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Oak figurine found in (4500 BC) The prehistory of the area that is now the Netherlands was largely shaped by the sea and the rivers that constantly shifted the low-lying geography. The oldest human () traces were found in higher soils, near, from what is believed to be about 250,000 years ago. At the end of the, the late (c. 13.000–10.000 BC) hunted in the area, using spears, while the later (c. 11.200–9500 BC) used.

8000 BC) the in the world was found in. Indigenous late Mesolithic from the (c.

5600 BC) were related to the southern Scandinavian and were strongly linked to rivers and open water. Between 4800 and 4500 BC, the Swifterbant people started to copy from the neighbouring the practise of, and between 4300 and 4000 BC the practise of. To Swifterbant related (c. 4300–2800 BC) erected the, large stone grave monuments found in Drenthe. There was a quick and smooth transition from the Funnelbeaker farming culture to the pan-European culture (c. Although in the southwest, the related (c. 2600 BC), an apparently more primitive culture of hunter-gatherers, survived well into the period, until it was finally succeeded by the Corded Ware culture as well.

Of the subsequent (2700–2100 BC) several regions of origin have been postulated, notably the Iberian peninsula, the Netherlands and Central Europe. They introduced metalwork in copper, gold and later bronze and opened international trade routes not seen before, reflected in the discoveries of, as the metal is not normally found in Dutch soil. The many finds in of rare bronze objects, suggest that it was even a trading centre in the Bronze Age (2000–800 BC). The Bell Beaker culture developed locally into the Barbed-Wire Beaker culture (2100–1800 BC) and later the (c. 1800–800 BC), a Middle Bronze Age archaeological culture having pottery of low quality as a marker.

The initial phase of the Elp culture was characterised by (1800–1200 BC) that were strongly tied to contemporary tumuli in northern Germany and Scandinavia, and were apparently related to the in central Europe. The subsequent phase was that of cremating the dead and placing their ashes in urns which were then buried in fields, following the customs of the (1200–800 BC). The southern region became dominated by the related (1800–800 BC), which apparently inherited cultural ties with Britain of the previous Barbed-Wire Beaker culture. Celtic, Germanic and Roman influences (800 BC–410 AD) [ ]. Expansion into the southern by 270 BC From 800 BC onwards, the Celtic became influential, replacing the Hilversum culture. Iron ore brought a measure of prosperity, and was available throughout the country, including. Travelled from settlement to settlement with bronze and iron, fabricating tools on demand.

The (700 BC) was found in a burial mound, the largest of its kind in western Europe and containing an iron sword with an inlay of gold and coral. The deteriorating climate in Scandinavia around 850 BC, that further deteriorated around 650 BC, might have triggered migration of tribes from the North. By the time this migration was complete, around 250 BC, a few general cultural and linguistic groups had emerged. The inhabited the northern part of the.

They would later develop into the and the early. A second grouping, the (or ), extended along the middle Rhine and and inhabited the Low Countries south of the great rivers. This group consisted of tribes that would eventually develop into the. 450 BC up to the Roman conquest) had expanded over a wide range, including the southern area of the.

Some scholars have speculated that even a third ethnic identity and language, neither Germanic nor Celtic, survived in the Netherlands until the Roman period, the Iron Age culture, that eventually was being absorbed by the to the south and the Germanic peoples from the east. Rhine Frontier of around 70 AD During the, the area south and west of the was conquered by under from 57 BC to 53 BC. Caesar describes two main Celtic tribes living in what is now the southern Netherlands: the and the.

The Rhine became fixed as Rome's northern frontier around 12 AD. Notable towns would arise along the: and. At first part of, the area south of the Limes became part of the of. The area to the north of the Rhine, inhabited by the Frisii, remained outside Roman rule (but not its presence and control), while the Germanic border tribes of the and served in the. The Batavi rose against the Romans in the of 69 AD, but were eventually defeated.

The Batavi later merged with other tribes into the confederation of the Salian Franks, whose identity emerged at the first half of the third century. 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 and the Southwest Netherlands, they were raiding the. Roman forces pacified the region, but did not expel the Franks, who continued to be feared at least until the time of (358), when Salian Franks were allowed to settle as in. After deteriorating climate conditions and the Romans withdrawal, the disappeared from the northern Netherlands, probably forced to resettle within Roman territory as in c. Coastal lands remained largely unpopulated for the next two centuries.

Early Middle Ages (411–1000) [ ]. Franks, Frisians and Saxons (710s AD) After government in the area collapsed, the Franks expanded their territories in numerous kingdoms.

By the 490s, had conquered and united all these territories in the southern Netherlands in one, and from there continued his conquests into. During this expansion, Franks migrating to the south eventually adopted the of the local population. A widening cultural divide grew with the Franks remaining in their original homeland in the north (i.e. Southern Netherlands and Flanders), who kept on speaking, which by the ninth century had evolved into.

A Dutch-French language boundary came into existence. Frankish expansion (481 to 870 AD) To the north of the Franks, climatic conditions on the coast improved, and during the the abandoned land was resettled again, mostly by, but also by the closely related, and ancient. Many moved on to and came to be known as, but those who stayed would be referred to as and their language as, named after the land that was once inhabited by Frisii. Frisian was spoken along the entire southern North Sea coast, and it is still the language most closely related to English among the living languages of continental Europe. By the seventh century a (650–734) under King and King emerged with as its centre of power, while was a flourishing trading place.

Between 600 and around 719 the cities were often fought over between the Frisians and the Franks. In 734, at the, the Frisians were defeated after a. With the approval of the Franks, the missionary converted the Frisian people to. He established the and became bishop of the Frisians. However, his successor was murdered by the Frisians in, in 754.

Lotharingia after 959 with the language border dotted in red The Frankish modeled itself after the Roman Empire and controlled much of Western Europe. However, as of 843, it was divided into three parts—,, and. Most of present-day Netherlands became part of, which was a weak kingdom and subject of numerous partitions and annexation attempts by its stronger neighbours. It comprised territories from in the north to the in the south. Around 850, of Middle Francia acknowledged the Viking as ruler of most of Frisia.

When the kingdom of Middle Francia was partitioned in 855, the lands north of the passed to and consecutively were named. After he died in 869, Lotharingia was partitioned, into and, the latter part comprising the Low Countries that technically became part of in 870, although it was effectively under the control of Vikings, who raided the largely defenceless and towns lying on the Frisian coast and along the rivers. Around 879, another Viking raided the Frisian lands,. The Viking raids made the sway of French and German lords in the area weak.

Resistance to the Vikings, if any, came from local nobles, who gained in stature as a result, and that lay the basis for the disintegration of Lower Lotharingia into semi-independent states. One of these local nobles was, who assumed lordship in Frisia after he helped to assassinate Godfrid, and Viking rule came to an end. High Middle Ages (1000–1384) [ ]. Main article: The (the successor state of East Francia and then Lotharingia) ruled much of the Low Countries in the 10th and 11th century, but was not able to maintain political unity. Powerful local nobles turned their cities, counties and duchies into private kingdoms, that felt little sense of obligation to the emperor.,,,,, and were in a state of almost continual war or paradoxically formed personal unions. The language and culture of most of the people who lived in the County of Holland were originally.

As Frankish settlement progressed from Flanders and Brabant, the area quickly became (or ). The rest of in the north (now and ) continued to maintain its independence and had its own institutions (collectively called the ') and resented the imposition of the feudal system. Around 1000 AD, due to several agricultural developments, the economy started to develop at a fast pace, and the higher productivity allowed workers to farm more land or to become tradesmen. Towns grew around and, and a mercantile middle class began to develop in these urban areas, especially in Flanders and later also Brabant. Wealthy cities started to buy certain for themselves from the. In practice, this meant that and became quasi-independent republics in their own right and would later develop into some of the most important cities and ports in Europe.

Around 1100 AD, farmers from and began draining and cultivating uninhabited swampy land in the western Netherlands, and made the emergence of the County of Holland as center of power possible. The title of were fought over in the (: Hoekse en Kabeljauwse twisten) between 1350 and 1490. The Cod faction consisted of the more progressive cities, while the Hook faction consisted of the conservative noblemen.

These noblemen invited the Duke of Burgundy – who was also Count of Flanders – to conquer Holland. Burgundian and Habsburg Netherlands (1384–1581) [ ]. The Low Countries in the late 14th century Most of the and fiefs in what is now the Netherlands and Belgium were united in a by Philip the Good, duke of in 1433. The and their heirs would rule the Low Countries in the period from 1384 to 1581. Before the Burgundian union, the Dutch identified themselves by the town they lived in or their local duchy or county. The Burgundian period is when the road to nationhood began. The new rulers defended Dutch trading interests, which then developed rapidly.

The fleets of the defeated the fleets of the several times. Grew and in the 15th century became the primary trading port in Europe for grain from the.

Amsterdam distributed grain to the major cities of Belgium, Northern France and England. This trade was vital, because Holland could no longer produce enough grain to feed itself. Land drainage had caused the of the former to reduce to a level that was too low for drainage to be maintained. William I, Prince of Orange (), leader of the Under Habsburg, ruler of the and King of, all fiefs in the current Netherlands region were united into the, which also included most of present-day Belgium, Luxembourg, and some adjacent land in what is now France and Germany. In 1568, the between the Provinces and their ruler began. In 1579, the northern half of the Seventeen Provinces forged the in which they committed to support each other in their defence against the Spanish army.

The Union of Utrecht is seen as the foundation of the modern Netherlands. In 1581, the northern provinces adopted the, the declaration of independence in which the provinces officially deposed as reigning monarch in the northern provinces.

The Queen sympathised with the Dutch struggle against the Spanish, and sent an army of 7,600 soldiers to aid the Dutch in their war with the Catholic Spanish. The English army under command of was of no real benefit to the Dutch rebellion.

Philip II, the son of Charles V, was not prepared to let them go easily, and war continued until 1648, when Spain under King finally recognised the independence of the seven north-western provinces in the. Parts of the southern provinces became de facto colonies of the new republican-mercantile empire. Dutch Republic (1581–1795) [ ]. Main articles: and After declaring their independence, the provinces of,,,,,, and formed a. All these duchies, lordships and counties were autonomous and had their own government, the.

The, the confederal government, were seated in and consisted of representatives from each of the seven provinces. The sparsely populated region of was part of the republic too, although it was not considered one of the provinces.

Moreover, the Republic had come to occupy during the a number of so-called in, and. Their population was mainly Roman Catholic, and these areas did not have a governmental structure of their own, and were used as a buffer zone between the Republic and the Spanish-controlled. 's in 1656 In the, spanning much of the 17th century, the grew to become one of the major seafaring and economic powers, alongside Portugal, Spain, France and England.

Science, military, and art (especially ) were among the most acclaimed in the world. By 1650, the Dutch owned 16,000 merchant ships.

The and the established and all over the world, including ruling the northern parts of between. The began with the founding of on the southern part of in 1614. In South Africa, the Dutch settled the in 1652. Were established along the many rivers in the fertile plains, among them (now ). In Asia, the Dutch established the (now ), and the only western trading post in Japan,. Many economic historians regard the Netherlands as the first thoroughly country in the world. In early modern Europe it had the wealthiest trading city () and the first full-time.

The inventiveness of the traders led to insurance and retirement funds as well as phenomena such as the, the world's first, the of 1636–1637, and the world's first,, who forced prices down by dumping stock and then buying it back at a discount. In 1672 – known in Dutch history as the (Disaster Year) – the Dutch Republic was at war with France, England and three German Bishoprics simultaneously. At sea it could successfully prevent the English and French navy entering the western shores. On land, however, it was almost taken over internally by the advancing French and German armies coming from the east. It managed to turn the tide by, but could never recover to its former glory again and went into a state of general decline in the 18th century, with economic competition from England and long-standing rivalries between the two main factions in Dutch society, the republican and the supporters of the the, as main. Batavian Republic and kingdom (1795–1890) [ ].

Main articles:,,, and With the armed support of, proclaimed the, modelled after the and rendering the Netherlands a on 19 January 1795. The had fled to England.

But from 1806 to 1810, the was set up by as a puppet kingdom governed by his brother to control the Netherlands more effectively. However, King Louis Bonaparte tried to serve Dutch interests instead of his brother's, and he was forced to abdicate on 1 July 1810. The Emperor sent in an army and the Netherlands became part of the French Empire until the autumn of 1813, when Napoleon was defeated in the. A map of the.

Light green: territories administered by or originating from territories administered by the; dark green: the. In yellow the territories occupied later, during the 19th century., son of the last stadtholder, returned to the Netherlands in 1813 and proclaimed himself.

Two years later, the added the southern Netherlands to the north to create a strong country on the northern border of France. William Frederick raised this to the status of a kingdom and proclaimed himself. In addition, William became hereditary in exchange for his German possessions. However, the Southern Netherlands had been culturally separate from the north since 1581, and.

The south gained independence in 1830 as Belgium (recognised by the Northern Netherlands in 1839 as the Kingdom of the Netherlands was created by decree), while the between Luxembourg and the Netherlands was severed in 1890, when died with no surviving male heirs. Prevented his daughter from becoming the next Grand Duchess. The submission of to at the end of the in 1830; by The Belgian Revolution at home and the in the Dutch East Indies brought the Netherlands to the brink of bankruptcy. However, the was introduced in 1830; in the Dutch East Indies, 20% of village land had to be devoted to government crops for export.

The policy brought the Dutch enormous wealth and made the colony self-sufficient. On the other hand, the colonies in the West Indies ( and ), relied heavily on in which the Dutch part is estimated at 5–7 percent, or more than half a million Africans. The Netherlands abolished slavery in 1863. Furthermore, slaves in would be fully free only in 1873, since the law stipulated that there was to be a mandatory 10-year transition.

The Dutch were also one of the last European countries to, in the second half of the 19th century. World wars and beyond (1890–present) [ ].

After in 1940 The Netherlands were able to remain neutral during, 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, when on 10 May 1940.

The forced the main element of the Dutch army to surrender four days later. During the occupation, over 100,000 were rounded up, with the help of a lot of Dutchmen, and transported to Nazi. Only a few of them survived. Dutch workers were conscripted for forced labour in Germany, were killed in reprisal for attacks on German soldiers, and the countryside was plundered for food. Although there were thousands of Dutch who risked their lives by hiding Jews from the Germans, over 20,000 Dutch fascists, fighting on the. Political were members of the, the only legal political party in the occupied Netherlands. On 8 December 1941, the in London declared war on Japan, but could not prevent.

In 1944–45, the, which included Canadian, and troops, was responsible for liberating much of the Netherlands. But soon after, the Dutch fought a. Former Prime Ministers,,, and with Prime Minister, in 2011 In 1954, the reformed the political structure of the Netherlands, which was a result of international pressure to carry out. The Dutch colonies of and and the European country all became countries within the Kingdom, on a basis of equality. Indonesia had declared its independence in August 1945 (recognised in 1949), and thus was never part of the reformed Kingdom. Followed in 1975. After the war the Netherlands left behind an era of neutrality and gained closer ties with neighboring states.

The Netherlands was one of the founding members of the, the, and the, which would evolve into the () and later the. Government-encouraged emigration efforts to reduce prompted some 500,000 to leave the country after the war. The 1960s and 1970s were a time of great social and cultural change, such as rapid ontzuiling (end of ), a term that describes the decay of the old divisions along political and religious lines. Youths, and students in particular, rejected traditional mores and pushed for change in matters such as,, and. In 2002, the was introduced as and in 2010, the was.

Referendums were held on each island to determine their future status. As a result, the islands of, and (the BES islands) were to obtain closer ties with the Netherlands. This led to the incorporation of these three islands into the country of the Netherlands as upon the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles.

The special municipalities are collectively known as the. Geography [ ]. A relief map of the Netherlands The European area of the Netherlands lies between and, and longitudes and. The Netherlands is geographically a very low and flat country, with about 26% of its area and 21% of its population located below sea level, and only about 50% of its land exceeding one metre. The country is for the most part flat, with the exception of foothills in the far southeast, up to a height of no more than 321 metres, and some low hill ranges in the central parts. Most of the areas below sea level are man-made, caused by extraction or achieved through. Since the late 16th century, large areas are preserved through elaborate drainage systems that include, canals and pumping stations.

Nearly 17% of the country's land area is reclaimed from the sea and from lakes. Much of the country was originally formed by the of three large European rivers: the ( Rijn), the ( Maas) and the ( Schelde), as well as their. The south-western part of the Netherlands is to this day a of these three rivers, the.

The Netherlands is divided into north and south parts by the Rhine, the, its main tributary branch, and the Meuse. In the past these rivers functioned as a natural barrier between and hence historically created a cultural divide, as is evident in some phonetic traits that are recognisable on either side of what the Dutch call their 'Great Rivers' ( de Grote Rivieren). Another significant branch of the Rhine, the river, discharges into, the former ('southern sea').

Just like the previous, this river forms a linguistic divide: people to the northeast of this river speak dialects (except for the province of, which has its own language). The was the result of a northwesterly storm. In total, approximately 14,000 people drowned. Over the centuries, the Dutch coastline has changed considerably as a result of natural disasters and human intervention. Most notable in terms of land loss was the storm of 1134, which created the of in the south-west.

On 14 December 1287, affected the Netherlands and Germany, killing more than 50,000 people in one of the most destructive floods in recorded history. The of 1421 and the mismanagement in its aftermath destroyed a newly reclaimed, replacing it with the 72-square-kilometre (28 sq mi) tidal floodplains in the south-centre. The huge caused the collapse of several dikes in the south-west of the Netherlands; more than 1,800 people drowned in the flood.

The Dutch government subsequently instituted a large-scale programme, the ', to protect the country against future flooding, which was completed over a period of more than thirty years. Map illustrating areas of the Netherlands below sea level The impact of disasters was to an extent increased through human activity. Relatively high-lying was drained to be used as farmland.

The drainage caused the fertile to contract and ground levels to drop, upon which groundwater levels were lowered to compensate for the drop in ground level, causing the underlying peat to contract further. Additionally, until the 19th century peat was mined, dried, and used for fuel, further exacerbating the problem. Centuries of extensive and poorly controlled extraction lowered an already low land surface by several metres.

Even in flooded areas, peat extraction continued through turf dredging. A polder at 5.53 metres below sea level To guard against floods, a series of defences against the water were contrived. In the first millennium, villages and farmhouses were built on man-made hills called terps. Later, these terps were connected by dikes.

In the 12th century, local government agencies called ' ('water boards') or ' ('high home councils') started to appear, whose job it was to maintain the water level and to protect a region from floods; these agencies continue to exist. As the ground level dropped, the dikes by necessity grew and merged into an integrated system.

By the 13th century had come into use to pump water out of areas below sea level. The windmills were later used to drain lakes, creating the famous. In 1932 the ('Closure Dike') was completed, blocking the former (Southern Sea) from the North Sea and thus creating the ( Lake). It became part of the larger in which four polders totalling 2,500 square kilometres (965 sq mi) were reclaimed from the sea.

The Netherlands is one of the countries that may suffer most from. Not only is the rising sea a problem, but erratic weather patterns may cause the rivers to overflow. Delta Works [ ]. The are located in the provinces of and.

After the, the were constructed, a comprehensive set of civil works throughout the Dutch coast. The project started in 1958 and was largely completed in 1997 with the completion of the. New projects have been periodically started since to renovate and renew the Delta Works. A main goal of the Delta project was to reduce the risk of flooding in South Holland and Zeeland to once per 10,000 years (compared to 1 per 4000 years for the rest of the country).

This was achieved by raising 3,000 kilometres (1,864 mi) of outer sea-dikes and 10,000 kilometres (6,214 mi) of inner, canal, and river dikes, and by closing off the sea of the Zeeland province. New risk assessments occasionally show problems requiring additional Delta project dike reinforcements. The Delta project is considered by the as one of the. The, completed in 1971 It is anticipated that in the 21st century will result in a rise in. The Netherlands is actively preparing for a sea level rise.

A politically neutral Delta Commission has formulated an action plan to cope with a sea level rise of 1.10 metres (3.6 ft) and a simultaneous land height decline of 10 centimetres (3.9 in). The plan encompasses the reinforcement of the existing coastal defenses like and with 1.30 metres (4.3 ft) of additional flood protection. Climate change will not only threaten the Netherlands from the sea side, but could also alter rain fall patterns and river run-off. To protect the country from river flooding, another program is already being executed. The grants more flow space to rivers, protects the major populated areas and allows for periodic flooding of indefensible lands. The few residents who lived in these so-called 'overflow areas' have been moved to higher ground, with some of that ground having been raised above anticipated flood levels.

Climate [ ] The predominant wind direction in the Netherlands is southwest, which causes a moderate, with warm summers and cool winters, and typically high humidity. This is especially true close to the Dutch coastline, where the difference in temperature between summer and winter, as well as between day and night is noticeably smaller than it is in the southeast of the country. The following tables are based on mean measurements by the weather station in between 1981 and 2010: Climate data for De Bilt (1981–2010 averages), all KNMI locations (1901–2011 extremes), snowy days: (1971–2000 averages). Warm days—maximum temperature above 20 °C (68 °F)—are usually found in April to October, but in some parts of the country these warm days can also occur in March, or even sometimes in November or February (usually not in De Bilt, however). Summer days—maximum temperature above 25 °C (77 °F)—are usually measured in De Bilt from May until September, tropical days—maximum temperature above 30 °C (86 °F)—are rare and usually occur only in June to August. Precipitation throughout the year is distributed relatively equally each month. Summer and autumn months tend to gather a little more precipitation than the other months, mainly because of the intensity of the rainfall rather than the frequency of rain days (this is especially the case in summer, when lightning is also much more frequent).

On, a island The, formerly the northeast of the river was designated a national park in 2002, thereby making it the largest national park in the Netherlands at an area of 370 square kilometres (140 sq mi). It consists primarily of the salt waters of the Oosterschelde, but also includes mud flats, meadows, and shoals. Because of the large variety of sea life, including unique regional species, the park is popular with.

Other activities include sailing, fishing, cycling, and bird watching., the Netherlands is shared between the Atlantic European and Central European provinces of the within the. According to the, the territory of the Netherlands belongs to the of Atlantic mixed forests. In 1871, the last old original natural woods were cut down, and most woods today are planted monocultures of trees like and trees that are not native to the Netherlands. [ ] These woods were planted on and sand-drifts (overgrazed heaths) ().

Caribbean islands [ ]. Underwater life of Within this island group: • is part of the within the island chain off the coast. The Leeward Antilles have a mixed volcanic and coral origin. • and are part of the. They are located east of and the. Although in the English language they are considered part of the, French, Spanish, and the English spoken locally consider them part of the.

The Windward Islands are all of volcanic origin and hilly, leaving little ground suitable for. The highest point is, 887 metres (2,910 ft), on. This is the highest point in the country, and is also the highest point of the entire. The islands of the Caribbean Netherlands enjoy a with warm weather all year round. The Leeward Antilles are warmer and drier than the Windward islands. In summer, the Windward Islands can be subject to.

Politics [ ]. The, where the lower and upper houses of the States General meet The Netherlands has been a since 1815, and due to the efforts of, a since 1848. The Netherlands is described as a. Dutch politics and governance are characterised by an effort to achieve broad consensus on important issues, within both the political community and society as a whole.

In 2010, ranked the Netherlands as the 10th. The is the, at present King.

Constitutionally, the position is equipped with limited powers. By law, the King has the right to be periodically briefed and consulted on government affairs. Depending on the personalities and relationships of the King and the ministers, the monarch might have influence beyond the power granted by the. King of the Netherlands since April 2013 The is formed by the, the deliberative organ of the.

The cabinet usually consists of 13 to 16 ministers and a varying number of. One to three ministers are. The is the, who often is the leader of the largest party of the coalition. The Prime Minister is a, with no explicit powers beyond those of the other ministers. Has been Prime Minister since October 2010; the Prime Minister had been the leader of the largest party continuously since 1973. The cabinet is to the, the, which also has. The 150 members of the, the, are elected in on the basis of.

These are held every four years, or sooner in case the cabinet falls (for example: when one of the chambers carries a, the cabinet offers its resignation to the monarch). The are directly elected every four years as well. The members of the provincial assemblies elect the 75 members of the, the, which has the power to reject laws, but not propose or amend them. Both houses sent members to the, a consultative council.

Political culture [ ] Both trade unions and are consulted beforehand in policymaking in the financial, economic and social areas. They meet regularly with government in the. This body advises government and its advice cannot be put aside easily.

The Netherlands has a long tradition of. In the 18th century, while the was the,, other forms of Protestantism, such as Baptists and Lutherans, and were tolerated but discriminated against. In the late 19th century this Dutch tradition of religious tolerance transformed into a system of, in which religious groups coexisted separately and only interacted at the level of government.

This tradition of tolerance influences Dutch policies on,,,, and, which are among the most liberal in the world. Political parties [ ]. Prime Minister of the Netherlands since October 2010 Because of the, no single party has held a majority in parliament since the 19th century, and had to be formed. Since became universal in 1919, the Dutch political system has been dominated by three families of political parties: the strongest of which were the, currently represented by the (CDA); second were the, represented by the (PvdA); and third were the, of which the centre-right (VVD) is the main representative.

These parties co-operated in coalition cabinets in which the Christian democrats had always been a partner: so either a coalition of the Christian democrats and social democrats was ruling or a coalition of Christian democrats and liberals. In the 1970s, the became more volatile: the Christian democratic parties lost seats, while new parties became successful, such as the democrat and liberal.

In the, the CDA lost its dominant position. A ' cabinet was formed by VVD, D66, and PvdA. In the, this cabinet lost its majority, because of an increased support for the CDA and the rise of the right, a new political party, around, who was assassinated a week before the elections. A short-lived was formed by CDA, VVD, and LPF, which was led by the CDA leader. After the, in which the LPF lost most of its seats, a was formed by CDA, VVD, and D66. The cabinet initiated an ambitious programme of reforming the, the, and. In June 2006, the cabinet fell after D66 voted in favour of a motion of no confidence against the,, who had instigated an investigation of the asylum procedure of, a VVD.

A was formed by CDA and VVD, and were held on 22 November 2006. In these elections, the CDA remained the largest party and the made the largest gains. The took three months, resulting in a of CDA, PvdA, and.

On 20 February 2010, the cabinet fell when the PvdA refused to prolong the involvement of the Dutch Army in, Afghanistan. Were held on, with devastating results for the previously largest party, the CDA, which lost about half of its seats, resulting in 21 seats. The VVD became the largest party with 31 seats, closely followed by the PvdA with 30 seats. The big winner of the 2010 elections was, whose right wing, the ideological successor to the, more than doubled its number of seats. Resulted in a, led by VVD (a first) in coalition with CDA, which was sworn in on 14 October 2010. This unprecedented minority government was supported by PVV, but proved ultimately to be unstable, when on 21 April 2012, Wilders, leader of PVV, unexpectedly 'torpedoed seven weeks of austerity talks' on new austerity measures, paving the way for early elections.

VVD and PvdA were the big winners of the elections. Since 5 November 2012 they have formed the.

Government [ ]. And of the Netherlands The Netherlands is divided into twelve provinces, each under a ( Commissaris van de Koning), except for where the position is named Governor ( Gouverneur) but has the same tasks.

All provinces are divided into ( gemeenten), of which there are 388 (2017). The country is also subdivided into 24 water districts, governed by a ( waterschap or hoogheemraadschap), each having authority in matters concerning water management. The creation of water boards actually pre-dates that of the nation itself, the first appearing in 1196.

The Dutch water boards are among the oldest democratic entities in the world still in existence. Direct elections of the water boards take place every 4 years.

The administrative structure on the 3 BES islands, collectively known as the, is different. These islands have the status of openbare lichamen () rather than municipalities and as administrative units are generally referred to as special municipalities. They are not part of a province. The Netherlands has several Belgian and within those even several enclaves which are still part of the province of. Because the Netherlands and Belgium are both in the, citizens of respective countries can travel through these enclaves. Flag Province Capital Largest city Area (km 2) Population (2015) Density (per km 2) 2,639 488,871 185 1,415 403,280 285 3,340 646,092 193 4,970 2,031,123 409 2,325 582,649 250 2,150 1,115,805 519 4,914 2,495,107 507 2,665 2,775,617 1,039 3,324 1,142,360 344 1,383 1,268,489 916 1,784 381,182 213 2,808 3,607,150 1,282 Total 33,718 16,922,460 512 Flag Name Capital Largest city Area (km 2) Population (2012) Density (per km 2) 288 17,408 60 21 3,897 186 13 1,991 153 Total 322 23,296 72 Foreign relations [ ].

Main articles: and The history of has been characterised by its. Since World War II, the Netherlands has become a member of a large number of international organisations, most prominently the UN, and the EU. The Dutch economy is very open and relies strongly on.

The of the Netherlands is based on four basic commitments: to, to, to and to. One of the more controversial international issues surrounding the Netherlands is its. During and after the, the Dutch people built up a commercial and colonial empire. The most important colonies were present-day and.

Indonesia became independent after the in the 1940s following a war of independence, international pressure and several. Suriname became independent in 1975. The historical ties inherited from its colonial past still influence the foreign relations of the Netherlands. In addition, many people from these countries are living permanently in the Netherlands. Military [ ]. Lieutenant admiral, highest commanding officer in the Netherlands The Netherlands has one of the oldest standing armies in Europe; it was first established as such.

The Dutch army was used throughout the. After the defeat of Napoleon, the Dutch army was transformed into a army. The army was unsuccessfully deployed during the in 1830. After 1830, it was deployed mainly in the Dutch colonies, as the Netherlands remained neutral in European wars (including the First World War), until the and quickly defeated by the Wehrmacht in May 1940. Holland, a The Netherlands abandoned its neutrality in 1948 when it signed the, and became a founding member of in 1949. The Dutch military was therefore part of the NATO strength in Europe, deploying its army to several bases in Germany.

More than 3,000 Dutch soldiers were assigned to the of the during the. 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 and the, it held a province in after the defeat of, and it was engaged in. The military is composed of four branches, all of which carry the prefix Koninklijke (Royal): • Koninklijke Landmacht (KL), the; • Koninklijke Marine (KM), the, including the Naval Air Service and Marine Corps; • Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu), the; • Koninklijke Marechaussee (KMar), the (Military Police), tasks include military police and border control. Lieutenant admiral is the current Commander of the Netherlands armed forces. The submarine service are open to women as of 1 January 2017. The, the Special Operations Force of the Netherlands Army, is open to women, but because of the extremely high physical demands for initial training, it is almost impossible for women to become a commando.

The Dutch Ministry of Defence employs more than 70,000 personnel, including over 20,000 civilians and over 50,000 military personnel. In April 2011 the government announced a major reduction in its military because of a cut in government expenditure, including a decrease in the number of tanks, fighter aircraft, naval ships and senior officials. The is Europe's largest port. The Netherlands has a developed economy and has been playing a special role in the European economy for many centuries. Since the 16th century, shipping, fishing, agriculture, trade, and banking have been leading sectors of the Dutch economy. The Netherlands has.

The Netherlands is one of the top countries in the (2nd in 2016), and was ranked the fifth most competitive economy in the world by the Swiss in 2017. In addition, the country was ranked the third most innovative in the world in the 2017. As of 2013, the key trading partners of the Netherlands were Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Italy, China and Russia. The Netherlands is one of the world's 10 leading exporting countries. Foodstuffs form the largest industrial sector.

Other major industries include chemicals, metallurgy, machinery, electrical goods, trade, services and tourism. Examples of international Dutch companies operating in Netherlands include,,,, financial services (,, ), chemicals (, ), petroleum refining (), electronical machinery (, ), and satellite navigation (). The Netherlands has the, and. Between 1997 and 2000 annual economic growth (GDP) averaged nearly 4%, well above the European average. Growth slowed considerably from 2001 to 2005 with the global economic slowdown, but accelerated to 4.1% in the third quarter of 2007. In May 2013, inflation was at 2.8% per year.

In April 2013, unemployment was at 8.2% (or 6.7% following the definition) of the. In April 2017, this was reduced to 5.1%. In Q3 and Q4 2011, the Dutch economy contracted by 0.4% and 0.7%, respectively, because of European Debt Crisis, while in Q4 the Eurozone economy shrunk by 0.3%.

The Netherlands also has a relatively low of 0.326. Despite ranking 7th in, ranked the Netherlands 1st in child well-being in rich countries, both in 2007 and in 2013. On the Netherlands is the 13th most capitalist economy out of 157 surveyed countries. Is the financial and business capital of the Netherlands. The (AEX), part of, is the world's oldest stock exchange and is one of Europe's largest bourses. It is situated near in the city's centre.

As a founding member of the, the Netherlands replaced (for accounting purposes) its former currency, the 'gulden' (), on 1 January 1999, along with 15 other adopters of the euro. Actual and followed on 1 January 2002.

One euro was equivalent to 2.20371 Dutch guilders. In the, the is used instead of the euro.

The Netherlands is part of a monetary union, the (dark blue), and of the. The Dutch location gives it prime access to markets in the UK and Germany, with the being the largest port in Europe. Other important parts of the economy are (Dutch colonialism started with co-operative private enterprises such as the ), banking and transport. The Netherlands successfully addressed the issue of public finances and stagnating job growth long before its European partners. Amsterdam is the 5th-busiest tourist destination in Europe with more than 4.2 million international visitors. Since the enlargement of the EU large numbers of have arrived in the Netherlands from and. Of economic importance is, a partnership between the municipalities of,,, and and the province of.

BrabantStad is the fastest growing economic region in the Netherlands, with the (polycentric city region) as one of the national top regions, behind the (,, and ). The partnership in North Brabant aims to form an urban network and to make the province explicitly known as a leading knowledge region within Europe. With a total of 1.5 million people and 20% of the industrial production in the Netherlands is BrabantStad one of the major economical important, metropolitan regions of the Netherlands. Of all the money that goes to research and development in the Netherlands, one third is spent in Eindhoven.

A quarter of the jobs in the region are in technology and ICT. Of all European patent applications in the field of physics and electronics about eight per cent is from North Brabant. In the extended region, BrabantStad is part of the Eindhoven-Leuven-Aachen Triangle (ELAT).

This economic cooperation agreement between three cities in three countries has created one of the most innovative regions in the European Union (measured in terms of money invested in and ). The economic success of this region is important for the international competitiveness of the Netherlands; Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Eindhoven form together the foundation of the Dutch economy. The Netherlands continues to be one of the leading European nations for attracting foreign direct investment and is one of the five largest investors in the United States. The economy experienced a slowdown in 2005, but in 2006 recovered to the fastest pace in six years on the back of increased exports and strong investment. The pace of job growth reached 10-year highs in 2007.

The Netherlands is the fourth-most competitive economy in the world, according to the 's. Natural gas [ ]. Natural gas concessions in the Netherlands. Today the Netherlands accounts for more than 25% of all Natural Gas reserves in the EU.

Beginning in the 1950s, the Netherlands discovered huge natural gas resources. The sale of natural gas generated enormous revenues for the Netherlands for decades, adding hundreds of billions of euros to the government's budget. However, the unforeseen consequences of the country's huge energy wealth impacted the competitiveness of other sectors of the economy, leading to the theory of. Apart from coal and gas, the country has no mining resources. The last coal mine was closed in 1974. The, one of the largest in the world, is situated near. Exploitation of this field has resulted in €159 billion in revenue since the mid-1970s.

The field is operated by government-owned Gasunie and output is jointly exploited by the government, Royal Dutch Shell, and Exxon Mobil through NAM (Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij). 'Gas extraction has resulted in increasingly strong earth tremors, some measuring as much as 3.6 on the Richter magnitude scale. The cost of damage repairs, structural improvements to buildings, and compensation for home value decreases has been estimated at 6.5 billion euros. Around 35,000 homes are said to be affected.' The Netherlands have an estimated 25% of natural gas reserves in the EU.

Agriculture [ ]. Cows near the city of The Dutch agricultural sector is highly mechanised, and has a strong focus on international exports. It employs about 4% of the Dutch labour force but produces large surpluses for the food-processing industry and accounts for 21 percent of the Dutch total export value. The Dutch rank first in the European Union and second worldwide in value of agricultural exports, behind only the United States, with exports earning €80.7 billion in 2014, up from €75.4 billion in 2012. Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2 Portable.

The Netherlands has, at some time in recent history, supplied one quarter of all of the world's exported tomatoes, and trade of one-third of the world's exports of, tomatoes and cucumbers goes through the country. The Netherlands also exports one-fifteenth of the world's apples. Aside from that, a significant portion of Dutch agricultural exports consists of fresh-cut plants, flowers, and flower bulbs, with the Netherlands exporting two-thirds of the world's total.

Transport [ ]. Bike passage at Mobility on Dutch roads has grown continuously since the 1950s and now exceeds 200 billion km travelled per year, three quarters of which are done by car. Around half of all trips in the Netherlands are made by car, 25% by bicycle, 20% walking, and 5% by public transport. With a total of 139,295 km, which includes 2,758 km of expressways, the Netherlands has one of the densest road networks in the world—much denser than Germany and France, but still not as dense as Belgium. About 13% of all distance is travelled by public transport, the majority of which by train., the Dutch rail network of 3,013 route km is also rather dense. The network is mostly focused on passenger rail services and connects all major towns and cities. Trains are frequent, with one or two trains per hour on lesser lines, two to four trains per hour on average, and up to eight trains an hour on the busiest lines.

A regional train operated by the is a ubiquitous mode of transport in the Netherlands. Almost as many kilometres are covered by bicycle as by train. The Dutch are estimated to have at least 18 million bicycles, which makes more than one per capita, and twice as many as the circa 9 million motor vehicles on the road. In 2013, the ranked both the Netherlands and as the most bike-friendly countries in Europe, but more of the Dutch (36%) than of the Danes (23%) list the bike as their most frequent mode of transport on a typical day. Is comprehensive.

Busy roads have received some 35,000 km of, physically segregated from motorised traffic. Busy junctions are often equipped with bicycle-specific traffic lights. There are large bicycle parking facilities, particularly in city centres and at train stations. The is the largest port in Europe, with the rivers Meuse and Rhine providing excellent access to the upstream reaching to, Switzerland, and into France. As of 2013, Rotterdam was the world's eighth largest handling 440.5 million metric tonnes of cargo annually. The port's main activities are industries and general cargo handling and. The harbour functions as an important transit point for and between the European continent and overseas.

From Rotterdam goods are transported by ship, river barge, train or road. In 2007, the, a new fast freight railway from Rotterdam to Germany, was completed., just southwest of Amsterdam, is the main in the Netherlands, and the in terms of passengers. In 2016, the airports handled 70 million passengers. As part of its commitment to environmental sustainability, the Dutch government initiated a plan to establish over 200 recharging stations for electric vehicles across the country by 2015. The rollout will be undertaken by Switzerland-based power and automation company ABB and Dutch startup Fastned, and will aim to provide at least one station within a 50-kilometre radius (30 miles) from every home in the Netherlands. Demographics [ ]. The population of the Netherlands from 1900 to 2000 The Netherlands had an estimated population of 17,093,000 as of January 2017.

It is the, except for very small states like,,, and. It is the in the world. Between 1900 and 1950, the country's population almost doubled from 5.1 to 10 million. From 1950 to 2000, the population further increased, to 15.9 million, though this represented a lower rate of. The estimated growth rate in 2013 is 0.44%. The in the Netherlands is 1.78 children per woman (2013 estimate ), which is high compared with many other European countries, but. Is high in the Netherlands: 83.21 years for newborn girls and 78.93 for boys (2013 est.

The country has a rate of 1.99 migrants per 1,000 inhabitants per year. The majority of the population of the Netherlands is ethnically. According to a 2005 estimate, the population was 80.9% Dutch, 2.4%, 2.4%, 2.2%, 2.0%, 1.9%, 0.8% and, and 7.4% others. Some 150,000 to 200,000 people living in the Netherlands are, mostly concentrated in and around and, now constituting almost 10% of the population of these cities. The Dutch are the tallest people in the world, with an average height of 1.81 metres (5 ft 11.3 in) for adult males and 1.67 metres (5 ft 5.7 in) for adult females in 2009. People in the south are on average about 2 cm (0.8 inches) shorter than those in the north. In almost half the population has an immigrant background.

According to, in 2010 there were 1.8 million in the Netherlands, corresponding to 11.1% of the total population. Of these, 1.4 million (8.5%) were born outside the EU and 0.428 million (2.6%) were born in another EU Member State.

On 21 November 2016, there were 3.8 million residents in the Netherlands with at least one foreign-born parent ('migration background'). Over half the young people in Amsterdam and Rotterdam have a non-western background. Dutch people, or, are also found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in,, and. According to the 2006 US Census, more than 5 million Americans claim total or partial ancestry. Download Monster Hunter Iso For Ppsspp Gold.

There are close to 3 million Dutch-descended living in South Africa. In 1940, there were 290,000 Europeans and Eurasians in Indonesia, but most have since left the country.

The Netherlands is the 24th country in the world, with 408.53 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,058/sq mi) or – if only the land area is counted (33,883 km 2, 13,082 sq mi) – 500.89 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,297/sq mi). When the land area of the provinces only is counted (33,718 km 2, 13,019 sq mi), a number of 500 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,295/sq mi) was reached in the first half of 2014. The is the country's largest located in the west of the country and contains the four largest cities: Amsterdam in the province, and in the province, and in the province. The Randstad has a population of 7 million inhabitants and is the in Europe. According to Dutch Central Statistics Bureau, in 2015, 28 percent of Dutch population had a spendable income above 40,000 euros (which does not include spendings on health care or education). Other religions (1.1%) Religion in the Netherlands was predominantly until late into the 20th century.

Although religious diversity remains, there has been a decline of religious adherence. In 2015,, the Dutch governmental institution that gathers statistical information about the Netherlands, found that 50.1% of the total population declared to be. Christians comprised the 43.8% of the total population and were divided in with 23.7%, with 15.5% and other Christians with 4.6%. Comprised the 4.9% of the total population and other religions (like, and ) comprised the remaining 1.1%.

According to an independent in-depth interviewing by and in 2006, 34% of the Dutch population identified as a Christian, decreasing till in 2015 almost 25% of the population adhered to one of the Christian faiths (11.7% Roman Catholic, 8.6% PKN, 4.2% other small Christian denominations), 5 percent is Muslim and 2 percent adheres to Hinduism or Buddhism, approximately 67.8% of the population in 2015 has, up from 61% in 2006, 53% in 1996, 43% 1979 and 33% in 1966. The Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau (Social and Cultural Planning Agency, SCP) expects the number of non-affiliated Dutch to be at 72% in 2020. The Dutch constitution guarantees freedom of education, which means that all schools that adhere to general quality criteria receive the same government funding. This includes schools based on religious principles by religious groups (especially Roman Catholic and various Protestant). Three political parties in the Dutch parliament, (, and two small parties, and ) are based upon the Christian belief.

Several Christian religious holidays are national holidays (Christmas, Easter, and the ). In the late 19th century atheism began to rise as secularism, grew; in the 1960s and 1970s Protestantism and Catholicism notably began to decline. There is one major exception: Islam which grew considerably as the result of. Since the year 2000 there has been raised awareness of religion, mainly due to. In 2013 a Catholic became.

From a December 2014 survey by the VU University Amsterdam it was concluded that for the first time there are more atheists (25%) than theists (17%) in the Netherlands. The majority of the population being agnostic (31%) or (27%). In 2015, a vast majority of the inhabitants of the Netherlands (82%) said they had never or almost never visited a church, and 59% stated that they had never been to a church of any kind.

Of all the people questioned, 24% saw themselves as atheist, an increase of 11% compared to the previous study done in 2006. The expected rise of spirituality (ietsism) has come to a halt according to research in 2015. In 2006 40% of respondents considered themselves spiritual, in 2015 this has dropped to 31%. The number who believed in the existence of a higher power fell from 36% to 28% over the same period. The Roman Catholic in Amsterdam is currently the largest religion in the Netherlands. The provinces of and have historically been strongly Roman Catholic, and some of their people might still consider the Catholic Church as a base for their.

Protestantism in the Netherlands consists of a number of churches within various traditions. The largest of these is the (PKN), a church which is and in orientation. It was formed in 2004 as a merger of the, the and. Several orthodox Reformed and liberal churches did not merge into the PKN.

Although in the Netherlands as a whole Christianity has become a minority, the Netherlands contains a from to the northern parts of the province, in which Protestant (particularly Reformed) beliefs remain strong, and even has majorities in municipal councils. The is the second largest religion in the state. In 2012, there were about 825,000 in the Netherlands (5% of the population). Muslim numbers increased from the 1960 as a consequence of large numbers of.

This included migrants from former, such as and, but mainly migrant workers from and. During the 1990s, arrived from countries like,,,, and. Other religions account for some 6% of the Dutch people. Hinduism is a minority religion in the Netherlands, with around 215,000 adherents (slightly over 1% of the population). Most of these are.

There are also sizable populations of Hindu immigrants from and, and some Western adherents of such as. The Netherlands has an estimated 250,000 or people strongly attracted to this religion, mainly ethnic Dutch people. There are about 45,000 in the Netherlands. Education [ ].

A building Education in the Netherlands is compulsory between the ages of 5 and 16. All children in the Netherlands usually attend elementary school from (on average) ages 4 to 12. It comprises eight grades, the first of which is facultative. Based on an aptitude test, the 8th grade teacher's recommendation and the opinion of the pupil's parents or caretakers, a choice is made for one of the three main streams of secondary education (after completing a particular stream, a pupil may still continue in the penultimate year of the next stream): The has 4 grades and is subdivided over several levels.

Successfully completing the VMBO results in a low-level vocational degree that grants access to the MBO. The MBO ('Middle-level applied education') is a form of education primarily focuses on teaching a practical trade, or a vocational degree. With the MBO certification, a student can apply for the HBO.

The has 5 grades and allows for admission to the HBO. The HBO ('Higher professional education') are (or applied sciences) that award professional bachelor's degrees; similar to polytechnic degrees. A HBO degree gives access to the university system. The (comprising and ) has 6 grades and prepares for studying at a (research) university. Universities offer of a three-year bachelor's degree, followed by a one-, two- or three year master's degree, which in turn can be followed by a four-year program. Doctoral candidates in the Netherlands are generally non-tenured employees of a University. All Dutch Universities are publicly owned and managed, and have a tuition fee of about 2,000 euros a year for students from the Netherlands and the European Union.

Cities that are home to a university [ ] • Amsterdam (University of Amsterdam; ) • () • Eindhoven () • Enschede () • Groningen () • () • Maastricht () • Nijmegen () • Rotterdam () • Tilburg () • Utrecht () • () Healthcare [ ]. A public hospital in In 2016, the Netherlands has maintained its number one position at the top of the annual (EHCI), which compares healthcare systems in Europe, scoring 916 of a maximum 1,000 points. The Netherlands has been in the top three countries in each report published since 2005. On 48 indicators such as patient rights and information, accessibility, prevention and outcomes, the Netherlands secured its top position among 37 European countries for the sixth year in a row. The Netherlands was ranked first in a study in 2009 comparing the of the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany and New Zealand.

Ever since a major reform of the health care system in 2006, the Dutch system received more points in the Index each year. According to the HCP (), 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 service.

But 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. Health insurance in the Netherlands is mandatory. Healthcare in the Netherlands is covered by two statutory forms of insurance: • Zorgverzekeringswet (Zvw), often called 'basic insurance', covers common medical care. • Algemene Wet Bijzondere Ziektekosten (AWBZ) covers long-term nursing and care.

While Dutch residents are automatically insured by the government for AWBZ, everyone has to take out their own basic healthcare insurance (basisverzekering), except those under 18 who are automatically covered under their parents' premium. If you don't take out insurance, you risk a fine.

Insurers have to offer a universal package for everyone over the age of 18 years, regardless of age or state of health – it's illegal to refuse an application or impose special conditions. 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. 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 ) 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. The health care system is in comparison to other Western countries quite effective but not the most cost-effective. Healthcare in the Netherlands is financed by a dual system that came into effect in January 2006.

Long-term treatments, especially those that involve semi-permanent hospitalization, and also disability costs such as wheelchairs, are covered by a state-controlled mandatory insurance. This is laid down in the ('General Law on Exceptional Healthcare Costs') which first came into effect in 1968. In 2009 this insurance covered 27% of all health care expenses.

For all regular (short-term) medical treatment, there is a system of obligatory, with private health insurance companies. These insurance companies are obliged to provide a package with a defined set of insured treatments. This insurance covers 41% of all health care expenses.

Other sources of health care payment are taxes (14%), out of pocket payments (9%), additional optional health insurance packages (4%) and a range of other sources (4%). Affordability is guaranteed through a system of income-related allowances and individual and employer-paid income-related premiums. A key feature of the Dutch system is that premiums may not be related to health status or age. Risk variances between private health insurance companies due to the different risks presented by individual policy holders are compensated through and a common. Funding for all short-term health care is 50% from employers, 45% from the insured person and 5% by the government. Children under 18 are covered for free. Those on low incomes receive compensation to help them pay their insurance.

Premiums paid by the insured are about €100 per month (about US$127 in August 2010 and in 2012 €150 or US$196,) with variation of about 5% between the various competing insurers, and deductible a year €220 (U.S. Main articles:,, and The Netherlands has had many well-known painters. The 17th century, in which the Dutch Republic was prosperous, was the age of the 'Dutch Masters', such as,,, and many others. Famous Dutch painters of the 19th and 20th century were and.

Is a well-known graphics artist. Was born and trained in, although he is considered to have reached acclaim as an American artist. The Netherlands is the country of philosophers and. All of ' major work was done in the Netherlands. The Dutch scientist (1629–1695) discovered 's moon, argued that light travelled as waves, invented the and was the first physicist to use mathematical formulae. Was the first to observe and describe with a.

In the, literature flourished as well, with and as the two most famous writers. In the 19th century, wrote about the poor treatment of the natives in the Dutch colony, the current Indonesia.

Important 20th century authors include,,,,,, and. 's was published after she died in the Holocaust and translated from Dutch to all major languages. The traditional Dutch architecture is especially valuated in Amsterdam, and, with 17 and 18th century buildings along the canals.

Smaller village architecture with wooden houses is found in and. Replicas of Dutch buildings can be found in,,. A similar Holland Village is being built in,.,,, cheese, pottery, and are among the items associated with the Netherlands by tourists. The Netherlands has a long history of social tolerance and today is regarded as a liberal country, considering and its legalisation of. On 1 April 2001, the Netherlands became the first nation to legalise. Dutch value system [ ].

Main article: The Dutch have a code of etiquette which governs social behaviour and is considered important. Because of the international position of the Netherlands, many books have been written on the subject. Some customs may not be true in all regions and they are never absolute.

In addition to those specific to the Dutch, many general points of apply to the Dutch as well. Dutch society is, individualistic and modern. The people tend to view themselves as modest, independent and self-reliant. They value ability over dependency. The Dutch have an aversion to the non-essential. Ostentatious behaviour is to be avoided.

Accumulating money is fine, but public spending of large amounts of money is considered something of a and associated with being a show-off. A high lifestyle is considered wasteful and suspect with most people.

The Dutch are proud of their, rich history in art and involvement in. Dutch people in orange celebrating in Amsterdam, 2017 Dutch manners are open and direct with a no-nonsense attitude; informality combined with adherence to basic behaviour.

According to a humorous source on Dutch culture, 'Their directness gives many the impression that they are rude and crude — attributes they prefer to call 'openness.' ' A well known more serious source on Dutch etiquette is 'Dealing with the Dutch' from Jacob Vossestein: 'Dutch egalitarianism is the idea that people are equal, especially from a moral point of view, and accordingly, causes the somewhat ambiguous stance the Dutch have towards hierarchy and status.' As always, manners differ between groups. Asking about basic rules will not be considered impolite. 'What may strike you as being blatantly blunt topics and comments are no more embarrassing or unusual to the Dutch than discussing the weather.' That attitude of honesty explains how the Dutch accept each person as he or she is, because it is what the Dutch society asks so everyone is gelukkig ('happy').

The Netherlands is one of the most secular countries of Europe, and religion is in the Netherlands generally considered as a very personal matter which is not supposed to be propagated in public. For 17% of the population religion is important and 14% goes weekly to church. Dutch people and ecology [ ] The Netherlands has the of the in and. In 2015, Amsterdam and Rotterdam were, respectively, at the 4th and the 5th position on the. Is a concept important for the.

The goal of the Dutch Government is to have a, reliable and affordable energy system, by 2050, in which have been halved and 40 percent of is derived from. The is investing billions of euros in, and. The Kingdom also encourage Dutch to build //, with from the state to the companies or who are active in making the more. The from the 19th century The Netherlands has multiple traditions. Traditional Dutch music is a genre known as ', meaning Song of life, to an extent comparable to a French or a German. These songs typically have a simple melody and rhythm, and a straightforward structure of couplets and refrains.

Themes can be light, but are often sentimental and include, and. Traditional musical instruments such as the and the are a staple of levenslied music, though in recent years many artists also use synthesizers and guitars. Artists in this genre include, and.

The, largest Dutch concert venue Contemporary Dutch and () originated in the 1960s, heavily influenced by popular music from the and. In the 1960s and 1970s the lyrics were mostly in English, and some tracks were instrumental. Bands such as,,, and enjoyed international success.

As of the 1980s, more and more pop musicians started working in the Dutch language, partly inspired by the huge success of the band. Today Dutch rock and pop music thrives in both languages, with some artists recording in both. Current bands,,,,,, and as well as and pop singer are having international success. Also, metal bands like,,,,,, and are popular guests at the biggest in Europe. Contemporary local stars include pop singer, country pop singer, and dialect singing folk band, rock band and duo. Early 1990s Dutch and came together in project. Selling 18 million records, the two singers in the band are the most successful Dutch music artists to this day.

Tracks like ' are still popular themes of U.S. Sports events, like the. In the mid 1990s Dutch language ( ) also came to fruition and has become popular in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Artists with North African, Caribbean or Middle Eastern origins have strongly influenced this genre. Since the 1990s, Dutch (EDM) gained widespread popularity in the world in many forms, from, and to. Some of the world's best known dance music DJs hail from the Netherlands, including,,,,,,, and; the first four of which have been ranked as best in the world. The (ADE) is the world's leading electronic music conference and the biggest club festival for the many electronic subgenres on the planet.

These DJs also contribute to the world's mainstream pop music, as they frequently collaborate and produce for high-profile international artists. In, ranks as the Dutch most famous composer, with amongst the best known living Dutch classical composers. Is a Dutch conductor, organist and harpsichordist. He is also professor at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. Notable violinists are and. The latter, together with his, has taken classical and on worldwide concert tours, the size and revenue of which are otherwise only seen from the world's biggest rock and pop music acts.

The most famous Dutch classical composition is ' by, a minimalistic composition for multiple instruments. Acclaimed harpist in 2012 released an album with works from that she transcribed for harp, with approval of Glass himself. The (completed in 1888) in Amsterdam is home to the, considered one of the world's finest orchestras. Film and television [ ]. Originated in the Netherlands.

Some Dutch films – mainly by director – have received international distribution and recognition, such as (' Turks Fruit', 1973), (' Soldaat van Oranje', 1977), (1980) and (' De Vierde Man', 1983). Verhoeven then went on to direct big movies like (1987), (1990) and (1992), and returned with Dutch film (' Zwartboek', 2006). Other well-known Dutch film directors are ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), and documentary makers and. Film director achieved international notoriety in 2004 when he was murdered by in the streets of Amsterdam after directing the short film.

Internationally successful directors of photography from the Netherlands are (,, ) and ( and ). Van Hoytema went to the () and Van de Sande went to the. Internationally successful Dutch actors include (), ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ) and ( ). The Netherlands has a well developed television market, with both multiple commercial and public broadcasters. Imported TV programmes, as well as interviews with responses in a foreign language, are virtually always shown with the original sound and subtitled. Only foreign shows for children are translated.

TV exports from the Netherlands mostly take the form of specific formats and franchises, most notably through internationally active TV production conglomerate, founded by Dutch and. Headquartered in, Endemol has around 90 companies in over 30 countries. Endemol and its subsidiaries create and run reality, talent, and game show franchises worldwide, including and. John de Mol later started his own company which created show franchises like and.

Dutch star football players and during a game with the against at Approximately 4.5 million of the 16.8 million people in the Netherlands are registered to one of the 35,000 sports clubs in the country. About two-thirds of the population between 15 and 75 participates in sports weekly. Is the most popular participant sport in the Netherlands, before and as the second and third most popular team sports.

Tennis, gymnastics and golf are the three most widely engaged in individual sports. Organisation of sports began at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Federations for sports were established (such as the speed skating federation in 1882), rules were unified and sports clubs came into existence. A was established in 1912. Thus far, the nation has won 266 medals at the and another 110 medals at the. In international competition, Dutch national teams and athletes are dominant in several fields of sport.

The is the most successful team in history. The have won the 20 times out of 32 events. Dutch have won the 15 times out of 19 tournaments. The Dutch performance at the, where they won 8 out of 12 events, 23 out of 36 medals, including 4 clean sweeps, is the most dominant performance in a single sport in Olympic history. Motorcycle racing at the TT Assen Circuit has a long history. Assen is the only venue to have held a round of the Motorcycle World Championship every year since its creation in 1949.

The circuit was purpose built for the Dutch TT in 1954, with previous events having been held on public roads. Limburger currently races in, and. The coastal resort of hosted the from 1958 to 1985. The has also been successful, winning the silver medal at the and the gold medal in.

The biggest success of the was winning the and the. An example of traditional Dutch dinner: Brussels sprouts, boiled potatoes and sausage, including its gravy Originally, the country's cuisine was shaped by the practices of and, including the cultivation of the soil for growing crops and raising domesticated animals. Dutch cuisine is simple and straightforward, and contains many dairy products.

Breakfast and lunch are typically bread with toppings, with cereal for breakfast as an alternative. Traditionally, dinner consists of potatoes, a portion of meat, and (seasonal) vegetables. The Dutch diet was relatively high in carbohydrates and fat, reflecting the dietary needs of the labourers whose culture moulded the country. Without many refinements, it is best described as rustic, though many holidays are still celebrated with special foods. In the course of the twentieth century this diet changed and became much more, with most being represented in the major cities. Modern culinary writers distinguish between three general regional forms of Dutch cuisine. The regions in the northeast of the Netherlands, roughly the provinces of,,, and north of the are the least populated area of the Netherlands.

The late (18th century) introduction of large scale agriculture means that the cuisine is generally known for its many kinds of meats. The relative lack of farms allowed for an abundance of and, though dishes near the coastal regions of Friesland, Groningen and the parts of Overijssel bordering the also include a large amount of fish. The various dried sausages, belonging to the -family of Dutch sausages are found throughout this region and are highly prized for their often very strong taste. Also smoked sausages are common, of which ( Gelderse) is the most renowned.

The sausage contains a lot of fat and is very juicy. Larger sausages are often eaten alongside, or zuurkool (); whereas smaller ones are often eaten as a. The provinces are also home to hard textured, pastries and cookies, the latter heavily spiced with or or contain small bits of meat. Various kinds of Kruidkoek (such as ), and (small savory pancakes cooked in a waffle iron) are considered typical. Notable characteristics of Fries roggebrood (Frisian rye bread) is its long baking time (up to 20 hours), resulting in a sweet taste and a deep dark colour. In terms of alcoholic beverages, the region is renowned for its many (such as ) and other high-proof liquors rather than beer, which is, apart from, typical for the rest of the country. As a coastal region, Friesland is home to low-lying grasslands, and thus has a cheese production in common with the Western cuisine.

Friese Nagelkaas () is a notable example. The provinces of,,, and the Gelderlandic region of are the parts of the Netherlands which make up the region in which western Dutch cuisine is found. Because of the abundance of water and flat grass lands that are found here, the area is known for its many dairy products, which includes prominent cheeses such as, (spiced cheese with cumin), (traditionally in small spheres) as well as and, while the adjacent in is since the 16th century known for its, typical whole-grain and industry.

Zeeland and South Holland produce a lot of butter, which contains a larger amount of than most other European butter varieties. A by-product of the butter-making process, karnemelk (), is also considered typical for this region. Such as, (called Zeeuwse Mossels, since all Dutch mussels for consumption are cleaned in Zeeland's ),, and are widely available and typical for the region., once a local delicacy consisting of small chunks of battered, has become a national, just as. Pastries in this area tend to be quite doughy, and often contain large amounts of sugar; either caramelised, powdered or crystallised. The (in its modern form) and are good examples. Cookies are also produced in great number and tend to contain a lot of butter and sugar, like, as well as a filling of some kind, mostly almond, like. The traditional alcoholic beverages of this region are (strong pale lager) and, a high proof -flavored spirit, that came to be known in England as.

A noted exception within the traditional Dutch alcoholic landscape,, a rich and creamy liqueur made from eggs, sugar and brandy, is also native to this region. The Southern Dutch cuisine consists of the cuisines of the Dutch provinces of and and the in. It is renowned for its many rich pastries, soups, stews and vegetable dishes and is often called Burgundian which is a Dutch idiom invoking the rich Burgundian court which ruled the Low Countries in the Middle Ages, renowned for its splendor and great feasts. It is the only Dutch culinary region that developed an. Pastries are abundant, often with rich fillings of cream, custard or fruits.

Cakes, such as the from Limburg and the Moorkop and from Brabant, are typical pastries. Savoury pastries also occur, with the worstenbroodje (a roll with a sausage of, literally translates into sausage bread) being the most popular. The traditional alcoholic beverage of the region is beer. There are many local brands, ranging from to. 5 of the 10 International Trappist Association recognised breweries in the world, are located in the Southern Dutch cultural area. Beer, like wine in French cuisine, is also used in cooking; often in stews.

In early 2014, ranked the Netherlands as the country with the most nutritious, plentiful and healthy food, in a comparison of 125 countries. Colonial heritage [ ]. As it appeared in 1664; under British rule it became known as From the exploitations of the in the 17th century, to the in the 19th century, continued to expand, reaching their greatest extent by establishing a hegemony of the in the early 20th century. The Dutch East Indies, which later formed modern-day Indonesia, was one of the most valuable European colonies in the world and the most important one for the Netherlands.

Over 350 years of mutual heritage has left a significant cultural mark on the Netherlands. In the of the 17th century, the Netherlands urbanised considerably, mostly financed by corporate revenue from the Asian trade monopolies. Social status was based on merchants' income, which reduced and considerably changed the dynamics of Dutch society. When the was established in 1815, much of its wealth came from Colonial trade. Universities such as the Royal, founded in the 16th century, have developed into leading knowledge centres for and Indonesian studies.

Leiden University has produced leading academics such as, and still has academics who specialise in Indonesian languages and cultures. Leiden University and in particular are educational and scientific institutions that to this day share both an intellectual and historical interest in Indonesian studies. Other scientific institutions in the Netherlands include the Amsterdam, an anthropological museum with massive collections of Indonesian art, culture, ethnography and anthropology.

A Dutch doctor vaccinating patients The traditions of the (KNIL) are maintained by the of the modern. A dedicated Museum, a former home for retired KNIL soldiers, exists in to this day. A specific segment of Dutch literature called still exists and includes established authors, such as, the writer of 'The Hidden Force', taking the colonial era as an important source of inspiration. One of the great masterpieces of is the book ', written by in 1860. The majority of Dutchmen that repatriated to the Netherlands after and during the Indonesian revolution are (Eurasian), native to the islands of the Dutch East Indies. This relatively large Eurasian population had developed over a period of 400 years and were classified by colonial law as belonging to the European legal community.

In Dutch they are referred to as Indische Nederlanders or as Indo (short for Indo-European). Including their second generation descendants, Indos are currently the largest foreign-born group in the Netherlands.

In 2008, the Dutch Central Bureau for Statistics (CBS) registered 387,000 first- and second-generation Indos living in the Netherlands. Although considered fully assimilated into Dutch society, as the main ethnic minority in the Netherlands, these 'repatriants' have played a pivotal role in introducing elements of Indonesian culture into Dutch mainstream culture. Practically every town in the Netherlands has a 'Toko' (Dutch Indonesian Shop) or a Chinese-Indonesian restaurant and many ' (Night market in Malay/Indonesian) fairs are organised throughout the year. Many Indonesian dishes and foodstuffs have become commonplace in the Netherlands., a colonial culinary concept, and dishes such as and are very popular in the Netherlands.

See also [ ] •. Retrieved on 4 July 2017. Www.cbs.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 October 2017. Cite error: Invalid tag; name 'cbs2016' defined multiple times with different content (see the ).

Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek. Retrieved 14 November 2017.

International Monetary Fund. Eurostat Data Explorer. Retrieved 4 December 2015. United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved 21 March 2017. • (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 October 2010.

• (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 January 2011. Dutch government.

30 September 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2014. Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 15 August 2014.

• Dutch Wikisource. Retrieved 3 July 2013.de hoofdstad Amsterdam. • Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the UN.. Archived from on 5 October 2013.

Retrieved 26 June 2013. • (PDF) (Press release). Rotterdam Port Authority.

Retrieved 28 June 2014. 19 April 1994. Retrieved 29 April 2010. • ^ (RVO), Netherlands Enterprise Agency.. Retrieved 26 August 2016. • van Krieken, Peter J.; David McKay (2005).

The Hague: Legal Capital of the World. Cambridge University Press.., specifically, 'In the 1990s, during his term as United Nations Secretary General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali started calling The Hague the world's legal capital.' 1 February 2017. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown () •. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.

CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (),. Heritage.org • Helliwell, John; Layard, Richard; Sachs, Jeffrey (20 March 2017). Retrieved 18 June 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.

• 'Holland vs Netherlands – Is the Netherlands the same as Holland?' Retrieved 31 March 2014.

Retrieved 31 March 2014. The Daily Telegraph. 12 April 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.

Retrieved 1 February 2014. 5 September 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2014. • Wim Blockmans; Walter Prevenier (3 August 2010).. University of Pennsylvania Press.

Tracklist: 01. Armin van Buuren & Mark Sixma - Panta Rhei (Intro Mix) 02. Armin van Buuren feat. Probz - Another You (Mark Sixma Remix) 03.

Alexander Popov vs. Gareth Emery feat.

Bo Bruce - Olympus vs. U (Armin van Buuren Mashup) 04.

Above & Beyond feat. Zoe Johnston - Overload vs. We’re All We Need (Armin van Buuren Mashup) 06. Yoel Lewis - Paradox 07. Protoculture - Pegasus 08. Armin van Buuren feat.

Trevor Guthrie - Together vs. This Is What It Feels Like (Acappella) (Armin van Buuren Mashup) 09.

Alexander Popov - Born To Love 10. Armin van Buuren & W&W - Your House Is Mine 11.

Mark Sixma - Adagio For Strings 12. Willem De Roo vs. Bogdan Vix & Renee Stahl vs. Armin van Buuren feat.

Laura Jansen - Inception vs. Sound Of The Drums (Armin van Buuren Mashup) 13. Genix - Lux 14.

Andrew Lloyd Webber - The Phantom of the Opera (ID Dub) 15. Johnny Yono - Poison Whispers 16. Simon Patterson & Matt Adey - Time Stood Still 17. Gaia - Carnation 18. Jorn van Deynhoven - Freaks (Festival Mix) 19. Armin van Buuren vs.

Fisherman & Hawkins - Ping Pong vs. Apache (W&W Edit) 20.

Fisherman & Hawkins vs Gal Abutbul - United 21. Dash Berlin feat. Roxanne Emery - Shelter (Photographer Remix) 22. Armin van Buuren pres.

Rising Star feat. Betsie Larkin – Safe Inside You 23. Ramin Djawadi - Game Of Thrones (Rising Star? Photographer & Abstract Vision - Zero Gravity 25. Johan Gielen - Confusion 26.

Amir Hussain vs. A & Z - Dizzy Heights 27. Paul van Dyk & Roger Shah feat. Daphne Khoo - Louder (Ben Nicky Remix) 28.

Photographer vs. Armin van Buuren & Susana - Airport Shivers (Armin van Buuren Mashup) 29. ENCORE: RAM & Susana - Someone Like You.