The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba in the Caribbean. The country has a population of 16.36 million inhabitants and an area of 41,526 square km. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy located in Western Europe, bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east. Geographically it is a low-lying and densely populated country, popularly known for its flatness, traditional windmills, tulips, cheese, clogs (wooden shoes), delftware and gouda pottery. It is equally known for its bicycles, dikes and surge barriers, as well as its traditional values and civil virtues such as its classic social tolerance.
The Netherlands has an international outlook; among other affiliations the country is a founding member of the European Union (EU), NATO, the OECD, and has signed the Kyoto protocol. Along with Belgium and Luxembourg, the Netherlands is one of three member nations of the Benelux economic union. The country is host to five international courts: the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Court and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
To find out more, please visit
www.overheid.nl for government related information,
www.nbtc.nl for information about tourism,
www.minocw.nl/cultuur.nl for cultural matters and
www.cbs.nl for economic information.