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:''Dutch redirects here. For other uses, see Dutch (disambiguation).'' The '''Netherlands''' (Dutch: '''Nederland''') 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 referred to by the name Holland, although this is technically incorrect; Holland was the economic powerhouse during the time of the United Provinces (1581–1795), during the Napoleonic era it was split into North and South Holland (refer to subsection on Names). 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 dikes, windmills, wooden shoes, tulips, and perceived social tolerance. Its liberal policies are often mentioned abroad. The country is 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 Netherlands ranked fifth on the 2004 list of nations with the highest standard of life, behind Norway, Sweden, Australia, and Canada. 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" |+'''Koninkrijk der Nederlanden''' |- | style=background:#efefef; align=center colspan=2 | {| border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 |- | align=center width=140px | Image:Netherlands flag large.png | align=center width=140px | Image:Nl-arms.gif |- | align=center width=140px | (In Detail) | align=center width=140px | (In Detail) |} |- | align=center colspan=2 style=border-bottom:3px solid gray; | ''National motto: Je Maintiendrai(French, I will maintain)'' |- | align=center colspan=2 | Image:LocationNetherlands.png |- | Official language | Dutch
(+Frisian in Friesland) |- | Capitals | Amsterdam |- | Largest City | Amsterdam |- | Queen | Beatrix |- | Prime minister | Jan Peter Balkenende |- | Area
- Total
- % water | Ranked 131st
[[1 E10 m�|41,526]] km�
18.41% |- | Population
- Total (July 2004)
- Density | Ranked 59th
16,318,199
393/km� (rank) |- | style="vertical-align: top;" | Independence
- Assumed
- Declared
- Recognized | 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'' |- | Currency | Euro(€)'''¹''', Dutch euro coins |- | Time zone | UTC+1 |- | National anthem | Het Wilhelmus |- | Internet TLD | .NL |- | Calling Code | 31 |- | colspan=2 | ('''1''') Prior to 2001: Guilder |} == 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. In 1568 the Eighty Years' War started and in 1579, the northern half of the Seventeen Provinces declared itself independent and formed the Union of Utrecht, which is seen as the foundation of the modern Netherlands. Philip II, the son of Charles V, was not prepared to let them go that easily and it would be until 1648 for Spain to recognise Dutch independence. After gaining formal independence from Philip IV, 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. In the period, referred to as the ''Golden Age'' in the Netherlands, colonies and trade posts were established all over the globe. After (briefly) being incorporated in the French empire under Napoleon, the Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815, consisting of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Belgium however rebelled and gained independence in 1830. Luxembourg fell under the Dutch monarchy as well but had different rules of ascendancy. When King William III was succeeded by his daughter Queen Wilhelmina in 1890, Luxembourg seceded. In Luxembourg, the laws prevented women from becoming Head of State. Luxembourg turned to the German branch of the Nassau family, which is still in charge in Luxembourg today. The Netherlands possessed several colonies, most notably the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and Suriname. The colonies were first administered the Dutch East India Company, the so-called '''VOC''', and in the 19th century was directly administered by the government of the Netherlands. During the 19th century, the Netherlands was slow to industrialize compared to neighbouring countries, mainly due to its unique infrastructure of waterways and reliance on windpower. 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 Benelux ('''Be'''lgium, the '''Ne'''therlands and '''Lux'''embourg) and European Economic Community unions. The Netherlands also became a member of NATO. The Netherlands was among the six founding members of the European Coal and Steel Community, which would later evolve into the European Union. == Names == The name Holland is widely used as being equivalent to the Netherlands; its use is similar to the use of England for the United Kingdom, or Russia for the defunct Soviet Union. Mainly people from the Southern, Northern and Eastern parts sometimes object to this when you meet them abroad or in English speaking companies. They will then claim to be from the Netherlands, instead of the smaller part of the country that is called Holland! People from the southern provinces Limburg and Noord Brabant (Northern Brabant) who are mainly Roman Catholic retain some bad sentiments against Holland. During the time of the United Provinces these areas did not have any political liberties and in fact were exploited as colonies. A culture of this exploitation and the feeling of being exploited remained until the second world war; only after this war, with the true modernisation of the Dutch society did they become more free and did their relative power increase. The anti-Holland sentiment remained however, and is still relatively alive in these parts of the country. Also the expats (people from the South and East living in either of the Holland provinces consider themselves to be living abroad), are easily picked out when you say ''Holland'' to the Netherlands. == Politics == ''Main article: Politics of the Netherlands'' The Netherlands has been a constitutional monarchy since 1815, before that 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. Dutch governments always consist of a coalition, as there is not (and has never been) a single political party large enough to get the majority vote. Formally, the queen appoints the members of the government. In practice, once the results of parliamentary elections are known, a coalition government is formed (in a process of negotiations that can 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 leader of the largest party in the coalition. The degree of influence the queen has on actual government decision making is a topic of ongoing speculation. The parliament consists of two houses. The 150 members of the Lower House (''Tweede Kamer'', or Second Chamber) are elected every four years in direct elections. The provincial parliaments are directly elected every 4 years as well. The members of the provincial parliaments vote (indirectly) for the less important Senate (''Eerste Kamer'', or First Chamber). 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''
Image:Netherlands map large.png
Map of the Netherlands, with red dots marking the capitals of the provinces and black dots marking notable cities.
| % | 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ''Data: International Data Base (2000)'' | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Wiktionary information
*For more information: Dutch == External links == *Travel guide to ''Netherlands'' from Wikitravel *http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Dutch Dutch for English speakers (from Wikibooks) *Overheid.nl - official Dutch government portal (includes official publications from 1995; older ones are only available in some libraries, on paper or microfiche) *Government.nl - official Dutch government web site *province maps showing subdivision in municipalities, and linking each municipality to its basic data page *http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/nl.html *CBS - Key figures from the Dutch bureau of statistics *http://flagspot.net/flags/nl-index.html - site about flags, but also with province maps showing municipalities, and some other info *Dutch news: Radio Netherlands, Expatica *Amsterdam / Netherlands info - Information about the Netherlands, its provinces and Amsterdam. *haarlemshuffle.com - English language resources and background information
