Netherlands | |
|---|---|
| Motto: | |
| Anthem: Wilhelmus (Dutch) ("William of Nassau") | |
.png)   Location of Netherlands (dark green) – in Europe (light green & dark grey) | |
| Sovereign state | Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Before independence | Spanish Netherlands |
| Act of Abjuration | 26 July 1581 |
| Peace of Münster | 30 January 1648 |
| United Kingdom of the Netherlands | 16 March 1815 |
| Liberation Day | 5 May 1945 |
| Kingdom Charter | 15 December 1954 |
| Caribbean reorganisation | 10 October 2010 |
| Capital and largest city | Amsterdam[b] 52°22′N 4°53′E / 52.367°N 4.883°E |
| Government seat | The Hague[b] |
| Official languages | Dutch |
Recognised languages | |
| Ethnic groups (2022) |
|
| Religion (2023)[4] |
|
| Demonym(s) | Dutch |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
• Monarch | Willem-Alexander |
| Dick Schoof | |
| Legislature | States General |
| Senate | |
| House of Representatives | |
| European Parliament | |
| 31 seats | |
| Area | |
• Total | 41,865[5][e] km2 (16,164 sq mi) (134th) |
• Water (%) | 18.41[6] |
| Highest elevation | 887 m (2,910 ft) |
| Population | |
• 24 November 2024 estimate |  18,222,900[7] (69th) |
• 2011 census | 16,655,799[8] |
• Density | 520/km2 (1,346.8/sq mi) (33rd) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2024 estimate |
• Total |  $1.460 trillion[9] (28th) |
• Per capita | $81,494[9] (11th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | $1.218 trillion[9] (17th) |
• Per capita | $67,984[9] (11th) |
| Gini (2021) |  26.4[10]low |
| HDI (2022) |  0.946[11]very high · 10th |
| Currency | |
| Time zone | [g] |
• Summer (DST) | |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +31, +599[h] |
| Internet TLD | .nl, .bq[i] |
The Netherlands,[j] informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.[13] The Netherlands consists of twelve provinces; it borders Germany to the east and Belgium to the south, with a North Sea coastline to the north and west. It shares maritime borders with the United Kingdom, Germany, and Belgium.[14] The official language is Dutch, with West Frisian as a secondary official language in the province of Friesland.[1] Dutch, English, and Papiamento are official in the Caribbean territories.[1]
Netherlands literally means "lower countries" in reference to its low elevation and flat topography, with 26% below sea level.[15] Most of the areas below sea level, known as polders, are the result of land reclamation that began in the 14th century.[16] In the Republican period, which began in 1588, the Netherlands entered a unique era of political, economic, and cultural greatness, ranked among the most powerful and influential in Europe and the world; this period is known as the Dutch Golden Age.[17] During this time, its trading companies, the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company, established colonies and trading posts all over the world.[18][19]
With a population of over 18 million people, all living within a total area of 41,850 km2 (16,160 sq mi)—of which the land area is 33,500 km2 (12,900 sq mi)—the Netherlands is the 33rd most densely populated country, with a density of 535 people per square kilometre (1,390 people/sq mi). Nevertheless, it is the world's second-largest exporter of food and agricultural products by value, owing to its fertile soil, mild climate, intensive agriculture, and inventiveness.[20][21][22] The four largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht.[23] Amsterdam is the country's most populous city and the nominal capital, though the primary national political institutions are located in the Hague.[24]
The Netherlands has been a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a unitary structure since 1848. The country has a tradition of pillarisation (separation of citizens into groups by religion and political beliefs) and a long record of social tolerance, having legalised prostitution and euthanasia, along with maintaining a liberal drug policy. The Netherlands allowed women's suffrage in 1919 and was the first country to legalise same-sex marriage in 2001.[25] Its mixed-market advanced economy has the eleventh-highest per capita income globally. The Hague holds the seat of the States General, Cabinet, and Supreme Court.[26] The Port of Rotterdam is the busiest in Europe.[27] Schiphol is the busiest airport in the Netherlands, and the fourth busiest in Europe. Being a developed country, the Netherlands is a founding member of the European Union, Eurozone, G10, NATO, OECD, and WTO, as well as a part of the Schengen Area and the trilateral Benelux Union. It hosts intergovernmental organisations and international courts, many of which are in The Hague.[28]
- ^ a b c d e "Welke erkende talen heeft Nederland?" (in Dutch). Rijksoverheid. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^ "Besluit van 24 juni 2021 tot vaststelling van het tijdstip van inwerkingtreding van de Wet erkenning Nederlandse Gebarentaal" (PDF). Staatsblad van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden. 2021. ISSN 0920-2064. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ "How many residents have origins outside the Netherlands". opendata.cbs.nl. March 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ "Religieuze betrokkenheid; persoonskenmerken". CBS (in English and Dutch). 29 March 2024.
- ^ "Waaruit bestaat het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden? – Rijksoverheid.nl". 19 May 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
cia-worldfactbook-nlwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Bevolkingsteller" (in Dutch). Statistics Netherlands. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
- ^ "Dutch Census 2011 Analysis and Methodology" (PDF). Statistics Netherlands. 19 November 2014. p. 9. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
- ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2024 Edition. (Netherlands)". www.imf.org. International Monetary Fund. 22 October 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ "Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income – EU-SILC survey". ec.europa.eu. Eurostat. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. p. 288. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ "Wet geldstelsel BES". Dutch government. 30 September 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
- ^ "Statuut voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden" [Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands] (in Dutch). Government of the Netherlands. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ "Netherlands boundaries in the North Sea". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ How it Works: Science and Technology. Marshall Cavendish. 2003. p. 1208. ISBN 978-0-7614-7323-7.
- ^ "Netherlands – Dutch civilization in the Golden Age (1609–1713)". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
- ^ "Dutch Republic | History & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
- ^ "History of the Dutch Empire". historyworld.net. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
- ^ Reiley, Laura. "Cutting-edge tech made this tiny country a major exporter of food". Washington Post. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
- ^ (RVO), Netherlands Enterprise Agency (17 July 2015). "Agriculture and food". hollandtrade.com. Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^ "How the Netherlands Feeds the World". National Geographic Society. September 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ "Gemeentegrootte en stedelijkheid" (in Dutch). CBS. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ Dutch Wikisource. "Grondwet voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden" [Constitution for the Kingdom of the Netherlands] (in Dutch). Chapter 2, Article 32. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
... de hoofdstad Amsterdam ...
- ^ "Same-Sex Marriage Legalized in Amsterdam". CNN. 1 April 2001. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ^ Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the UN. "General Information". Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ^ "Rotterdam: the largest freight port in the EU". European Commission. 2 April 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ van Krieken, Peter J.; David McKay (2005). The Hague: Legal Capital of the World. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-90-6704-185-0.
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