Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of
the Netherlands, consisting of twelve provinces in western Europe and three
islands in the Caribbean. The European part of the Netherlands borders the North
Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east; and
shares maritim borders with Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. The
Netherlands was one of the first countries in the world to have an elected
parliament, and is governed as a parliamentary democracy organised as a unitary
state. The capital city of the Netherlands, mandated by the constitution, is Amsterdam;
however, the seat of government is located in The Hague. The Netherlands in its
entirety is often referred to as "Holland", which in strict usage,
refers only to North and South Holland, two of its provinces. The former usage
is considered incorrect or informal, depending on the context, but is generally
accepted when referring to the national football team.
The Netherlands is a geographically low-lying country, with 20% of its
area and 21% of its population located below sea level, and 50% of its land
lying less than one metre above sea
level . The Netherlands is formed by estuary of 3 important European rivers,
which together with their distributaries form the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta.
Most of the country is very flat, with the exception of foothills in the far
southeast and several low hill ranges in the central parts.
The Netherlands has a market-based mixed economy, ranking 17th of 177
countries according to the Index of Economic Freedom. It had the 10th
highest per capita income in the world in 2011. In May 2011, the Netherlands
was ranked as the "happiest" country in the world according to the
OECD, reflecting its high standard of living.
Capital
:
|
Amsterdam
|
Area:
|
41,543
square km
|
National
Bird:
|
Flamingo
|
National
Animal:
|
Lion
|
National
Flower:
|
Tulips
|
National
Language:
|
Dutch
|
National
Sport:
|
Football
|
National
Dance:
|
Dutch
dance
|
Prime
Minister:
|
Mark
Rutte
|
Major
Occupation:
|
Service
|
Time
Zone:
|
CET(UTC+1)
|
