherlands
The Netherlands has a history of many great painters. The 17th century, when the Dutch republic was prosperous, was the age of the "Dutch Masters" such as
Rembrandt van Rijn,
Johannes Vermeer,
Jan Steen and many others. Famous Dutch painters of the
19th and
20th century are
Vincent van Gogh and
Piet Mondriaan.
M. C. Escher is a well-known graphics artist. A both famous and infamous Dutch master art forger is
Han van Meegeren.
The Netherlands is the country of philosophers
Erasmus of Rotterdam and
Spinoza, and all of
Descartes' major work was done there.
In the
Golden Age, Dutch literature flowered as well, with
Joost van den Vondel, P. C. Hooft as the two most famous names. In the 19th century,
Multatuli wrote about the bad treatment of the natives in Dutch colonies. Important
20th century authors include
Harry Mulisch,
Jan Wolkers,
Simon Vestdijk, Cees Nooteboom,
Gerard van het Reve and
Willem Frederik Hermans.
The Diary of Anne Frank was also written in the Netherlands.
See also: List_of_museums#Netherlands,
Sport in the Netherlands,
Music of the Netherlands,
List of Dutch people
Holidays
\n| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks\n |
|---|
| January 1 | New Year's Day | Nieuwjaar | \n |
| March/April | Easter | Pasen | The Dutch celebrate two days of Easter.\n |
| April 30 | Queen's day | Koninginnedag | Originally, Koninginnedag was celebrated on the birthday of the queen,
Queen's day is nowadays celebrated on the birthday of the late Queen-mother (Juliana), as this gives better weather.\n |
| May 4 | Remembrance of the dead | Dodenherdenking | Remembrance of those who died during the Second World War. This day is currently being extended as also people who died during UN missions are remembered.\n |
| May 5 | Liberation day | Bevrijdingsdag | Celebration of the 1945 capitulation of German forces in World War II.\n |
| 40 days after Easter | Ascension Day | Hemelvaartsdag | \n |
| 7 weeks after Easter | Pentecost | Pinksteren | The Dutch celebrate two days of Pentecost.\n |
| December 5 | Saint Nicholas's Eve | Sinterklaas | A predecessor of Santa Claus, Sinterklaas gives presents to the children.\n |
| December 25, December 26 | Christmas | Kerstmis | The Dutch celebrate two days of Christmas: The first day of Christmas (Eerste Kerstdag) and the second day of Christmas (Tweede Kerstdag).\n |
Replicas of Dutch buildings can be found in Holland Village,
Nagasaki,
Japan. A similar Holland Village is being built in
Shenyang,
China.
Miscellaneous topics
External links
\n\n
Category:EU countriesCategory:NetherlandsCategory:Benelux countriesCategory:Monarchies
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