- 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 collective name of its two
main provinces: Holland (North and South Holland).
The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated and geographically low-lying countries in the world and is famous for its
dikes, 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 the constitution states). 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".
History
Main 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
Main 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
Main articles: Provinces of the
Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Aruba
The Netherlands is divided into 12 administrative regions, called provincies (provinces):
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
Main 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
Main 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
Main article: Demographics of the
Netherlands
Dutch population pyramid
(in % of total population)
| % |
Male |
Age |
Female |
% |
| 0.36 |
|
|
85+ |
|
|
1.05 |
| 0.60 |
|
|
80-84 |
|
|
1.18 |
| 1.14 |
|
|
75-79 |
|
|
1.74 |
| 1.55 |
|
|
70-74 |
|
|
1.95 |
| 1.93 |
|
|
65-69 |
|
|
2.13 |
| 2.30 |
|
|
60-64 |
|
|
2.33 |
| 2.77 |
|
|
55-59 |
|
|
2.69 |
| 3.73 |
|
|
50-54 |
|
|
3.60 |
| 3.65 |
|
|
45-49 |
|
|
3.54 |
| 3.93 |
|
|
40-44 |
|
|
3.81 |
| 4.27 |
|
|
35-39 |
|
|
4.08 |
| 4.25 |
|
|
30-34 |
|
|
4.05 |
| 3.63 |
|
|
25-29 |
|
|
3.54 |
| 3.04 |
|
|
20-24 |
|
|
2.93 |
| 2.96 |
|
|
15-19 |
|
|
2.83 |
| 3.11 |
|
|
10-14 |
|
|
2.97 |
| 3.20 |
|
|
05-09 |
|
|
3.06 |
| 3.11 |
|
|
00-04 |
|
|
2.98 |
| |
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| Data: International Data Base (2000) |
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 is only spoken in the northern province of Fryslân, and it is the language which most resembles English. In addition to Dutch and Frisian, several dialects of Low Saxon are spoken in much of the north; they have no official recognition. At 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
shoes, 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'. See also Drugs policy of the Netherlands, Same-sex marriage in the
Netherlands.
Culture
Main 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
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
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