Netherlands: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}{{Coord|52|N|6|E|type:country|display=title}}

| image_flag = Flag of the Netherlands.svg

| image_seal = Rijkswapen der Nederlanden.svg

| image_map = {{Switcher|[[File:EU-Netherlands (orthographic projection).png|frameless]]|The Netherlands on the globe centred on Europe|[[File:EU-Netherlands.svg|frameless]]|Metropolitan Netherlands in Europe|[[File:BES islands location map.svg|frameless]]|[[Caribbean Netherlands|Caribbean municipalities]]|default=1}}

| map_caption = {{map caption|location_color=dark green|country=Netherlands|region=Europe|region_color=dark grey|subregion=the European Union|subregion_color=green}}

|8.4% [[Europe]]an (excl. Dutch)

   | 55.4% [[Irreligion in the Netherlands|irreligion]]

| GDP_PPP = {{increase}} $1.290 trillion<ref name="imf2">{{cite web|url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2022/April|title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2022|date=April 2022|website=IMF.org|publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]]|access-date=19 April 2022}}</ref>| GDP_PPP_year = 2023

| GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $72,973<ref name=imf2/>

| GDP_nominal = {{increase}} $1.080 trillion<ref name=imf2/>

| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $61,098<ref name=imf2/>

The '''Netherlands''' ({{lang-nl|Nederland}} {{IPA-nl|ˈneːdərlɑnt||Nl-Nederland.ogg}}), [[Terminology of the Low Countries|informally]] '''Holland''',<!-- IMPORTANT!!! Do not link this Holland per [[WP:BOLDLINK]]; It is already linked and discussed further below and the bold unlinked inclusion is per community consensus!--><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=[[Cambridge Dictionary]]|chapter=Holland|quote=a name that is sometimes used for the Netherlands, a country in western Europe; a former province (= region with its own government) of the Netherlands, now divided into the provinces North Holland and South Holland|chapter-url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/holland|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=[[Merriam-Webster Dictionary]]|chapter=Holland|quote=geographical name; Hol·land ˈhä-lənd; 1 city in western Michigan on Lake Michigan population 33,051; 2 medieval county of the Holy Roman Empire bordering on the North Sea, now forming the North Holland and South Holland provinces of the Netherlands; 3 NETHERLANDS|chapter-url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holland|publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]]}}</ref> is a country located in [[northwestern Europe]] with overseas territories in the [[Caribbean]]. It is the largest of four constituent countries of the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0002154/2017-11-17 |title=Statuut voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden |trans-title=Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands |language=nl |work=Government of the Netherlands |date=17 November 2017 |access-date=11 July 2020}}</ref> The Netherlands consists of [[Provinces of the Netherlands|twelve provinces]]; it borders [[Germany]] to the east, and [[Belgium]] to the south, with a [[North Sea]] coastline to the north and west. It also has a border with [[France]] on the split island of [[Saint Martin (island)|Saint Martin]] in the Caribbean. It shares [[Maritime boundary|maritime borders]] with the [[United Kingdom]], Germany and Belgium.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.defensie.nl/english/topics/hydrography/contents/maritime-zones-and-boundaries/netherlands-boundaries-in-the-north-sea |title=Netherlands boundaries in the North Sea |publisher=Ministry of Defence |access-date=15 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819083824/http://www.defensie.nl/english/topics/hydrography/contents/maritime-zones-and-boundaries/netherlands-boundaries-in-the-north-sea |archive-date=19 August 2014}}</ref> The official language is Dutch, with [[West Frisian language|West Frisian]] as a secondary official language in the province of [[Friesland]].<ref name="official-and-recognised-languages"/> Dutch, English and [[Papiamento]] are official in the Caribbean territories.<ref name="official-and-recognised-languages"/>

{{anchor|name}}''Netherlands'' literally means "lower countries" in reference to its low elevation and flat topography, with nearly 26% falling [[Height above mean sea level|below sea level]].<ref name=":1" /> Most of the areas below sea level, known as [[Polder|''polders'']], are the result of [[Land reclamation in the Netherlands|land reclamation that began in the 14th century]].<ref name="Cavendish_2003">{{cite book|title=How it Works: Science and Technology|url=https://archive.org/details/howitworks09mars|url-access=registration|year=2003|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-0-7614-7323-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/howitworks09mars/page/1208 1208]}}</ref> In the [[Dutch Republic|Republican period]], which began in 1588, the Netherlands entered a unique era of political, economic, and cultural greatness, ranked among the most powerful and influential in Europe and the world; this period is known as the [[Dutch Golden Age]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Netherlands - Dutch civilization in the Golden Age (1609–1713)|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Netherlands|access-date=10 November 2021|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref> During this time, its trading companies, the [[Dutch East India Company]] and the [[Dutch West India Company]], [[Dutch Empire|established colonies and trading posts]] all over the world.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dutch Republic {{!}} History & Facts|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Dutch-Republic|access-date=10 November 2021|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=HISTORY OF THE DUTCH EMPIRE|url=http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistories.asp?historyid=aa61|access-date=10 November 2021|website=historyworld.net}}</ref>

With a population of 17.8 million people, all living within a total area of {{cvt|41,850|km2}}—of which the land area is {{cvt|33,500|km2}}—the Netherlands is the [[List of countries and dependencies by population density|16th most densely populated]] country, with a density of {{convert|531|/km2||disp=preunit|people |people}}. Nevertheless, it is the world's second-largest [[export]]er of food and agricultural products by value, owing to its [[Soil fertility|fertile soil]], mild climate, [[Intensive farming|intensive agriculture]], and [[List of Dutch inventions and innovations|inventiveness]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Reiley |first=Laura |title=Cutting-edge tech made this tiny country a major exporter of food |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2022/netherlands-agriculture-technology/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=23 November 2022 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en}}</ref><ref name="hollandtrade.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.hollandtrade.com/sector-information/agriculture-and-food/?bstnum=4909|title=Agriculture and food|first=Netherlands Enterprise Agency|last=(RVO)|work=hollandtrade.com|access-date=26 August 2016|date=17 July 2015|archive-date=1 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101082732/http://www.hollandtrade.com/sector-information/agriculture-and-food/?bstnum=4909|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="nationalgeographic.com">{{cite web |date=September 2017 |title=How the Netherlands Feeds the World |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/09/holland-agriculture-sustainable-farming/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=15 January 2020 |website=[[National Geographic Society]]}}</ref> The four largest cities in the Netherlands are [[Amsterdam]], [[Rotterdam]], [[The Hague]] and [[Utrecht]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/onze-diensten/methoden/classificaties/overig/gemeentegrootte-en-stedelijkheid |title=Gemeentegrootte en stedelijkheid |language=nl |publisher=[[Statistics Netherlands|CBS]] |access-date=16 December 2019}}</ref> Amsterdam is the country's most populous city and the nominal [[Capital of the Netherlands|capital]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Dutch Wikisource |title=Grondwet voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden |trans-title=Constitution for the Kingdom of the Netherlands |language=nl |url=http://nl.wikisource.org/wiki/Grondwet_voor_het_Koninkrijk_der_Nederlanden |at=[http://nl.wikisource.org/wiki/Nederlandse_grondwet/Hoofdstuk_2#Artikel_32 Chapter 2, Article 32] |quote=... de hoofdstad Amsterdam ... |access-date=3 July 2013}}</ref>

The Netherlands has been a [[parliamentary constitutional monarchy]] with a [[Unitary state|unitary structure]] since 1848. The country has a tradition of [[pillarisation]] and a long record of [[Toleration|social tolerance]], having legalised [[Prostitution in the Netherlands|prostitution]] and [[Euthanasia in the Netherlands|euthanasia]], along with maintaining a liberal [[Drug policy of the Netherlands|drug policy]]. The Netherlands allowed [[women's suffrage]] in 1919 and was the first country to legalise [[Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands|same-sex marriage]] in 2001. Its [[Mixed economy|mixed-market]] [[Developed country|advanced economy]] has the [[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|thirteenth-highest]] [[per capita income]] globally. The Hague holds the seat of the [[States General of the Netherlands|States General]], [[Cabinet of the Netherlands|Cabinet]] and [[Supreme Court of the Netherlands|Supreme Court]].<!--Do not change this without broad consensus--><ref>{{cite web|url=http://netherlandsmission.org/article.asp?articleref=AR00000154EN&categoryvalue=netherlands&subcategoryvalue=nlgeneralinfo |author=Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the UN |title=General Information |access-date=26 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005025411/http://netherlandsmission.org/article.asp?articleref=AR00000154EN&categoryvalue=netherlands&subcategoryvalue=nlgeneralinfo |archive-date=5 October 2013 }}</ref> The [[Port of Rotterdam]] is the [[List of busiest ports in Europe|busiest seaport in Europe]].<ref name="Ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/ddn-20200402-2_2021-11-25">{{Citation | url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/ddn-20200402-2| title=Rotterdam: the largest freight port in the EU| newspaper=European Commission| date=2 April 2020 | accessdate=25 November 2021}}</ref> [[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol|Schiphol]] is the [[List of the busiest airports in the Netherlands|busiest airport in the Netherlands]], and the [[List of the busiest airports in Europe|third busiest in Europe]]. The Netherlands is a founding member of the [[European Union]], [[Eurozone]], [[Group of Ten (economics)|G10]], [[NATO]], [[OECD]], and [[World Trade Organization|WTO]], as well as a part of the [[Schengen Area]] and the trilateral [[Benelux]] Union. It hosts several [[Intergovernmental organization|intergovernmental organisations]] and [[international court]]s, many of which are centred in The Hague.<ref>{{Cite book|last = van Krieken|first = Peter J.|author2 = David McKay|title = The Hague: Legal Capital of the World|publisher = Cambridge University Press|year = 2005|isbn = 978-90-6704-185-0|url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/haguelegalcapita0000unse}}</ref>

The region called the [[Low Countries]] (comprising [[Belgium]], the Netherlands and [[Luxembourg]]) has the same [[toponymy]]. Place names with ''Neder'', ''Nieder'', ''Nedre'', ''Nether'', ''Lage(r)'' or ''Low(er)'' (in [[Germanic languages]]) and ''Bas'' or ''Inferior'' (in [[Romance languages]]) are in use in low-lying places all over Europe. In the case of the Low Countries and the Netherlands, the geographical location of the ''lower'' region has been more or less downstream and near the sea. The [[Roman Empire|Romans]] made a distinction between the Roman provinces of downstream [[Germania Inferior]] (nowadays part of Belgium and the Netherlands) and upstream [[Germania Superior]]. The designation 'Low' returned in the 10th-century Duchy of [[Lower Lorraine]], which covered much of the Low Countries.<ref name="Franks (Columbia Encyclopedia)">{{cite encyclopedia |url = http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Franks.aspx |title=Franks |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] |encyclopedia=[[Columbia Encyclopedia]] |year=2013 |access-date=1 February 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://nobhist.narod.ru/lorraine.html |title=Lotharingia / Lorraine (Lothringen) |date=5 September 2013 |access-date=1 February 2014 }}</ref>

===Holland and Dutch===

The Netherlands is [[Terminology of the Low Countries#Holland (pars pro toto)|informally]] referred to as [[Holland]] in various languages, including Dutch<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.holland.com/be_nl/toerisme/informatie/algemeen/nederland-vs-holland.htm |title=Nederland vs. Holland |quote=Wat is het verschil tussen Holland en Nederland? Nederland bestaat uit de 12 provincies, maar veel mensen gebruiken ook het woord Holland als ze het over Nederland hebben. |language=Dutch |website=holland.com |date=11 May 2016 |access-date=5 February 2023}}</ref> and English. In other languages, Holland is the formal name for the Netherlands. Holland can also refer to a region within the Netherlands that consists of [[North Holland|North]] and [[South Holland]]. Formerly these were a single province, and earlier the [[County of Holland]], which included parts of present-day [[Utrecht (province)|Utrecht]]. The emphasis on Holland during the formation of the [[Dutch Republic]], the [[Eighty Years' War]], and the [[Anglo-Dutch Wars]] in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, made Holland a ''[[pars pro toto]]'' for the entire country.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/about-us/style-book/1435302/Telegraph-style-book-places-and-peoples.html |title=Telegraph style book: places and peoples |access-date=31 March 2014 |location=London |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=12 April 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.media.uoa.gr/lectures/linguistic_archives/academic_papers0506/notes/stylesheets_3.pdf|title=The BBC News Styleguide|access-date=31 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227003642/http://www2.media.uoa.gr/lectures/linguistic_archives/academic_papers0506/notes/stylesheets_3.pdf|archive-date=27 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

''Dutch'' is used as the [[adjective]] for the Netherlands, as well as the [[demonym]]. The origins of the word go back to Proto-Germanic ''*þiudiskaz'', [[Onomastic Latinisation|Latinised]] into [[Theodiscus]], meaning "popular" or "of the people", akin to Old Dutch ''Dietsch'' or Old English ''þeodisc'', meaning "(of) the common (Germanic) people". At first, the English language used Dutch to refer to any or all speakers of [[West Germanic languages]]. Gradually its meaning shifted to the West Germanic people they had the most contact with.

The first author to describe the coast of [[Holland]] and [[Flanders]] was the [[geographer]] [[Pytheas]], who noted in c. 325 BC that in these regions, "more people died in the struggle against water than in the struggle against men."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lendering |first1=Jona |title=The Edges of the Earth (3) – Livius |url=https://www.livius.org/articles/concept/the-edges-of-the-earth-1/the-edges-of-the-earth-3/ |website=livius.org |access-date=28 February 2019}}</ref> During the [[Gallic Wars]], the area south and west of the [[Rhine]] was conquered by [[Roman Empire|Roman forces]] under [[Julius Caesar]] from 57 BC to 53 BC.<ref name="Lendering"/> Caesar describes two main Celtic tribes living in what is now the southern Netherlands: the [[Menapii]] and the [[Eburones]]. Under [[Augustus]], the [[Roman Empire]] would conquer the entirety of the modern day Netherlands, incorporating it into the province of [[Germania Antiqua]] in 7 BC, but would be repelled back across the Rhine after the [[Battle of the Teutoburg Forest|Battle of Teutoburg Forest]] in 9 AD, with the Rhine becoming fixed as Rome's permanent northern frontier around 12 AD. Notable towns would arise along the [[Limes Germanicus]]: [[Nijmegen]] and [[Voorburg]]. In the first part of [[Gallia Belgica]], the area south of the Limes became part of the [[Roman province]] of [[Germania Inferior]]. The area to the north of the Rhine, inhabited by the Frisii, remained outside Roman rule, while the Germanic border tribes of the [[Batavi (Germanic tribe)|Batavi]] and [[Cananefates]] served in the [[Ala (Roman allied military unit)|Roman cavalry]].<ref>Roymans, Nico, ''Ethnic Identity and Imperial Power: The Batavians in the Early Roman Empire'', Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2005, pp 226–227</ref> The Batavi rose against the Romans in the [[Revolt of the Batavi|Batavian rebellion]] of 69 AD but were eventually defeated. The Batavi later merged with other tribes into the confederation of the Salian Franks, whose identity emerged in the first half of the third century.<ref name="Previté-Orton">Previté-Orton, Charles, ''The Shorter Cambridge Medieval History'', vol. I, pp. 51–52, 151</ref> Salian Franks appear in Roman texts as both allies and enemies. They were forced by the confederation of the Saxons from the east to move over the Rhine into Roman territory in the fourth century. From their new base in [[West Flanders]] and the Southwest Netherlands, they were raiding the [[English Channel]]. Roman forces pacified the region but did not expel the Franks, who continued to be feared at least until the time of [[Julian (emperor)|Julian the Apostate]] (358) when Salian Franks were allowed to settle as ''[[foederati]]'' in [[Texandria]].<ref name="Previté-Orton"/>  

After the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] government in the area collapsed, the Franks expanded their territories into numerous kingdoms. By the 490s, [[Clovis I]] had conquered and united all these territories in the southern Netherlands in one [[Frankish kingdom]], and from there continued his conquests into [[Gaul]]. During this expansion, Franks migrating to the south (modern territory of France and Walloon part of Belgium) eventually adopted the [[Vulgar Latin]] of the local population.<ref name="Verhaal"/> A widening cultural divide grew with the Franks remaining in their original homeland in the north (i.e. the southern Netherlands and Flanders), who kept on speaking [[Old Frankish]], which by the ninth century had evolved into [[Old Low Franconian]] or [[Old Dutch]].<ref name="Verhaal"/> A Dutch-French language boundary hence came into existence.<ref name="Verhaal"/><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j10lCgAAQBAJ|title=History of the Low Countries|last=Blom|first=J. C. H.|date=30 June 2006|publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=978-1-84545-272-8|pages=6–18|language=en}}</ref>

Following the [[sack of Antwerp]], delegates from Catholic Brabant, Protestant Holland and Zeeland agreed to join Utrecht and William the Silent in driving out Spanish troops and forming a new government for the Netherlands. [[Don Juan of Austria]], the new Spanish governor, was forced to concede initially, but within months returned to active hostilities. The Dutch began to look for help from the Protestant [[Elizabeth I of England]], but she initially stood by her commitments to the Spanish in the [[Treaty of Bristol]] of 1574. When the next large-scale battle occured at [[Gembloux]] in 1578, the Spanish forces easily won the day, killing at least 10,000 rebels.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gillespie |first1=Alexander |title=The Causes of War: Volume III: 1400 CE to 1650 CE |date=2017 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |page=131}}</ref>{{dubious|date=May 2022}} In light of the [[Battle of Gembloux (1578)|defeat at Gembloux]], the southern states of the Seventeen Provinces (today in northern France and Belgium) distanced themselves from the rebels in the north with the 1579 [[Union of Arras]]. Opposing them, the northern half of the Seventeen Provinces forged the [[Union of Utrecht]] (also of 1579) in which they committed to support each other against the Spanish.<ref>Motley, John Lothrop (1855). [https://books.google.com/books?id=8isNLCXfNycC&pg=PA411 ''The Rise of the Dutch Republic''] Vol. III, Harper Bros.: New York, p. 411.</ref> The Union of Utrecht is seen as the foundation of the modern Netherlands.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Union of Utrecht {{!}} European history  |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Union-of-Utrecht |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

Spanish troops sacked [[Maastricht]] in 1579, killing over 10,000 civilians.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nolan |first1=Cathal J. |title=The Age of Wars of Religion, 1000–1650: An Encyclopedia of Global Warfare and Civilization, Volume 1 |date=2006 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |page=247}}</ref> In 1581, the northern provinces adopted the [[Act of Abjuration]], the declaration of independence in which the provinces officially deposed Philip II.<ref>Motley, John Lothrop (1855). [https://books.google.com/books?id=8isNLCXfNycC&pg=PA508 ''The Rise of the Dutch Republic''] Vol. III, Harper Bros.: New York, p. 508.</ref> Against the rebels Philip could draw on the resources of the [[Spanish Empire]]. Queen Elizabeth I of England sympathised with the Dutch struggle and sent an army of 7,600 soldiers to aid the Dutch.<ref>Willson, David Harris (1972). ''History of England'', Holt, Rinehart & Winston: New York, p. 294.</ref> English forces under the Earl of Leicester and then Lord Willoughby faced the Spanish in the Netherlands under the [[Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma|Duke of Parma]] in a series of largely indecisive actions that tied down significant numbers of Spanish troops and bought time for the Dutch to reorganise their defences.<ref>{{cite book |title=Ground Warfare: An International Encyclopedia, Volume 1 |date=2002 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |page=45}}</ref> The war continued until 1648, when Spain under King [[Philip IV of Spain|Philip IV]] recognised the independence of the seven north-western provinces in the [[Peace of Münster]]. Parts of the southern provinces became ''de facto'' colonies of the new republican-mercantile empire.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Spain |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Spain |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

From 1672 to 1712, the Republic, led by [[William III of England|William III of Orange]] and [[Anthonie Heinsius]] would regularly clash with France in what some historians have come to call the ''Forty Years' War''. In the [[Nine Years' War]] and the [[War of the Spanish Succession]], the Republic was at the centre of anti-French coalitions. The Dutch ultimately successfully defended the [[Spanish Netherlands]], established a [[Barrier Treaty|barrier]] there, and their troops proved central to the alliance which halted French territorial expansion in Europe until a new cycle began in 1792 with the [[French Revolutionary Wars]].{{sfn|Van Nimwegen|2020|p=354}} However, the wars left them effectively bankrupt, and inflicted permanent damage on the Dutch merchant navy; while they remained the dominant economic power in the [[Far East]], Britain took over as the pre-eminent global commercial and maritime power.{{sfn|Elliott|2014|p=8}}

The Netherlands is mostly composed of [[river delta|deltaic]], [[coast]]al and [[Aeolian processes|eolian]] derived sediments during the [[Pleistocene]] [[glacial]] and [[interglacial]] periods.<ref name="international2000" />

Almost the entire west Netherlands is composed of the [[Rhine]]-[[Meuse]] river [[estuary]]. In the east of the Netherlands, remains are found of the [[Last Glacial Period|last ice age]], which ended approximately ten thousand years ago. As the continental [[ice sheet]] moved in from the north, it pushed [[moraine]] forward. The ice sheet halted as it covered the eastern half of the Netherlands. After the ice age ended, the [[moraine]] remained in the form of a long hill-line. The cities of [[Arnhem]] and [[Nijmegen]] are built on these hills.<ref>{{cite book |last1= Wong |first1=Th.E. |last2= Batjes |first2=D.A.J.|last3= Jager|first3=J. de|year= 2007 |title=Geology of the Netherlands |publisher= [[KNAW]] |isbn=978-90-6984-481-7}}</ref>

On 14 December 1287, [[St. Lucia's flood]] affected the Netherlands and Germany, killing more than 50,000 people in one of the most destructive floods in recorded history.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1485002/Zuiderzee-floods Zuiderzee floods (Netherlands history)]. Britannica Online Encyclopedia.</ref> The [[St. Elizabeth's flood (1421)|St. Elizabeth flood]] of 1421 and the mismanagement in its aftermath destroyed a newly reclaimed [[polder]], replacing it with the {{convert|72|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} ''[[Biesbosch]]'' tidal floodplains. The huge [[North Sea flood of 1953|North Sea flood of February 1953]] caused the collapse of several dikes in the south-west of the Netherlands; more than 1,800 people drowned. The Dutch government subsequently instituted a large-scale programme, the "[[Deltawerken|Delta Works]]", to protect the country against future flooding, which was completed over a period of more than thirty years.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}}

The Netherlands has a tradition of [[Toleration|social tolerance]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Buruma|first=Ybo|date=2007|title=Dutch Tolerance: On Drugs, Prostitution, and Euthanasia|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/650185|journal=Crime and Justice|volume=35|issue=1|pages=73–113|doi=10.1086/650185|jstor=10.1086/650185|s2cid=144295342|issn=0192-3234}}</ref> In the late 19th century this Dutch tradition of religious tolerance transformed into a system of [[pillarisation]], in which religious groups coexisted separately and only interacted at the level of government.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kaplan |first=Benjamin J. |url=https://brill.com/view/book/9789004353954/BP000009.xml |title="Dutch" Religious Tolerance: Celebration and Revision |date=5 September 2019 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-35395-4 |language=en}}</ref> This tradition of tolerance influences Dutch [[criminal justice system of the Netherlands|criminal justice]] policies on [[Drug policy of the Netherlands|recreational drugs]], [[Prostitution in the Netherlands|prostitution]], [[LGBT rights in the Netherlands|LGBT rights]], [[euthanasia]], and [[abortion in the Netherlands|abortion]], which are among the most liberal in the world.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}}

<!--As prose text is preferred overly detailed data charts and diagrams such as weather data boxes, population charts and past elections results etc should be reserved for main sub articles on the topic as per WP:DETAIL.--->

The historical ties inherited from its colonial past in [[Indonesia]] and [[Suriname|Surinam]] still influence the foreign relations of the Netherlands. In addition, many people from these countries are living permanently in the Netherlands.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}}

The Netherlands has one of the oldest standing armies in Europe; it was first established in the late 1500s. After the defeat of Napoleon, the Dutch army was transformed into a [[conscription]] army. The Netherlands abandoned its neutrality in 1948 when it signed the [[Treaty of Brussels]], and became a founding member of [[NATO]] in 1949. The Dutch military was therefore part of the NATO strength in [[Cold War]] Europe. In 1996 conscription was suspended, and the Dutch army was once again transformed into a professional army. Since the 1990s the Dutch army has been involved in the [[Bosnian War]] and the [[Kosovo War]], it held a province in [[Iraq]] after the defeat of [[Saddam Hussein]], and it was engaged in [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} The Netherlands has ratified many international conventions concerning [[International humanitarian law|war law]]. The Netherlands decided not to sign the UN [[treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Red Cross urges Netherlands to sign UN nuclear weapons ban |url=https://nltimes.nl/2019/02/11/red-cross-urges-netherlands-sign-un-nuclear-weapons-ban |work=NL Times |date=11 February 2019}}</ref>

Since the 16th century, shipping, fishing, agriculture, trade, and banking have been leading sectors of the Dutch economy. The Netherlands has a [[List of countries by economic freedom|high level of economic freedom]]. The Netherlands is one of the top countries in the [[Global Enabling Trade Report]] (2nd in 2016), and was ranked the fifth most competitive economy in the world by the Swiss [[International Institute for Management Development]] in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |first= |date=4 June 2017 |title=The 2017 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking |url=http://www.imd.org/globalassets/wcc/docs/release-2017/2017-world_competitiveness_ranking.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170604200349/http://www.imd.org/globalassets/wcc/docs/release-2017/2017-world_competitiveness_ranking.pdf |archive-date=4 June 2017 |access-date=3 August 2017}}</ref> In addition, the country was ranked the 5th most innovative nation in the world in the 2022 [[Global Innovation Index]] down from 2nd in 2018.<ref>{{Cite book |last=WIPO |title=Global Innovation Index 2022, 15th Edition |url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2022/index.html |access-date=17 November 2022 |website=wipo.int |series=Global Innovation Index |year=2022 |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization |doi=10.34667/tind.46596 |isbn=9789280534320 |language=en}}</ref><ref>Cornell University, INSEAD, and WIPO (2018): The Global Innovation Index 2018: Energizing the World with Innovation. Ithaca, Fontainebleau and Geneva</ref>

[[File:Wildervank natural gas field.jpg|thumb|The [[Groningen gas field]] whose discovery in 1959 transformed the Dutch economy, is one of the largest [[natural-gas field]]s in the world]]

The official language is [[Dutch language|Dutch]], which is spoken by the vast majority of inhabitants. The dialects most spoken in the Netherlands are the [[Brabantian]]-[[Hollandic]] dialects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.taalcanon.nl/vragen/hoeveel-dialecten-heeft-het-nederlands/ |title=Hoeveel dialecten heeft het Nederlands? &#124; Taalcanon |publisher=Taalcanon.nl |access-date=23 April 2014}}</ref>

According to the HCP ([[Health Consumer Powerhouse]]), the Netherlands has 'a chaos system', meaning patients have a great degree of freedom from where to buy their health insurance, to where they get their healthcare. The difference between the Netherlands and other countries is that the chaos is managed. Healthcare decisions are being made in a dialogue between the patients and healthcare professionals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://healthpowerhouse.com/|title=Health Consumer Powerhouse – Health Care System's Indexes and reports}}</ref>In contrast to many other European systems, the Dutch government is responsible for the accessibility and quality of the healthcare system in the Netherlands, but not in charge of its management.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} Healthcare in the Netherlands can be divided in several ways: three echelons, in somatic and mental health care and in 'cure' (short term) and 'care' (long term). Home doctors (''huisartsen'', comparable to [[general practitioner]]s) form the largest part of the first echelon. Being referenced by a member of the first echelon is mandatory for access to the second and third echelon.<ref name="Boot">J.M. Boot, 'De Nederlandse Gezondheidszorg', Bohn Stafleu van Loghum 2011</ref> The health care system is in comparison to other Western countries quite effective but not the most cost-effective.<ref name=BCG>Boston Consulting Group, 'Zorg voor Waarde', 2011.</ref>

The Netherlands has one of the densest road networks in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IS.ROD.DNST.K2?order=wbapi_data_value_2011%20wbapi_data_value%20wbapi_data_value-last&sort=desc |title=Road density (km of road per 100 sq. km of land area) &#124; Data &#124; Table |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2014 |website=data.worldbank.org |publisher=The World Bank Group |access-date=7 July 2014}}</ref> The Netherlands has a relatively high uptake of [[electric vehicle]]s, as the government implemented ambitious policy on both charging infrastructure and tax benefits.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Rietmann |first1=Nele |title=A Comparison of Policy Measures Promoting Electric Vehicles in 20 Countries |date=2019 |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96526-0_7 |work=The Governance of Smart Transportation Systems: Towards New Organizational Structures for the Development of Shared, Automated, Electric and Integrated Mobility |pages=125–145 |editor-last=Finger |editor-first=Matthias |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-96526-0_7 |isbn=978-3-319-96526-0 |access-date=26 January 2023 |last2=Lieven |first2=Theo |s2cid=158767268 |editor2-last=Audouin |editor2-first=Maxime}}</ref> As of 2019, the Netherlands hosts approximately 30% of all recharging stations in the European Union.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://fd.nl/economie-politiek/1323217/kwart-laadpalen-in-eu-staat-in-nederland-fce1caCY0804|title=Een kwart van de laadpalen in de EU staat in Nederland|trans-title=A quarter of the recharging stations in the EU is in the Netherlands|language=Dutch|newspaper=Fd.nl|date=4 November 2019|access-date=3 May 2021}}</ref> Moreover, newly sold cars in the Netherlands have on average the lowest {{CO2}} emissions in the EU.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.acea.be/uploads/publications/ACEA_progress_report_2019.pdf|title=Making the transition to zero-emission mobility: 2019 progress report|website=ACEA|date=September 2019|access-date=3 May 2021}}</ref>

Dutch society is [[Egalitarianism|egalitarian]] and [[Modernism|modern]]. The Dutch have an aversion to the non-essential.<ref name="Colin White 1995">Colin White & Laurie Boucke (1995). The UnDutchables: An observation of the Netherlands, its culture and its inhabitants (3rd Ed.). White-Boucke Publishing.</ref> Ostentatious behaviour is to be avoided. The Dutch are proud of their [[cultural heritage]], [[Dutch art|rich history in art]] and involvement in [[International relations|international affairs]].<ref name="Colin White 1995"/>

The Netherlands is one of the most secular countries of Europe, and religion in the Netherlands is generally considered as a personal matter which is not supposed to be propagated in public, although it often remains a discussion subject.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Becker, De Hart|first1=Jos, Joep|title=Godsdienstige veranderingen in Nederland, Verschuivingen in de binding met de kerken en de christelijke traditie|url=http://www.scp.nl/dsresource?objectid=6e36ffc5-45eb-4b33-bc88-eb7b99083527|website=SCP|publisher=Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau Den Haag|access-date=7 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010141120/https://www.scp.nl/dsresource?objectid=6e36ffc5-45eb-4b33-bc88-eb7b99083527|archive-date=10 October 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

 

The Netherlands has a long history of social tolerance and today is regarded as a liberal country, considering [[Drug policy of the Netherlands|its drug policy]] and its legalisation of [[Euthanasia in the Netherlands|euthanasia]]. On 1 April 2001, the Netherlands became the first nation to legalise [[same-sex marriage in the Netherlands|same-sex marriage]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0104/01/sm.10.html|title=Same-Sex Marriage Legalized in Amsterdam|date=1 April 2001|work=[[CNN]]|access-date=11 March 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221411/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0104/01/sm.10.html|archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref>

The provinces of [[North Holland]], [[South Holland]], [[Zeeland]], and [[Utrecht (province)|Utrecht]] and the Gelderlandic area of [[Betuwe]] make up the region in which western Dutch cuisine is found. Because of the abundance of water and flat grasslands that are found here, the area is known for its many dairy products, which include prominent cheeses such as [[Gouda (cheese)|Gouda]], [[Leyden cheese|Leyden]] (spiced cheese with cumin), and [[Edam (cheese)|Edam]] (traditionally in small spheres) as well as [[Leerdammer]] and [[Beemster Cheese|Beemster]], while the adjacent [[Zaanstreek]] in [[North Holland]] has since the 16th century been known for its [[mayonnaise]], typical whole-grain [[mustard (condiment)|mustards]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smulweb.nl/blog/tonia/718/de-geschiedenis-van-de-mosterd|title=De geschiedenis van de mosterd – Smulweb Blog|date=5 May 2000}}</ref> and [[chocolate]] industry.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} A by-product of the butter-making process, ''karnemelk'' ([[buttermilk]]), is also considered typical for this region. [[Seafood]] such as [[soused herring]], [[Blue mussel|mussels]] (called ''Zeeuwse Mossels'', since all Dutch mussels for consumption are cleaned in Zeeland's [[Oosterschelde]]), [[European eel|eels]], [[oyster]]s and [[shrimp]]s are widely available and typical for the region. ''[[:nl:Kibbeling|Kibbeling]]'', once a local delicacy consisting of small chunks of battered [[Whitefish (fisheries term)|white fish]], has become a national [[fast food]], just as [[:nl:Lekkerbekje|lekkerbek]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}}

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