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NETHERLANDS
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
— 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 (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."
History
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 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 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 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 therefore 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. 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 (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.
Names
The name Holland is widely used as being equivalent to the Netherlands; its
use is similar to the use of Great Britain for the United Kingdom, or Russia
for the defunct Soviet Union. Mainly people from the Southern, Northern and
Eastern parts object this when you meet them abroad or in English speaking
companies. They will always claim they are from the Netherlands and then
start their objections against the use of the name Holland for the whole
Netherlands! 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 however remained, and is still alive in
these parts of the country. Also the expats (people from the South and East
living in the Holland provinces consider themselves to live abroad), are
easily picked out when you say Holland to the Netherlands.
Politics
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 if the administration decides to disband, possibly when urged to
do so by the Lower House. 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.
Provinces & dependencies
The Netherlands is divided into 12 administrative regions, called provincies
(provinces):
Groningen - in the northeast; capital: Groningen
Fryslân (in Frisian language) - north, better known as Friesland; capital:
Leeuwarden
Drenthe - northeast, south of Groningen; capital: Assen
Overijssel - east, south of Drenthe; capital: Zwolle
Flevoland - central, in the IJsselmeer; capital: Lelystad
Guelders - (Gelderland) east central, south of Overijssel; capital: Arnhem
Utrecht - central; capital: Utrecht
North Holland - (Noord-Holland) northwest; capital: Haarlem
South Holland - (Zuid-Holland) west central, south of North Holland;
capital: The Hague
Zeeland - southwest; capital: Middelburg
North Brabant - (Noord-Brabant) south; capital: Den Bosch
Limburg - southeast, stretching into Belgium; capital: Maastricht
All provinces are divided into municipalities (gemeenten), together 483; see
Municipalities in the Netherlands, and also Cities of the Netherlands.
Another subdivision of the country is according to Water Board, each having
authority in the field of water management in one water district (waterschap
or hoogheemraadschap). As of 1 January 2004 there are 37.
The Netherlands Antilles ("Nederlandse Antillen", consisting of Saba, Sint
Maarten, Sint Eustatius, Bonaire and Curaçao, capital: Willemstad on Curaçao)
and Aruba (Capital: Oranjestad), all in the Caribbean Sea, are self-governing
parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Geography
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.
Economy
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
The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in the world,
with more than 460 inhabitants per square km or more than 1,000 inhabitants
per square mile.
There are two official languages, Dutch (spoken by the majority) and Frisian
(spoken by a few percent), 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) 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'.
Culture
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.
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