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Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
Kingdom of the Netherlands

(Flag) (Coat of Arms)
Motto: Je Maintiendrai (French: "I will maintain")
Anthem: Wilhelmus van Nassouwe
Capital	Amsterdam. The Hague is the seat of government 52°21"² N 04°52"² E
Largest city	Amsterdam
Official languages	Dutch, Frisian 1
Government Queen Prime minister	Dem. const. monarchy Beatrix Jan Peter Balkenende
Independence  - Declared  - Recognized	From Spain May 23, 1568 January 30, 1648
Area  "¢ Total  "¢ Water (%)	41,526 km² (131st) 18.41%
Population  "¢ June 2005 est.  "¢ n/a census  "¢ Density	16,297,196[1] (59th) n/a 393/km² (25th)
GDP (PPP)  "¢ Total  "¢ Per capita	2003 estimate $476,912 million (18th) $29,412 (15th)
Currency	Euro 2 (€ EUR)
Time zone  "¢ Summer (DST)	CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2)
Internet TLD	.nl
Calling code	+31
1 Low Saxon and Limburgish are official regional languages 2 Prior to 2002: Guilder

The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland - approximate pronunciation: /"ne:dərland/) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). The Netherlands is a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch, located in northwestern Europe. It borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east.

In many countries, the Netherlands is often referred to by the name Holland, although this usage is incorrect. Also, the English plural form 'the Netherlands' is a remnant from times when the country was not yet independent and united. See below under 'naming conventions'.

The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated and geographically low-lying countries in the world (its name literally means "Low-lands") and is famous for its dikes, windmills, wooden shoes, tulips, bicycles and social tolerance. Its liberal policies (towards drugs and prostitution among other things) receive international attention. The country is host to the International Court of Justice; Amsterdam is the official capital as stated by the constitution, but The Hague is the seat of government, the home of the monarch, and the location for most foreign embassies. The Netherlands ranked fifth on the 2004 UN Human Development Index, behind Norway, Sweden, Australia, and Canada.

The English adjective and noun for "of or relating to the Netherlands" is "Dutch," which is also the name of the Dutch language. "Netherlands" is also used as an adjective, especially in more formal writing and in the Netherlands Antilles.

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 after the entire population had been condemned to death by the Holy See and confirmed by the king, 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. It would not be until 1648 before Spain would recognise Dutch independence.

After gaining formal independence from the Spanish Empire under King Philip IV, the Dutch grew to become one of the major seafaring and economic powers of the 17th century during the period of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. In the era, referred to as the Dutch Golden Age, colonies and trading posts were established all over the globe. (See Dutch colonial empire)

Many economic historians regard the Netherlands as the first thoroughly capitalist country in the world. In early modern Europe it featured the most wealthy trading city (Amsterdam) and the first full-time stock exchange, whose inventiveness led to insurance and retirement funds as well as such less benign phenomena as the boom-bust cycle, the world's first asset-inflation bubble, the tulipomania of 1636-1637, and, according to Murray Sayle, the world's first bear raider -- Isaac le Maire, who forced prices down by dumping stock and then buying it back at a discount ("Japan Goes Dutch," London Review of Books [April 5, 2001]: 3-7).

After briefly being incorporated in the First French Empire under Napoleon, the Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815, consisting of present day Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. In addition, the king of the Netherlands became hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Belgium rebelled and gained independence in 1830, while the personal union between Luxembourg and the Netherlands was severed in 1890 as a result of ascendancy laws which prevented Queen Wilhelmina from becoming Grand Duke.

The Netherlands possessed several colonies, most notably the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and Suriname (the latter was traded with the British for New Amsterdam, now known as New York). These 'colonies' were first administrated by the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company, both collective private enterprises. Three centuries later these companies got into financial trouble and the territories in which they operated were taken over by the Dutch government (in 1815 and 1791 respectively). Only then did they become official colonies.

During the 19th century, The Netherlands was slow to industrialise compared to neighbouring countries, mainly due to its unique infrastructure of waterways and reliance on windpower. After remaining neutral in World War I, over 100,000 Dutch Jews were murdered in the Holocaust of World War II, along with significant numbers of Dutch Roma (gypsies), gay and lesbian individuals and people with mental retardation and other disabilities. After the war, the Dutch economy prospered again, being a member of the Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) 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.

Naming conventions

The name Holland is often, incorrectly, used for The Netherlands. The origin of the misnomer lies in the fact that Holland was the economic powerhouse during the time of the United Provinces (1581-1795). After the Napoleonic era, Holland became a mere province of the Kingdom and was split into North and South Holland in 1840. In some countries, however, embassies of The Netherlands use Holland as the name of the country they represent.

Especially people from the southern provinces Limburg and North Brabant object to the use of the name Holland for The Netherlands. At the end of the Eighty Years' War that formed the Netherlands, these regions were made part of the new Republic, but the people had already returned to catholicism as a result of the Counter-Reformation, while the rest of the Netherlands, the ruling class in particular, had largely turned Calvinist.

The plural "Netherlands" is actually an archaic term, referring to the time when it was a collection of regions that were not yet fully united. In The Netherlands itself the country is called Nederland (literally meaning "low land"), the people are called Nederlanders ("Dutch" in English) and the language is called Nederlands (again, "Dutch" in English). The English word "Dutch" is akin to the German word Deutsch, which originally meant "(Language) of the (common) people" in contrast with the medieval elite who spoke Latin. An old term for the language of The Netherlands is Diets or Nederdietsch. All these terms derive from what in Latin was known as Theodisca, from Germanic *Ã?eudiskaz.

Politics

Politics of the Netherlands

Monarchy Constitution

First Chamber Second Chamber Cabinet

Prime Minister

Political parties

Elections

Edit this box

Main article: Politics of the Netherlands

The Netherlands has been a parliamentary democracy since 1848 and 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). The pro forma 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, in Dutch Minister President or Premier, a primus inter pares 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, at least in part caused by the necessity in the Netherlands since the middle ages for different cities to cooperate in order to fight the water (different cities were at the time like different countries by today's standards, and often at war). This necessity to reach an agreement despite differences is called the polder model in Dutch. Also, the Netherlands has long been a nation of traders and for international trade one has to be tolerant of the other person's culture. The Netherlands is a neutral country in most international affairs and thus managed to keep out of WW I (although this did not work in WW II). As a result, the Dutch have a 'friendly' reputation in other countries, to the point that bearers of a Dutch passport often have relatively little difficulty getting into other countries, for visits or even for emigration purposes. However, the early years of the 21st century have seen a sharp decline in the much acclaimed Dutch tolerance. This is illustrated by the quick rise (and fall) of the LPF, whose leader, Pim Fortuyn was murdered, because he was at the time the best known icon of xenophobia in the Netherlands, which is on the rise, partly inspired by Muslim extremism in other countries and the ensuing War on Terrorism. Another murder that received much attention because of the way it was done, and that is usually linked with this, is the murder of Theo van Gogh.

The present government is led by the cabinet Balkenende II, one of the most right-wing cabinets the Netherlands has ever had. There are however heavy protests against its policies and according to polls in 2005 new elections could actually lead to the most left-wing cabinet ever.

On June 1 2005 the Dutch electorate voted in a referendum against the proposed EU Constitution by a majority of 61.6%, three days after the French had also voted against. It was a consultative referendum, but the government had already decided to honour the outcome. One popular interpretation by the media of the no-vote was that it may not have been so much a vote against the Constitution itself, but that it was more of a protest against lack of rapport between citizens and government, both nationally and in the EU. Another explanation was that the citizens believed that there were too many unnecessary rules coming from the EU such as the obligated privatising of the energy market (fair competition) and the prohibition of making new highways due to air quality laws from the EU. The weeks before the referendum saw lots of political discussions, so the conclusion was not that one should shy away from referenda, but instead have more of them, so people will feel more involved with politics. Referenda are a fairly new phenomenon in the Netherlands.

See also: Prime Minister of the Netherlands, List of Prime Ministers of the Netherlands

Provinces

Main articles: Provinces of the Netherlands

Map of The Netherlands, with red dots marking the capitals of the provinces and black dots marking other notable cities.

The Netherlands is divided into twelve administrative regions, called provinces, each under a Governor, who is called Commissaris van de Koningin (Commissionair of the Queen).

• Friesland - north west; capital Leeuwarden
• Groningen - north east; capital Groningen
• Drenthe - south of Groningen; capital Assen
• Overijssel - east central, south of Drenthe; capital Zwolle
• Flevoland - central, north of Utrecht; capital Lelystad
• Gelderland - east central, south of Overijssel; capital Arnhem
• Utrecht - central; capital Utrecht
• North Holland - (Noord-Holland) north west (including Amsterdam); capital Haarlem
• South Holland - (Zuid-Holland) west central, south of North Holland (including Rotterdam); capital The Hague ('s-Gravenhage or Den Haag)
• Zeeland - south west; capital Middelburg
• North Brabant - (Noord-Brabant) south central; capital 's-Hertogenbosch (or Den Bosch)
• Limburg - south east; capital Maastricht.

All provinces are divided into municipalities (gemeenten), together 467; see Municipalities in the Netherlands, and also List of cities in the Netherlands by province.

The country is also subdivided in water districts, governed by a water board (waterschap or hoogheemraadschap), each having authority in matters concerning water management. As of 1 January 2004 there are thirty seven. The creation of water boards actually predates that of the nation itself, the first appearing in 1196. In fact, the Dutch water boards are one of the oldest democratic entities in the world still in existence.

See also: Ranked list of Dutch provinces.

Geography

Map of the Netherlands (ca. 1975; see also a more recent railway map)

Main article: Geography of the Netherlands

A remarkable aspect of the Netherlands is the flatness of the country. About half of its surface area is less than 1 m above sea level, and large parts of it are actually below sea level (see map showing these areas). An extensive range of dikes and dunes protect these areas from flooding. Numerous massive pumping stations keep the ground water level in check. The highest point, the Vaalserberg, in the southeasternmost point of the country, is 321 m above sea level. A substantial part of the Netherlands, for example, all of Flevoland and large parts of Holland, has been reclaimed from the sea. These areas are known as polders.

In years past, the Dutch coastline has changed considerably due to human intervention and natural disasters. Most notable in terms of land loss are the 1134 storm, which created the archipelago of Zeeland in the southwest, and the 1287 storm, which killed 50,000 people and created the Zuyderzee (now dammed in and renamed the IJsselmeer - see below) in the northwest, giving Amsterdam direct access to the sea. The St. Elisabeth flood of 1421 and the mismanagement in its aftermath destroyed a newly reclaimed polder, replacing it with the 72 km² Biesbosch tidal floodplains in the southcentre. The most recent parts of Zeeland were flooded during the North Sea Flood of 1953 and 1,836 people were killed, after which the Delta Plan was executed.

The disasters were partially man-made; the people drained relatively high lying swampland for use as farmland. This drainage caused the fertile peat to compress and the ground level to drop, locking the landusers in a vicious circle whereby they would lower the water level to compensate for the drop in ground level, causing the underlying peat to compress even more. The vicious circle is unsolvable and remains to this day. Up until the 19th century peat was dug up, dried, and used for fuel, further adding to the problem.

To guard against floods, a series of defences against the water were contrived. In the first millennium, villages and farmhouses were built on man-made hills called terps. Later these terps were connected by dikes. In the 12th century, local government agencies called "waterschappen" (English "waterbodies") or "hoogheemraadschappen" ("high home councils") started to appear, whose job it was to maintain the water level and to protect a region from floods. (The waterbodies are still around today performing the exact same function.) As the ground level dropped, the dikes by necessity grew and merged into an integrated system. In the 13th century, windmills came into use to pump water out of the areas by now below sea level. The windmills were later used to drain lakes, creating the famous polders. In 1932, the Afsluitdijk (English "Barrier Dike") was completed, blocking the former Zuyderzee (Southern Sea) off from the North Sea and thus creating the IJsselmeer (IJssel Lake). It became part of the larger Zuiderzee Works in which four polders totalling 1,650 km² were reclaimed from the sea.

After the 1953 disaster, the Delta project, a vast construction effort designed to end the threat from the sea once and for all, was launched in 1958 and largely completed in 2002. The official goal of the Delta project was to reduce the risk of flooding in Holland to once per 10,000 years. (For the rest of the country, the protection-level is once per 4,000 years). This was achieved by raising 3,000 km of outer sea-dikes and 10,000 km of inner, canal, and river dikes to "delta" height, and by closing off the sea estuaries of the Zeeland province. New risk assessments occasionally incur additional Delta project work in the form of dike re-enforcements. The Delta project is the single largest construction effort in human history and is considered by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

Because of the high cost of maintaining the polders some have argued that maybe some of the deepest polders should be given up. Additionally, the Netherlands is one of the countries that may suffer most from climatic change. Not only is the rising sea a problem, but also erratic weather patterns may cause the rivers to overflow. These flooded polders might then be used as water catchments to take part of the blow.

The country is divided into two main parts by three rivers Rhine (Rijn), Waal, and Meuse (Maas). The south western part of the Netherlands is actually one big river delta of these rivers. These rivers not only function as a natural barrier, but also as a cultural divide, as is evident in the different dialects spoken north and south of these great rivers and the (previous) religious dominance of Catholics in the south and Calvinists in the north.

The predominant wind direction in the Netherlands is southwest, which causes a moderate maritime climate, with cool summers and mild winters.

See also: National parks (Netherlands).

Economy

Main article: Economy of the Netherlands

The Netherlands has a prosperous and open economy in which the government has reduced its role since the 1980s. Industrial activity is predominantly in food-processing (for example Unilever and Heineken), chemicals (for example DSM), petroleum refining (for example Shell), and electrical machinery (for example Philips). A highly mechanised agricultural sector employs no more than 4% of the labour 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. Other important parts of the economy are international trade (Dutch colonialism started with cooperative private enterprises such as the VOC), banking and transport (for example the Rotterdam harbour). 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. However, in the first years of the third millennium, economic and employment growth came to a standstill, which the government tried to resolve by cutting into its expenses.

In 2003 the economy shrunk 0,9%[2][3]. In 2004 the recession was over and the economy began its slow recovery with a meagre 1,3% growth. The CPB ("Centraal Plan Bureau", Central Planning Bureau), a think tank of leading Dutch economists linked with the government, expects a recovery of the economy in 2005, with a growth of 2,25%. In 2004, inflation was 1,2 %[4], the lowest level since 1989.

• List of Dutch companies

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of the Netherlands

The Netherlands is the 15th most densely populated country in the world, with 393 inhabitants per square km (or 482/km² if only the land area is counted, 20% is water). Partly because of this it is also one of the most densely cabled countries in the world. Internet penetration [5] is at 66.2% the 7th highest in the world.

Languages

The official language is Dutch, which is spoken by practically all inhabitants. Another official language is Frisian, which is spoken in the northern province of Friesland and has a strong resemblance to English. Several dialects of Low Saxon are spoken in much of the north and are recognised as regional languages, as protected by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. To the south, the Dutch language shifts into other varieties of Low Franconian and German, which may or may not be best classified as Dutch, most notably West Flemish. One of these, Limburgish, which is spoken in the southeastern province of Limburg has been recognised as a minority language since 1977.

Religion

According to the governmental statistics agency (CBS) 30% of the population consider themselves to be Roman Catholic, 20% Protestant (predominantly Dutch Reformed) and 8% 'other denominations'. 42% consider themselves not to belong to any religious denomination. Church attendance however is much lower than these figures may suggest: some 70% of the population 'rarely or never' visit a house of worship (be it a church, mosque, synagogue or temple).

The largest part of the 'other denominations', at 920,000, are Muslim immigrant workers, mostly from Morrocco and Turkey, and their offspring. The other denominations also include some 200,000 (1.3%) Hindu, mostly descendents of indentured servants who migrated from India to the former Dutch colony of Surinam around 1900. Prior to the Holocaust about 140,000 Jews lived in the Netherlands, however the vast majority of Dutch Jewry was murdered in the Holocaust. About 30,000 Dutch Jews now live 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.Willem de Kooning was born and trained in Rotterdam, although he is considered to have reached acclaim as an American artist. A (in)famous 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. Christiaan Huygens(1629-1695) is a famous astronomer and mathematician. He discovered Saturn's moon Titan and invented an accurate clock.

In the Dutch Golden Age, literature flowered as well, with Joost van den Vondel and P. C. Hooft as the two most famous writers. 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 in The Netherlands, Sport in the Netherlands, Music of the Netherlands, List of Dutch people, Public holidays in the Netherlands

Replicas of Dutch buildings can be found in Holland Village, Nagasaki, Japan. A similar Holland Village is being built in Shenyang, China.

Windmills, tulips, wooden shoes, cheese and Delftware pottery are among the numerous items associated with the Netherlands.

Dutch policies on recreational drugs, prostitution, same-sex marriage and euthanasia are among the most liberal in the world.

Miscellaneous topics

• City rights in the Netherlands
• Communications in the Netherlands
• Drug policy of the Netherlands
• Dutch colonial empire
• Dutch people
• Dutch-Belgian War
• Education in the Netherlands
• Euthanasia in the Netherlands
• Foreign relations of the Netherlands
• General Intelligence and Security Office (AIVD)
• Income tax in the Netherlands
• List of football clubs in the Netherlands
• Military of the Netherlands
• Netherlands and weapons of mass destruction
• New Netherland
• Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) of the Netherlands
• Prostitution in the Netherlands
• Reporters Without Borders worldwide press freedom index 2004 "” first place
• Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands
• Statistics Netherlands
• Telephone numbers in the Netherlands
• Television networks in the Netherlands
• Tourism in the Netherlands
• Transportation in the Netherlands

External links

Look up The Netherlands in Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Wikimedia Commons has more media related to:

The Netherlands

Travel guide to Netherlands from Wikitravel

• [6]
• Amsterdam / Netherlands info - Information about the Netherlands, its provinces and Amsterdam.
• CBS - Key figures from the Dutch bureau of statistics
• CIA - The World Factbook -- Netherlands
• Dutch news: Radio Netherlands, Expatica
• Dutch Portuguese Colonial History Dutch Colonial History in Sri Lanka, Ceylon, Brazil, India, Malacca (Malaysia), Bengal, Formosa(Taiwan), South Africa, New York, Caribbean, Indonesia. Language Heritage. Maps, chronologies, bibliographies.
• Encarta entry on the Netherlands
• Flagspot.net - The Netherlands- site about flags, but also with province maps showing municipalities, and some other info
• Foreign government info about the Netherlands and their relations with it:
  Australia | Canada | India | Italy | New Zealand | South Africa | UK | US
• Government.nl - official Dutch government web site
• [7] Dutch for English speakers (from Wikibooks)
• List of ca. 1500 tall buildings in the Netherlands
• NL Planet - English language resources, background information and free forums
• Overheid.nl - official Dutch government portal (includes official publications from 1995; older ones are only available in some libraries, on paper or microfiche)
• Province maps showing subdivision in municipalities, and linking each municipality to its basic data page
• The Dutch Royal House
• Maps and data
• Track.nl - An Internet search-engine that specialises in the Netherlands.
• World66 Guide to The Netherlands A travel guide written by its users.

European Union (EU)
Austria | Belgium | Cyprus | Czech Republic | Denmark | Estonia | Finland | France | Germany | Greece | Hungary | Ireland | Italy | Latvia | Lithuania | Luxembourg | Malta | Netherlands | Poland | Portugal | Slovakia | Slovenia | Spain | Sweden | United Kingdom

Source: en.wikipedia.org
The above document is available under GNUFDL