The Netherlands

**The Kingdom of the Netherlands**, commonly known as the **Netherlands**, is a sovereign state with territory in Europe and the Caribbean. The European territory borders Belgium and Germany. In the Caribbean, it also shares borders with France on the island of Saint Martin.

## History

### Twentieth and Early Twenty-First Centuries

The Netherlands were able to remain neutral during World War I. In part, because the import of goods through the Netherlands proved essential to German survival, until the blockade by the British Royal Navy in 1916. That changed in World War II, when Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940. The Rotterdam Blitz forced the main element of the Dutch army to surrender four days later. In 1944–45, the First Canadian Army, which included Canadian, British and Polish troops, was responsible for liberating much of the Netherlands. But soon after VE day, the Dutch fought a colonial war against the new republic of Indonesia.

In 1954, the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands reformed the political structure of the Netherlands, which was a result of international pressure to carry out decolonisation. The Dutch colonies of Surinam and Curaçao and Dependencies and the European country became all constituent countries within the Kingdom, on a basis of equality. The Netherlands was one of the founding members of the Benelux, NATO, and the European Coal and Steel Community, which would evolve into the EEC (Common Market) and later the European Union.

In January 1986, Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles, becoming a constituent country of the Kingdom in its own right. On 10 October 2010, the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved. Referendums were held on each island to determine their future status. As a result, the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (the BES islands) were to obtain closer ties with the Netherlands, and Curaçao and Sint Maarten became constituent countries within the Kingdom. This led to the incorporation of these three islands into the country of the Netherlands as special municipalities upon the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles. The special municipalities are collectively known as the Caribbean Netherlands.

## Government and Politics

The Netherlands is a representative parliamentary democracy organised as a unitary state. Its administration consists of the Monarch and the Council of Ministers, which is headed by a Prime Minister. The people are represented by the States General of the Netherlands, which consists of a House of Representatives and a Senate. Aruba is a centralised unitary state. Its administration consists of the Governor, who represents the Monarch, and the (Aruban) Council of Ministers, headed by a Prime Minister. Curaçao is a centralised unitary state, with similar administrative characteristics to Aruba. Sint Maarten is a centralised unitary state, with similar administrative characteristics to Aruba.

### Countries and Regions

The Kingdom of the Netherlands is divided into four constituent countries:

* Netherlands
* Aruba
* Curaçao
* Sint Maarten

The European Netherlands is also divided into 12 provinces:

* Drenthe
* Flevoland
* Friesland
* Gelderland
* Groningen
* Limburg
* Noord-Brabant
* Noord-Holland
* Overijssel
* Utrecht
* Zeeland
* Zuid-Holland

The European Netherlands also contains three special municipalities in the Caribbean:

* Bonaire
* Sint Eustatius
* Saba

### Foreign Relations

The history of Dutch foreign policy has been characterised by its neutrality. Since the Second World War the Netherlands has become a member of a large number of international organisations, most prominently the UN, NATO and the EU. The Dutch economy is very open and relies on international trade. The foreign policy of the Netherlands is based on four basic commitments: to Atlantic co-operation, to European integration, to international development and to international law.

The Netherlands also plays host to both the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court at the Peace Palace in The Hague. The Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia also operate in the Netherlands.

## Economy

The Netherlands was one of the most densely populated nations in the world and the most densely populated nation in Europe. The Netherlands had been one of the most important commercial centers of Europe since Medieval times.

The Dutch port of Rotterdam was the largest port in Europe sitting at the mouth of the Rhine River. It was also one of the largest ports in the world. Most of the exports from both the Netherlands and the industrial regions of Germany along the Rhine River and its tributaries passed through Rotterdam. The Netherlands was a major player in the shipping industry. When the Asian middle class grew rapidly in the 2020s, Rotterdam was one of the main transit points for seaborne container ships carrying European exports to China, South East Asia and India.

The Dutch economy was closely tied to the German economy and the Netherlands remained in the German led "northern euro" even after France and the PIIGS withdrew from the Eurozone. Although the Dutch economy struggled during the Great Recession of the 2010s and briefly entered recession, the Netherlands was generally more productive than the Southern European nations and weathered the storm emerging stronger by the early 2020s as part of the German led European economic recovery.

The Netherlands was an agricultural powerhouse and was the second largest exporter of produce after the United States. Dutch agricultural was highly mechanized further increasing its efficiency and the size of its surplus for export.

Dutch Shell was a major player in the oil and gas industry and helped extract hydrocarbons from the North Sea. The Netherlands was also a major player in the renewable energy market operating numerous wind farms both offshore and on land. The Netherlands perfected a system of dikes in early modern times that protected Dutch territory that was below sea level, increasing the amount of fertile land available for settlement and agriculture. The Netherlands reinforced and expanded the dikes in the 21st century to include a tidal power farms that helped Amsterdam gradually move towards a post-fossil fuel economy. The growing network of wind, tidal and solar farms in Dutch territory specifically suited to the Netherlands unique geography formed a crucial link in the Europe wide smart grid under construction in the mid-21st century.