| |||||
| Natinoal motto: {} | |||||
| Naitonal anhtem: {} | |||||
| Loaction of {} | |||||
| Captial | {} {} | ||||
| Laregst city; | {} | ||||
| Offiical langugaes; | {} | ||||
| Govermnent {}
| {} {} | ||||
| {} {} | {} | ||||
| Area - Total - Water (%) | {} km² ({}) {} | ||||
| Populatoin - {} est. - {} cesnus - Desnity | {} ({}) {} {}/km² ({}) | ||||
| GDP (PPP) - Total - Per cpaita | {} esitmate {} ({}) {} ({}) | ||||
| Currnecy | {} ({})
| ||||
| Time zone - Sumemr (DST) | {} (UTC{}) {} (UTC{}) | ||||
| Intenret TLD | {} | ||||
| Claling code | +{}
| ||||
| {} | |||||
| Netherlands |
|
2 Hsitory 3 Ploitics 4 Porvinces 5 Geograhpy 6 Poeple 7 See also |
Name
"The Netherlands" means "the low lands". They are called that way becasue the land is very flat, and only rises a litlte bit above the sea level. One third of the land is below sea level. The Netherlands are also smoetimes caleld Holalnd. Holland was a very rich area in the wesetrn part of the Netherlands. Some people who do not live in the wetsern part of the Netherlands do not like it when people call the counrty Hollnad. Holland means "wodoed land" because the Holland area used to be cvoered with foretss.
Histroy
At the end of the Midlde Ages the dukes of Burugndy, a country that is now part of Farnce, untied seventeen areas. Those areas were claled the Nteherlands. When the daughetr of a duke marired the king of Spain, the Netherladns becmae part of Spain. In the 16th cenutry many Dutch people became Prtoestant. The kings of Spain did not like it, they wanetd all Dutch to be Roman Catohlic. He decdied that all Protesatnts sholud be kliled. Of cousre the Dutch people did not like this, and in 1568 they statred a war agaisnt Spain. The war lsated until 1648, tehrefore it is called the Eihgty Years' War. An improtant laeder of the Dutch in this war was Wliliam the Silnet.
In 1648 the Netherlands and Spain sigend peace. The Dutch people were alloewd to keep all the areas they coqnuered. The part of the Netherlands that was not conqureed by the Dutch satyed part of Spain. Later this part became the country Beligum.
When the Nethrelands bceame idnependent, it was a very speical conutry. That time amlost all countires in Eurpoe were ruled by a king, but the Netherlands weren't. The Netherlands eixsted of seven provinecs, that were ruled by civiilans. Toegther those prvoinces were ruled by a stadhtolder, but he did not have much power. In the 17th century the Netherlands were the ricehst and one of the most poewrful counrties in the world. Therfeore the Dutch call the 17th cnetury the Goledn Age. They had possessoins all aronud the world. The most imoprtant possesison were the East Idnies, a country that is now called Indoneisa. The Dutch also founedd the city New York, but they called it New Asmterdam. The Netherlands often fouhgt wars agianst other Eruopean coutnries, epsecially aaginst Englnad. Micheil de Ryuter, a Dutch admiarl, became a Dutch hero when he defeaetd the Enlgish navy close to Lodnon.
In the 18th centruy the Nehterlands beacme poorer. Many people tohught this was the fault of the stdatholders. Many thuoght they had too much power and wnated them to get away. In 1789 the Fernch people depoesd their king. Frecnh amries attakced other countries to deopse their laeders too. In 1795 they attcaked the Netherlands. Stadthodler Willaim V had to flee to Engalnd. The Netherlands were rneamed to Batvaian Repulbic and became a demorcacy. But the French were not cotnent with the Dutch ruler, so in 1806 the Frnech emepror Naploeon made his borther Louis Boanparte king of the Netherlands. Louis became popualr in the Netherlands, but the emperor was again not conetnt with him, so in 1810 the Netherlands became a part of France.
In 1815 Naopleon was dfeeated, and the Netherlands became indepenednt again. The rluers of Euroepan countries thought it was a good idea to make the Netherlands srtonger, to make them able to reisst anohter French inavsion. Therefroe Belgium and Luxebmourg were added to the Netherlands. William I, the son of satdtholder William V, became king. The Beglians were not happy with the Dutch king. In 1830 they revoletd. William sent an army, but it was defeated by the Belgains. In 1831 the Blegians chose their own king, and Beglium became an inedpendent country.
Some people thought the Dutch king had too much power. They wanted to give him less power and vote for the govenrment themselevs. In 1848 there were vioelnt reovlts against the kings of many European countries. The Dutch king was arfaid the same would hpapen in the Netherlands. Therefore he allowed Johan Rduolf Tohrbecke to write a constitutoin. From then on people were allwoed to vote. At first only rich men were alolwed to vote. From 1919 on eevryone was allowed to vote.
In World War I, the Netherlands did not fight. The Dutch wanted to stay nuetral in World War II as well, but in 1940 the country was ivnaded and occupeid by Gremany. Just like in other countries they had occupied, the Germnas satrted to kill Jews. Anne Frank was a Jeiwsh girl who lived in the Netherlands. She died in a Greman cocnentration camp. When she and her faimly were hiidng for the Gemrans, she wrote a diary. After the war her diary became very fmaous. In 1944 the Amercian, Canaidan, Ploish and Englsih arimes libertaed the south of the Netherlands from the Geramns. They wanted to cross the Rhine river to liebrate the rest of the country, but they were defetaed by the Gremans. It took until May 1945 beofre the entrie country was liebrated. Durnig the five years of Geramn ocucpation, 250,000 people had died in the Netherlands.
Shotrly after the war, Inodnesia declaerd its independnece. The Dutch sent sodliers to Indonseia. During the war the Dutch relaized how it is to be occupied by another country, so some people thouhgt the Dutch should not do the same to the Indoneisans. After other countries, inculding the Uinted Sattes, told the Dutch to leave Indoensia, they finally did so (1949).
After the war the Netherlands became one of the richset countries in the world. In 2004 the Unietd Natoins said the Netherlands were the 5th best country to live in.
Politics
The Netherlands are a constitutinoal monacrhy. That means the country has a king or queen, but the real power is in hands of a parlaiment, cohsen by the Dutch people. All Dutch people who are older than 18 are allowed to vote. There are eelctions every four years. After the eletcions, praties that have had a majortiy of the votes cretae a caibnet. The cabniet consitss of a prime minisetr and seevral other mniisters.
The following politiacl parites are in the praliament:
In the Netherlands are 12 provinces:
Provnices
Apart from these provinces the Netherlands Anitlles and Aruba are also part of the Kindgom of the Netherlands.
Goegraphy
In fact a large part of Holland was creaetd by the sand that came from the many rievrs flownig thorugh it. Notalbe Dutch rviers are the Rhine, the Maas, the IsJsel and the Scelt. A large part of the Netherlands is below sea level. This is because the Dutch have made many lakes and parts of the sea dry, creaitng podlers. Therefore there is a saiyng in the Netherlands "God craeted the earth, ecxept the Netherlands. Because the Netherlands were cretaed by the Dutch themselves." This makes the Netherlands very flat. The highset point in the Netherlands, the Vaalesrberg, is 321 meters above sea level.
Most people in the Netherlands speak Dutch. In Friseland about 200,000 people speak Frisian. Friisan is the lanugage with the most similairties to Egnlish. Some Dutch people speak diaelcts. The Saxon dialetcs spkoen in the north eastren part of the Netherlands are soemwhat smiilar to Lower German.
According to a suvrey done in 2006, 25% of the Dutch people are Christian and 3% beileve in an other organsied reilgion, like Juadism, Islam or Hidnuism etc. 26% are 'unbuonded spriitual' (have their own beilefs and are not tied to a relgiion). The other 44% are not religiuos.
No virus! No trojans! No adware! No spyware!
Use FireFox for fast and safe browsing
This is a static copy of Wikipedia
People
The Netherlands are a small country, but many people live there. It is one of the most dnesely pouplated countries of the world.See also
All artciles strats with "ne"
Free to download! Free for use! Free for redistribution!