Netherlands

<p>The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1581; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After 18 years of French domination, the Netherlands regained its independence in 1813. In 1830, Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I but suffered German invasion and occupation 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. In 2010, the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and the three smallest islands -- Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba -- became special municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands of Sint Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent countries forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands.</p> <p>In 2018, the Sint Eustatius island council (governing body) was dissolved and replaced by a government commissioner to restore the integrity of public administration. According to the Dutch Government, the intervention will be as "short as possible and as long as needed."</p>

Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany

52 31 N, 5 46 E

Europe

slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

451 km

temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters

mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast

natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land

2,969 sq km (2019)

Rijn (Rhine) river mouth (shared with Switzerland [s], Germany, and France) - 1,233 km<br><br><strong>note:</strong> [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

an area known as the Randstad, anchored by the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague, and Utrecht, is the most densely populated region; the north tends to be less dense, but sizeable communities can be found throughout the entire country

flooding <br><br><strong>volcanism:</strong> Mount Scenery (887 m), located on the island of Saba in the Caribbean, last erupted in 1640; Round Hill (601 m), a dormant volcano also known as "The Quill," is located on the island of St. Eustatius in the Caribbean; these islands are at the northern end of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends south to Grenada

located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine (Rijn), Meuse (Maas), and Scheldt (Schelde)); about a quarter of the country lies below sea level and only about half of the land exceeds one meter above sea level

Dutch 75.4%, EU (excluding Dutch) 6.4%, Turkish 2.4%, Moroccan 2.4%, Surinamese 2.1%, Indonesian 2%, other 9.3% (2021 est.)

Roman Catholic 20.1%, Protestant 14.8% (includes Dutch Reformed, Protestant Church of The Netherlands, Calvinist), Muslim 5%, other 5.9% (includes Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish), none 54.1% (2019 est.)

0.3% (2025 est.)

10.68 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

9.7 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

2.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

an area known as the Randstad, anchored by the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague, and Utrecht, is the most densely populated region; the north tends to be less dense, but sizeable communities can be found throughout the entire country

1.174 million AMSTERDAM (capital), 1.018 million Rotterdam (2023)

30.2 years (2020 est.)

4 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.62 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.79 (2025 est.)

3.88 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

2.9 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

20.4% (2016)

53.5% (2023 est.)

water pollution, including industrial and agricultural chemicals in rivers; air pollution from vehicles and refining activities

temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters

10 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

91 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

parliamentary constitutional monarchy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

12 provinces (<em>provincies</em>, singular - <em>provincie</em>), 3 public entities* (<em>openbare lichamen</em>, singular - <em>openbaar lichaam</em> (Dutch); <em>entidatnan publiko</em>, singular - <em>entidat publiko</em> (Papiamento)); Bonaire*, Drenthe, Flevoland, Fryslan (Friesland), Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant (North Brabant), Noord-Holland (North Holland), Overijssel, Saba*, Sint Eustatius*, Utrecht, Zeeland (Zealand), Zuid-Holland (South Holland)

civil law system based on the French system; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA <br>Christian Union or CU<br>Correct Answer 2021 or JA21<br>Democrats 66 or D66 <br>Denk <br>Farmer-Citizen Movement or BBB <br>50Plus <br>Forum for Democracy or FvD <br>Green Left (GroenLinks) or GL <br>Labor Party or PvdA <br>New Social Contract or NSC <br>Party for Freedom or PVV <br>Party for the Animals or PvdD <br>People's Party for Freedom and Democracy or VVD <br>Reformed Political Party or SGP <br>Socialist Party or SP <br>Together or BIJ1 <br>Volt Netherlands or Volt 

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CBSS (observer), CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UN Security Council (temporary), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

26 July 1581 

King's Day (birthday of King WILLEM-ALEXANDER), 27 April (1967)

<strong>description:</strong> three equal horizontal bands of bright red (top), white, and cobalt blue<br><br><strong>history:</strong> the colors come from WILLIAM I, Prince of Orange; originally the upper band was orange, but the dye would turn red over time, so red was eventually made the permanent color

lion, daisy

orange

<p>high-income, core EU- and eurozone-member economy; strong services, logistics, and tech sectors; strongly trade-oriented with heightened risks from global tensions; declining inflation aided by easing energy prices and wage growth; rising but manageable deficits and public debt; strong ratings for innovation, competitiveness, and business climate</p>

$1.228 trillion (2024 est.)

milk, sugar beets, potatoes, onions, pork, wheat, chicken, tomatoes, carrots/turnips, beef (2023)

agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing

-1.5% (2024 est.)

10.315 million (2024 est.)

14.5% (2021 est.)

24.8% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

Germany 16%, Belgium 15%, France 11%, Italy 6%, USA 6% (2023)

refined petroleum, vaccines, machinery, crude petroleum, broadcasting equipment (2023)

Germany 16%, Belgium 10%, China 10%, USA 10%, UK 5% (2023)

crude petroleum, refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment, cars, natural gas (2023)

more than 90% of households are connected to cable or satellite TV systems with a wide range of domestic and foreign channels; public service broadcast system includes multiple broadcasters, 3 with a national reach and the remainder in regional and local markets; 2 nationwide commercial TV companies, each with 3 or more stations, and many commercial TV stations in regional and local markets; nearly 600 radio stations with a mix of public and private stations&nbsp;

.nl

PH

44 (2025)

194 (2025)

Netherlands (Dutch) Armed Forces (Nederlandse Krijgsmacht): Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force, Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (Military Constabulary) (2025)

approximately 43,000 active-duty professional military personnel (2025)

the military's inventory consists of a mix of domestically produced and modern European- and US-sourced equipment; the Netherlands has an advanced domestic defense industry that focuses on armored vehicles, naval ships, and air defense systems; it also participates with the US and other European countries on joint development and production of advanced weapons systems (2025)

17 years of age for voluntary service for men and women; the military is an all-volunteer force; conscription remains in place, but the requirement to show up for compulsory military service was suspended in 1997 (2025)

350 Lithuania (NATO); 150 Romania (NATO); approximately 800 deployed to Dutch territories in the Caribbean (2025)

the Dutch military is charged with the three core tasks of defending the country’s national territory and that of its allies, enforcing the national and international rule of law, and providing assistance during disasters and other crises; it also has some domestic security duties, including in the Dutch Caribbean territories; the military operates globally but rarely carries out its operations independently, focusing instead on working through NATO and bilaterally with regional partners; it has particularly close ties with Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and the UK, including some combined military units and staffs<br><br>the Netherlands has been a member of NATO since its founding in 1949, and the Dutch military is involved in NATO missions and operations with air, ground, and naval forces, including air policing missions over the Benelux countries and Eastern Europe, NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence initiative in the Baltic States and Eastern Europe, and several NATO naval flotillas, as well as standby units for NATO’s rapid response force; the military has previously deployed forces to NATO-led operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo and also contributes to EU- and UN-led missions; Royal Netherlands Marechaussee detachments have been included in international police units deployed by NATO (2025)

Netherlands Space Office (NSO; established 2009) (2025)

has a national space program focused on developing advanced space technologies and services based on satellite data; builds and operates a range of satellites, including communications and remote sensing (RS); researches and develops technologies related to astrophysics, atmospheric measuring instruments, planetary/exoplanetary research, propulsion systems, RS, robotics, and telecommunications; founding member of the ESA and active in the EU space community; hosts the ESA's main research and technology center; participates in building European satellite launch vehicles and a range of other European space programs, such as Copernicus Earth observation and the Galileo global navigation satellite system; participates in international programs, including the International Space Station and the Square Kilometer Array project; works with other foreign space agencies and industries, including those of Japan and the US; has a robust commercial space sector&nbsp; (2025)

1960s - established space program<br><br>1974-1983 - developed advanced astronomical observatory satellites jointly with US, including the Astronomical Netherlands Satellite and the Infrared Astronomical Satellite <br><br>1985 - first Dutch citizen in space on the US Space Shuttle<br><br>2023 - signed US-led Artemis Accords for space and lunar exploration<br><br>2025 - launched the first of four planned synthetic aperture radar (SAR) remote sensing satellites

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)