Here is a brief country overview of the Netherlands for newly arrived expats including its history, government, climate, major cities, provinces, economy and Dutch culture.

COUNTRY vs. KINGDOM

The Netherlands is a small country in the northwest corner of mainland Europe. A significant portion of its land sits below sea level and 18.5% of its geographic area is covered by water. The country is bordered by Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and the North Sea to the west and north.

The official language of the Netherlands is Dutch (also called Nederlands). The province of Friesland has two official languages: Dutch and Frysian.

The country of ‘The Netherlands‘ is also part of a larger entity known as the ‘Kingdom of the Netherlands‘. The kingdom includes the countries of Aruba, Curacao and St Maarten along with the island territories of Bonaire, Saba and St Eustasius. All are former Dutch colonies located in the Caribbean.

CAPITAL & PROVINCES

Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ largest city and the capital. The Hague, however, is the seat of Dutch government. It is where the Prime Minister and Parliament are headquartered and the Royal Family resides.

The Netherlands is divided into 12 provinces:

DUTCH GOVERNMENT

• Form of Government: Constitutional Monarchy
• Established: 1815
• Houses of Parliament: Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (lower house) and Staten Generaal (upper house)
• Head of Parliament Title: Prime Minister
• Current Prime Minister: Mark Rutte (since 2010)
• Administration: 12 Government Ministries
• Head of State Title: Monarch (King or Queen)
• Current Monarch: King Willem-Alexander (since 2013)
• Members of Royal Family: Queen Maxima, Princess Catharina-Amalia of Oranje, Princess Alexia, Princess Ariane
• Former Monarchs: King Willem I (1815-1840), King Willem II (1840-1850), King Willem III (1850-1890), Queen Wilhelmina (1890-1948), Queen Juliana (1948-1980), Queen Beatrix (1980-2013)
• Seat of Government: The Hague
• Dutch Flag: 3 horizontal stripes – red (top), white (middle) and blue (bottom)

DUTCH HISTORY

During the Middle Ages, the general region of what is today the Benelux countries was referred to as the Seventeen Provinces of the Lowlands. From the late 1400’s through the mid 1500’s, it was part of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1556 it became part of the Spanish Empire.

The regional economy began to flourish due primarily to its successful maritime trade. The Spanish court levied high tariffs on local businesses which eventually seeded discord among residents who felt they got little in return. During the same period, the Spanish court also outlawed the following of Protestant religions established in the Lowlands. The crackdown would later become known as the Spanish Inquisition.

DUTCH REPUBLIC

In 1568 the seven northern-most provinces of the Lowlands aligned to declare their independence from Spain. This rebellion, lead by Willem I, Prince of Orange, ignited the 80-Years War between the Spanish Empire and the newly created Dutch Republic.

The fight to defend its independence would continue for many decades. At the same time the new nation was becoming a global economic power through exploration and trade. The Dutch East India Company became the world’s first publicly-owned company in 1602 which in turn created the world’s first stock market in Amsterdam.

The republic continued to flourish for the next 150 years, a period referred to as the Dutch Golden Age. Societal and cultural developments came from such renown leaders, scholars, artists, scientists and statesmen as Christiaan Huygens, Johan de Witt, Peter Stuyvesant, Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, Michiel de Ruyter, Jan Steen and Rembrandt.

KINGDOM OF HOLLAND

The Dutch Republic started to decline in the early-to-mid 1700’s following a series of costly wars and the loss of its dominant position in the global maritime trade industry. In 1795, a weakened Dutch Republic was attacked and conquered by French forces led by General Napoleon Bonaparte. The country’s stadtholder at the time, Willem V, was forced into exile in England.

In 1806, Napoleon established a new kingdom comprised primarily of territory that had previously been the Dutch Republic. It was called the ‘Kingdom of Holland‘ and he made his younger brother Louis Bonaparte its new king.

Just four years later, Emperor Napoleon was disgruntled that his brother was not giving him the support he expected of him as king. He had his army invade and King Louie was forced to abdicate the throne leading to the dissolution of the Kingdom of Holland . The territory was then annexed by France in 1810.

KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

Three years later, Napoleon’s army was defeated at the Battle of Leipzig. Soon after Holland declared its independence from France. As the last stadtholder Prince Willem V had died during his time in exile, his son, Willem-Frederik, returned to Holland to claim his birth right to the title of Prince of Oranje. At the same time the re-established States General (Parliament) began drafting a Dutch constitution.

In 1815, the Congress of Vienna officially recognized the ‘Kingdom of the Netherlands‘ as an independent constitutional monarchy. Willem-Frederik, Prince of Oranje was elevated to Willem I, King of The Netherlands. The kingdom’s geographic territory mirrored today’s Benelux. The region of Belgium fought for its independence which was granted in 1839 and Luxembourg declared its independence in 1890.

The Dutch constitution of 1813 gave significant ruling power to the king. But after decades of economic decline and the loss of the Southern Netherlands (Belgium), a revised constitution was introduced in 1848 which removed most governing power from the monarch and reallocated it to Parliament.

The Dutch government is comprised of two houses (upper and lower) and is headed by a member of the party with the elected majority who holds the title ‘Prime Minister’. J.R. Thorbecke was instrumental in writing the revised constitution was one of the first Prime Ministers. He held the position for three non-consecutive terms (1849-1853, 1862-1866, 1871-1872). Mark Rutte is the current Prime Minister and holds the distinction as the longest serving (2010-present).

Find out more in The Little History of the Netherlands.

DUTCH ECONOMY

Although small in size, Netherlands is one of the world’s leading economies at over €1 trillion. It ranks as the 18th largest globally and the 5th largest within the European Union (behind Germany, France, Italy and Spain). The country is a major exporter of agricultural and horticultural products, mineral fuels, large machinery, high tech services and manufactured foods.

The Dutch economy benefits from its central northwestern Europe location, its highly-skilled and well-educated workforce, an English-fluency rate of 95%, a fairly government and one of the world’s most advanced digital infrastructures. Rotterdam is home to Europe’s largest sea cargo port and the country’s inland waterways and rail network allows for easy trans-shipping into neighboring Germany and Belgium.

The Netherlands has become a popular choice among foreign multi-national corporations looking to establish European operations. Asics, Cisco, Netflix, Nike, Pepsico, Tesla, Tommy Hilfiger and Uber have all set up European headquarters in Netherlands. Multi-national enterprises employ over 2.4 million people in the country.

Tourism is a small but growing sector of the Dutch economy. It accounts for approximately 5% of GDP but employs nearly 10% of the workforce. Amsterdam is by far the number one destination in the Netherlands for international visitors.

ICONIC SYMBOLS

Popular symbols associated with Holland include windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and bicycles.

EUROPEAN UNION

The Netherlands was one of six founding member countries of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951 and the European Economic Community in 1957, which served as the base for what has developed into today’s European Union. There are currently 27 member countries in the EU.

Other International Organizations

The Netherlands is also a member of the Eurozone, 20 countries that share one common currency… the euro.

The Netherlands is a member of many international organizations including: United Nations, North-Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), European Space Agency (ESA), Interpol, International Criminal Court (ICC), European Patent Organization (EPO) and the Benelux Economic Union.

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