The following

outline Outline or outlining may refer to: * Outline (list), a document summary, in hierarchical list format * Code folding, a method of hiding or collapsing code or text to see content in outline form * Outline drawing, a sketch depicting the outer edge ...

is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Netherlands.

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

–

parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

democratic

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

. Its European mainland is bordered by the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

to the north and west,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

to the south, and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

to the east. The

European Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

constitutes the vast majority (by land area and population) of both the country and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and as such 'the Netherlands' in common parlance often implicitly refers to this entity. Similarly, the articles linked to below predominantly consider the European Netherlands.

General reference

* Pronunciation: * Common English country names:

, (imprecisely

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

) * Official English country name:

** A

constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands , national_anthem = ) , image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg , map_width = 250px , image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png , map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale , capital = ...

, which comprises the

, Aruba, Curaçao and

Sint Maarten Sint Maarten () is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of , it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the nort ...

. * Common endonym(s): Nederland ** Pronunciation: , * Official endonym(s): Nederland * Adjectivals: Dutch,

* Demonym(s): Dutch *

Etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...

: Name of the Netherlands * International rankings of the Netherlands *

ISO country codes ISO 3166-1 (''Codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions – Part 1: Country codes'') is a standard defining codes for the names of countries, dependent territories, and special areas of geographical interest. It ...

: NL, NLD, 528 *

ISO region codes ISO 3166-2 is part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and defines codes for identifying the principal subdivisions (e.g., provinces or states) of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1. The ...

: See ISO 3166-2:NL *

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

country code top-level domain A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code. All ASCII ccTLD identifiers are two letters long, and all ...

.nl .nl is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the Netherlands. It is one of the most popular ccTLDs with over six million registered .nl domains . When cwi.nl was registered by Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica on 1986-05-01, .nl ...

Geography of the Netherlands

Geography of the Netherlands The geography of the European Netherlands is unusual in that much of its land has been reclaimed from the sea and is below sea level, protected by dikes. It is a small country with a total area of and ranked 131st. With a population of 17.4 ...

* The Netherlands is: ** a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

, part of the

Kingdom of the Netherlands , national_anthem = ) , image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg , map_width = 250px , image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png , map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale , capital = ...

** a member state of the European Union ** a member state of NATO * Location (European Netherlands): ** Northern Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere **

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago ...

***

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

****

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

Time zone A time zone is an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between countries and their subdivisions instead of strictly following longitude, because it ...

Central European Time Central European Time (CET) is a standard time which is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The time offset from UTC can be written as UTC+01:00. It is used in most parts of Europe and in a few North African countries. CET ...

(

UTC+01 UTC+01:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +01:00. In ISO 8601, the associated time would be written as 2019-02-07T23:28:34+01:00. This time is used in: *Central European Time *West Africa Time *Western European Summer Time **Br ...

Central European Summer Time Central European Summer Time (CEST), sometimes referred to as Central European Daylight Time (CEDT), is the standard clock time observed during the period of summer daylight-saving in those European countries which observe Central European Time ...

(

UTC+02 UTC+02:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +02:00. In ISO 8601, the associated time would be written as 2020-11-08T23:41:45+02:00. This time is used in: As standard time (year-round) ''Principal cities: Cairo, Pretoria, Cape ...

) **

Extreme points of the Netherlands This is a list of the extreme points of the Netherlands, the points that are farther up, down, north, south, east or west than any other location. European part of the Netherlands *Northernmost Point — Rottumerplaat () *Northernmost Poin ...

: ***North: 53°33′18″N 6°28′41″E ***East: 53°10′49″N 7°13′40″E ***South: 50°45′01.5″N 5°54′54.0″E ***West: 51°18′57″N 3°21′30″E ***High:

Vaalserberg The Vaalserberg (, Ripuarian: ) is a hill with a height of above NAP and is the highest point in the European part of the Netherlands, also known as "Dutch Mountains". The Vaalserberg is located in the province of Limburg, at the south-east ...

***Low:

Zuidplaspolder The Zuidplaspolder is a polder in the western Netherlands, located northeast of Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, neighbouring settlements such as Zuidplas, Zevenhuizen, Waddinxveen, Moerkapelle, Gouda, Moordrecht, and Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel. It re ...

** Land boundaries: 1,027 km :: 577 km :: 450 km :* Coastline:

451 km * Population of the Netherlands: 17,000,002 * Area of the Netherlands: 41,526 km² / 16,033 sq mi ** Water: 18.41% * Atlas of the Netherlands

Environment of the Netherlands

Environment of the Netherlands * Climate of the Netherlands *

Renewable energy in the Netherlands Despite the historic usage of wind power to drain water and grind grain, the Netherlands today lags behind all other member states of the European Union in the production of energy from renewable sources. In 2019, the Netherlands produced just 8. ...

* Geology of the Netherlands *

Protected areas of the Netherlands Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although t ...

** Biosphere reserves in the Netherlands **

National parks of the Netherlands National parks in the Netherlands were defined in the 1960s as areas of at least 10 km² consisting of natural terrains, water and/or forests, with a special landscape and flora and fauna. The first two national parks were founded in the ...

* Wildlife of the Netherlands ** Fauna of the Netherlands *** Birds of the Netherlands *** Mammals of the Netherlands

Natural geographic features of the Netherlands

* Islands of the Netherlands * Lakes of the Netherlands *

Rivers of the Netherlands These are the main rivers of the Netherlands. All of the Netherlands is drained into the North Sea, partly via the IJsselmeer lake. In the list below, rivers that flow into the sea are sorted following the North Sea coast (including IJsselmeer) fr ...

World Heritage Sites in the Netherlands The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cultural herita ...

Regions of the Netherlands

Regions of the Netherlands The regions of the Netherlands provides links to both regions and subregions of the Netherlands. Regions The regions of the Netherlands are divided in the North, South, West and East Netherlands. Opposed to common practise in other countries, t ...

Administrative divisions of the Netherlands

Administrative divisions of the Netherlands *

Provinces of the Netherlands There are twelve provinces of the Netherlands (), representing the administrative layer between the national government and the local municipalities, with responsibility for matters of subnational or regional importance. The most populous prov ...

** Municipalities of the Netherlands

=Provinces of the Netherlands

=Municipalities of the Netherlands

= Municipalities of the Netherlands *

Capital of the Netherlands Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands according to the Constitution of the Netherlands, although the States General of the Netherlands, States General and the Cabinet of the Netherlands, Executive Branch have been situated in The Hague sinc ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, though the seat of government is in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

Cities of the Netherlands There are no formal rules in the Netherlands to distinguish cities from other settlements. Smaller settlements are usually called ''dorp'', comparable with villages in English speaking countries. The Dutch word for city is ''stad'' (plural: ''ste ...

Demography of the Netherlands

Demographics of the Netherlands Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...

Dutch people The Dutch ( Dutch: ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Netherlands. They share a common history and culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Aru ...

* Ethnic minorities in the Netherlands

Government and politics of the Netherlands

* Form of government:

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

. Note that the seat of government is in

Elections in the Netherlands Elections in the Netherlands are held for five territorial levels of government: the European Union, the state, the twelve Provinces, the 21 water boards and the 344 municipalities (and the three ''public bodies'' in the Caribbean Netherlands). A ...

** Dutch general election, 2021 ** Dutch general election, 2017 ** Dutch general election, 2012 ** Dutch Senate election, 2011 **

Dutch provincial elections, 2011 Provincial elections were held in the Netherlands on Wednesday 2 March 2011. Eligible voters elected the members of the provincial councils in the twelve provinces. These elections also indirectly determined the members of the Senate, since the 5 ...

Dutch general election, 2010 General elections were held in the Netherlands on Wednesday 9 June 2010. This was triggered by the fall of Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's Netherlands cabinet Balkenende-4, fourth cabinet on 20 February ...

** Dutch municipal elections, 2010 ** European Parliament election, 2009 ** Dutch water board elections, 2008 ** Dutch Senate election, 2007 ** Dutch provincial elections, 2007 **

Dutch general election, 2006 General elections were held in the Netherlands on 22 November 2006 following the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet. The elections proved relatively successful for the governing Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) which remained the largest p ...

Dutch municipal elections, 2006 The Dutch municipal elections of 2006 were held on 7 March 2006. About 11.8 million people could vote in 419 municipalities. Due to local redistricting, 15 municipalities have already held elections in January 2006 and 24 municipalities will hold ...

Political parties in the Netherlands This article lists political parties in the Netherlands, which has a multi-party system with numerous political parties, in which any one party has little chance of gaining power alone, and parties often work with each other to form coalition ...

Taxation in the Netherlands Taxation in the Netherlands is defined by the income tax ( Wet op de inkomstenbelasting 2001), the wage withholding tax ( Wet op de loonbelasting 1964), the value added tax ( Wet op de omzetbelasting 1968) and the corporate tax ( Wet op de ven ...

Branches of government of the Netherlands

Government of the Netherlands The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy, and a decentralised unitary state.''Civil service systems in Western Europe'' edited by A. J. G. M. Bekke, ...

Executive branch of the government of the Netherlands

Head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born ) is King of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne following his mother's abdication in 2013. Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht as the oldest child of Princess B ...

Head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, ...

Prime Minister of the Netherlands The prime minister of the Netherlands ( nl, Minister-president van Nederland) is the head of the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands. Although the monarch is the ''de jure'' head of government, the prime minister ''de facto'' ...

Mark Rutte Mark Rutte (; born 14 February 1967) is a Dutch politician who has served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 2010 and Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) since 2006. After a business career working for Unileve ...

Cabinet of the Netherlands The cabinet of the Netherlands ( nl, Nederlands kabinet) is the main executive body of the Netherlands. The current cabinet of the Netherlands is the Fourth Rutte cabinet, which has been in power since 10 January 2022. It is headed by Prime Min ...

: List of cabinets of the Netherlands from 1945 onwards ** Current cabinet:

Third Rutte cabinet The third Rutte cabinet was the cabinet of the Netherlands from 26 October 2017 until 10 January 2022 (since 15 January 2021 demissionary). It was formed by a coalition government of the political parties People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ...

Legislative branch of the government of the Netherlands

* Parliament of the Netherlands:

States General The word States-General, or Estates-General, may refer to: Currently in use * Estates-General on the Situation and Future of the French Language in Quebec, the name of a commission set up by the government of Quebec on June 29, 2000 * States Gener ...

( bicameral) **

Upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...

Senate of the Netherlands The Senate ( or simply ' , literally "First Chamber of the States General", or sometimes ' ) is the upper house of the States General, the legislature of the Netherlands. Its 75 members are elected on lists by the members of the twelve States-P ...

** Lower house:

House of Representatives of the Netherlands The House of Representatives (, pronounced ; commonly referred to as the ', literally "Second Chamber of the States General") is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of the Netherlands, the States General, the other one being the Senate ...

Judicial branch of the government of the Netherlands

Court system of the Netherlands * Supreme Court of the Netherlands

Foreign relations of the Netherlands

Foreign relations of the Netherlands The foreign policy of the Netherlands is based on four basic commitments: to the Atlantic cooperation, to European integration, to international development and to international law. While historically the Kingdom of the Netherlands was a neut ...

* Foreign minister:

Stef Blok Stephanus Abraham "Stef" Blok (born 10 December 1964) is a Dutch politician serving as Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy in the Third Rutte cabinet from 25 May 2021 till 10 January 2022. He is a member of the People's Party for Fr ...

** Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands *

Diplomatic missions in the Netherlands Diplomatics (in American English, and in most anglophone countries), or diplomatic (in British English), is a scholarly discipline centred on the critical analysis of documents: especially, historical documents. It focuses on the conventions, p ...

Diplomatic missions of the Netherlands This is a list of diplomatic missions of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, excluding honorary consulates. Ambassadors of the Netherlands are officially known as His Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, with their embassies called ...

International organization membership of the Netherlands

International organization membership of the Netherlands *

Confederation of European Paper Industries The Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) is the pan-European association representing the forest fibre and paper industry. Through its 18 national associations, CEPI gathers 495 companies operating more than 900 pulp and paper mills a ...

(CEPI) *

World Veterans Federation The World Veterans Federation (WVF) is the world's largest international veteran organisation. The federation consists of 172 veterans organizations from 121 countries representing some 60 million veterans worldwide. It is a humanitarian organis ...

Economic Affairs and Finance of the Netherlands

* Minister of Economic Affairs:

Henk Kamp Henricus Gregorius Jozeph "Henk" Kamp (; born 23 July 1952) is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) who served as Minister of Defence in the Cabinet Rutte III from 24 September 2021 to 10 January 2022. He pre ...

Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands , type = Department , logo = Ministerie van Economische Zaken en Klimaat Logo.png , logo_width = 250x250px , logo_caption = Logo of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy , image = Overzic ...

Finance minister A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

Jeroen Dijsselbloem Jeroen René Victor Anton Dijsselbloem (; born 29 March 1966) is a Dutch politician and economist serving as Mayor of Eindhoven since 13 September 2022, succeeding John Jorritsma (VVD). A member of the Labour Party (PvdA), he has also been Ch ...

** Ministry of Finance of the Netherlands

Law and order in the Netherlands

Law of the Netherlands The Netherlands uses civil law. The role of case law is small in theory, although in practice it is impossible to understand the law in many fields without also taking into account the relevant case law. The Dutch system of law is based on the ...

Justice minister A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

Ivo Opstelten Ivo Willem Opstelten (born 31 January 1944) is a retired Dutch politician and jurist. He is a member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). Opstelten applied at Leiden University in May 1963 majoring in Law and obtaining an Bac ...

** Ministry of Security and Justice of the Netherlands * Capital punishment in the Netherlands *

Constitution of the Netherlands The Constitution for the Kingdom of the Netherlands ( nl, Grondwet voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden) is one of two fundamental documents governing the Kingdom of the Netherlands as well as the fundamental law of the European territory of the ...

Human rights in the Netherlands Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, an ...

LGBT rights in the Netherlands Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) rights in the Netherlands have been some of the most progressive in the world. Same-sex sexual activity was legalized in 1811 after France invaded the country and installed the Napoleonic Code, erasing ...

***

Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands has been legal since 1 April 2001. A bill for the legalisation of same-sex marriage was passed in the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of Representatives by 109 votes to 33 on 12 September 2000 an ...

Religion in the Netherlands Religion in the Netherlands was historically dominated by Christianity between the 10th and 20th centuries. In the late 19th century, roughly 60% of the population was Calvinist and 35% was Catholic. Since then, there has been a significant d ...

Euthanasia in the Netherlands Euthanasia in the Netherlands is regulated by the "Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide (Review Procedures) Act" which was passed in 2001 and took effect in 2002. It states that euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are not ...

** Abortion in the Netherlands *

Law enforcement in the Netherlands National Police Corps ( nl, Korps Nationale Politie), colloquially in English as Dutch National Police or National Police Force, is divided in ten regional units, a central unit, the police academy, police services center, and national control ...

Prostitution in the Netherlands Prostitution in the Netherlands is legal and regulated. Operating a brothel is also legal. ''De Wallen'', the largest and best-known Red-light district in Amsterdam, is a destination for international sex tourism. History Toleration duri ...

Drug policy of the Netherlands While recreational use, possession and trade of non-medicinal drugs described by the Opium Law are all technically illegal under Dutch law, official policy since the late 20th century has been to openly tolerate all recreational use while ...

*** Gedogen (toleration of certain illegal practices for the greater good)

Military of the Netherlands

Military of the Netherlands * Command ** Commander-in-chief:

the Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

** Defence minister:

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert Jeanine Antoinette Hennis-Plasschaert (born 7 April 1973) is a Dutch politician and diplomat serving as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq since 1 November 2018. She is a member of t ...

*** Ministry of Defence of the Netherlands ** Chief of the Netherlands Defence Staff:

Tom Middendorp Thomas Antonius Middendorp (born 6 September 1960) is a retired general of the Royal Netherlands Army. He served as Chief of Defence of the Armed forces of the Netherlands from 28 June 2012 until 3 October 2017. He previously served as the C ...

* Forces ** Royal Netherlands Army ***

Korps Commandotroepen The (KCT) ( en, Commando Corps) is the elite special forces unit of the Royal Netherlands Army. The KCT traces its origins to the Second World War with the founding of No. 2 (Dutch) Troop, and the founding of the during the Indonesian War of ...

(special forces

commando Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...

) ** Royal Netherlands Navy *** Netherlands Marine Corps (special forces

marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

) ** Royal Netherlands Air Force **

Royal Marechaussee The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee ( nl, Koninklijke Marechaussee, abbreviated to KMar) is the national gendarmerie force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, performing military and civilian police duties. It is also one of the two national pol ...

(

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear rec ...

) *

Military history of the Netherlands The Netherlands, as a nation-state, dates to 1568, when the Dutch Revolt created the Dutch Empire. Previously, the Germanic tribes had no written language during the ancient and early medieval periods, so what we know about their early military ...

Military ranks of the Dutch armed forces The Military ranks of the Netherlands armed forces are the military insignia used by the armed forces of the Netherlands. Royal Netherlands Army Current ranks ;Officer ranks ;Enlisted ranks The Dutch titles for privates are: Timeline of rank ...

Local government in the Netherlands

Politics in the Netherlands *

Provincial politics in the Netherlands The Politics of the Dutch provinces takes places within the framework of the politics of the Netherlands. The province is the second-highest level of government, after the national government. The Netherlands is divided into twelve provinces. In ...

Water board A water board is a regional or national organisation that has very different functions from one country to another. The functions range from flood control and water resources management at the regional or local level (the Netherlands, Germany), w ...

Municipal politics in the Netherlands Municipal politics in the Netherlands is an important aspect of the politics of the Netherlands. The municipality is the lowest level of government, but this does not reflect the importance that the Amsterdam and Rotterdam governments play in Dut ...

History of the Netherlands

Culture of the Netherlands

Culture of the Netherlands The culture of the Netherlands is diverse, reflecting regional differences as well as the foreign influences built up by centuries of the Dutch people's mercantile and explorative spirit. The Netherlands and its people have long played an imp ...

Architecture of the Netherlands Dutch architecture has played an important role in the international discourse on architecture in three eras. The first of these was during the 17th century, when the Dutch empire was at the height of its power. The second was in the first half ...

Dutch Baroque architecture Dutch Baroque architecture is a variety of Baroque architecture that flourished in the Dutch Republic and its colonies during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century. (Dutch painting during the period is covered by Dutch Golden Age painting). Li ...

** Dutch Colonial architecture **

Dutch Colonial Revival architecture Dutch Colonial is a style of domestic architecture, primarily characterized by gambrel roofs having curved eaves along the length of the house. Modern versions built in the early 20th century are more accurately referred to as "Dutch Colonial Rev ...

Cannabis in the Netherlands Cannabis in the Netherlands is illegal, but is decriminalised for personal use. Recreational consumption of the drug is tolerated, and it is available in coffeeshops. Prohibition Cannabis was first criminalised in the Netherlands in 1953, follo ...

Cuisine of the Netherlands Dutch cuisine ( nl, Nederlandse keuken) is formed from the cooking traditions and practices of the Netherlands. The country's cuisine is shaped by its location in the fertile North Sea river delta of the European Plain, giving rise to fishing, f ...

* Ethnic minorities in the Netherlands *

Festivals in the Netherlands A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

** Music festivals in the Netherlands (category) **

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...

Languages of the Netherlands The official language of the Netherlands is Dutch, spoken by almost all people in the Netherlands. Dutch is also spoken and official in Aruba, Bonaire, Belgium, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Suriname. It is a West ...

* Media in the Netherlands *

National symbols of the Netherlands Symbols of the Netherlands are items or symbols that have symbolic meaning to, or represent, the Netherlands.There symbols are seen in official capacities, such as flags, coats of arms, postage stamps, and currency, and in URLs. They appear ...

** Coat of arms of the Netherlands **

Flag of the Netherlands The national flag of the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlandse vlag) is a horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. The current design originates as a variant of the late 16th century orange-white-blue '' Prinsenvlag'' ("Prince's Flag"), evo ...

** National anthem of the Netherlands *

Public holidays in the Netherlands The national holidays in the Netherlands are: While there are other holidays that are widely celebrated, these are not officially recognised national holidays. They are as follows: * While Saint Nicholas's Eve (the eve of Sinterklaas, also cal ...

* Records of the Netherlands *

Buddhism in the Netherlands Buddhism is a small minority Religion in the Netherlands, religion in the Netherlands, but it has shown rapid growth in recent years. As of the 2006 estimate, 170,000 Dutch people identified their religion as Buddhist (about 1% of the total popula ...

** Christianity in the Netherlands ** Hinduism in the Netherlands **

Islam in the Netherlands Islam is the second largest religion in the Netherlands, after Christianity, and is practised by 5% of the population according to 2018 estimates. The majority of Muslims in the Netherlands belong to the Sunni denomination. Many reside in th ...

** Judaism in the Netherlands ** Sikhism in the Netherlands *

Arts in the Netherlands

* Art in the Netherlands * Cinema of the Netherlands * Literature of the Netherlands *

Music of the Netherlands The Netherlands has multiple musical traditions. Contemporary Dutch popular music is heavily influenced by music styles that emerged in the 1950s, in the United Kingdom and United States. The style is sung in both Dutch and English. Some of the l ...

Television in the Netherlands Television in the Netherlands was officially introduced in 1951. In the Netherlands, the television market is divided between a number of commercial networks, such as RTL Nederland, and a system of public broadcasters sharing three channels, NPO 1 ...

Theatre in the Netherlands Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

Sports in the Netherlands

Sports in the Netherlands *

Football in the Netherlands Football is the most popular sport in the Netherlands. Football was introduced to the Netherlands by Pim Mulier in the 19th century when in 1879, at the age of 14, he founded Haarlemsche Football Club. Over the next 30 years, football gained ...

Economy and infrastructure of the Netherlands

Economy of the Netherlands The economy of the Netherlands is th15th largest in the world in 2022(in terms of Gross domestic product; GDP) according to Forbes. Its GDP per capita was estimated at $68,572 in the fiscal year 2022, which makes it one of the highest-earnin ...

* Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 16th (sixteenth) *

Agriculture in the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

* Banking in the Netherlands ** National Bank of the Netherlands *

Communications in the Netherlands This article is intended to give an overview of telecommunications in the Netherlands. Mail The postal service in the Netherlands is performed by PostNL in most cases—which has, as of 2008, a monopoly on letters lighter than 50 g.

Internet in the Netherlands According to research done by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Netherlands is ranked with Switzerland in having the most broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, has no bandwidth caps, and has the most hom ...

Companies of the Netherlands A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...

* Currency of the Netherlands:

Euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

(see also: Euro topics) ** ISO 4217:

EUR The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens ...

Energy in the Netherlands Energy in the Netherlands describes energy and electricity production, consumption and import in the Netherlands. Electricity sector in the Netherlands is the main article of electricity in the Netherlands. Overview Transition away from nat ...

** Energy policy of the Netherlands ** Oil industry in the Netherlands * Health care in the Netherlands * Mining in the Netherlands * Amsterdam Stock Exchange ** AEX index *

Tourism in the Netherlands Tourism in the Netherlands is a relatively small sector of the country's economy with a total contribution of 5.4% to gross domestic product and 9.6% to employment. In 2017 the Netherlands was visited by 17 million foreign tourists (with more th ...

Transport in the Netherlands The Netherlands is both a very densely populated and a highly developed country in which transport is a key factor of the economy. Correspondingly it has a very dense and modern infrastructure, facilitating transport with road, rail, air and ...

** Airports in the Netherlands **

Cycling in the Netherlands Cycling is a common mode of transport in the Netherlands, with 36% of Dutch people listing the bicycle as their most frequent way of getting around on a typical day, as opposed to the car (45%) and public transport (11%). Cycling has a modal sha ...

Rail transport in the Netherlands Rail transport in the Netherlands uses a dense railway network which connects nearly all major towns and cities. There are as many train stations as there are municipalities in the Netherlands. The network totals on of track; a line may run bot ...

Road transport in the Netherlands With 139,000 km of public roads, the Netherlands has one of the most dense road networks in the world – much denser than Germany and France, but still not as dense as Belgium. In 2013, 5,191 km were national roads, 7,778 km were ...

Roads in the Netherlands The Netherlands has a public road network totaling 139,000 km, one of the densest in the world. Its use has increased since the 1950s and now exceeds 200 billion km traveled per year, three quarters of which is by car, making it among the mos ...

Water supply and sanitation in the Netherlands Water supply and sanitation in the Netherlands is provided in good quality and at a reasonable price to the entire population. Water consumption is one of the lowest in developed countries at 128 litres per capita per day and water leakage i ...

Education in the Netherlands

References

External links

About the Netherlands -- Dutch Ministry of Foreign AffairsOverheid.nl
- official Dutch government portal
Government.nl
- official Dutch government web site *
CIA - The World Factbook -- Netherlands
- Key figures from the Dutch bureau of statistics *
Local news and features on the Netherlands
''Expatica''
Holland.com
- English website of the Netherlands tourist office {{DEFAULTSORT:Netherlands

*Outline Outlines