|
|
| Overview | People | Geography | Economy | Government | Communications | Transport | Military | Map |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Flag |  |
| Capital | name: Amsterdam geographic coordinates: 52 23 N, 4 54 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: The Hague is the seat of government; time descriptions apply to the continental Netherlands only, not to the Caribbean components |
| Population | 16,715,999 (July 2009 est.) |
| GMT | +1 |
| Location | Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany see map |
| Area | total: 41,526 sq km land: 33,883 sq km water: 7,643 sq km |
| Ethnic groups | Dutch 80.7%, EU 5%, Indonesian 2.4%, Turkish 2.2%, Surinamese 2%, Moroccan 2%, Netherlands Antilles & Aruba 0.8%, other 4.8% (2008 est.) |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 30%, Dutch Reformed 11%, Calvinist 6%, other Protestant 3%, Muslim 5.8%, other 2.2%, none 42% (2006) |
| Languages | Dutch (official), Frisian (official) |
| Government type | constitutional monarchy |
| National holiday | Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX), 30 April (1909 and 1980) |
| Constitution | adopted 1815; amended many times, most recently in 2002 |
| Legal system | based on civil law system incorporating French penal theory; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
| Background | The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU), and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. |
| Internet country code | .nl |
