The Netherlands (
i/ˈnɛðərləndz/; Dutch: Nederland [ˈneːdərˌlɑnt]; Frisian: Nederlân) is the main constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a densely populated country located in Western Europe with three island territories in the Caribbean.[nb 1] The European part of the Netherlands borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, sharing maritime borders with Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Germany.[9]
The three largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. Amsterdam is the country's capital,[10] while The Hague holds the Dutch seat of parliament and government.[11] The port of Rotterdam is the world's largest port outside East-Asia, and by far the largest port in Europe.[12]
The name Holland is used informally to refer to the whole of the country of the Netherlands.[nb 2]
i/ˈnɛðərləndz/; Dutch: Nederland [ˈneːdərˌlɑnt]; Frisian: Nederlân) is the main constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a densely populated country located in Western Europe with three island territories in the Caribbean.[nb 1] The European part of the Netherlands borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, sharing maritime borders with Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Germany.[9]The three largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. Amsterdam is the country's capital,[10] while The Hague holds the Dutch seat of parliament and government.[11] The port of Rotterdam is the world's largest port outside East-Asia, and by far the largest port in Europe.[12]
The name Holland is used informally to refer to the whole of the country of the Netherlands.[nb 2]
"Netherlands" literally means "lower countries", influenced by its low land and flat geography, with only about 50% of its land exceeding one metre above sea level.[13] Most of the areas below sea level are man-made. Since the late 16th century, large areas (polders) have been reclaimed from the sea and lakes, amounting to nearly 17% of the country's current land mass. With a population density of 412 people per km2 – 507 (January 2017) if water is excluded – the Netherlands is classified as a very densely populated country. Only Bangladesh, South Korea, and Taiwan have both a larger population and higher population density. Nevertheless, the Netherlands is the world's second-largest exporter of food and agricultural products, after the United States.[14][15] This is partly due to the fertility of the soil and the mild climate. The Netherlands was the third country in the world to have an elected parliament, and since 1848 it has been governed as a parliamentarydemocracy and a constitutional monarchy, organised as a unitary state. The Netherlands has a long history of social tolerance and is generally regarded as a liberal country, having legalised abortion, prostitution and euthanasia, while maintaining a progressive drugs policy. In 2001, it became the world's first country to legalise same-sex marriage.
The Netherlands is a founding member of the EU, Eurozone, G-10, NATO, OECD and WTO; as well as being a part of the Schengen Area and the trilateral Benelux Union. The country is host to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and five international courts: the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Court and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The first four are situated in The Hague, as is the EU's criminal intelligence agency Europol and judicial co-operation agency Eurojust. This has led to the city being dubbed "the world's legal capital."[16] The country also ranks second highest in the world's 2016 Press Freedom Index, as published by Reporters Without Borders.[17]
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