|pop=17,150,000 (2020)
|pop-basis=
|gdp-year=$900,000,000,000 (2020)|gdp-year=
|gdp-pc=$52,478 (2020)
|currency=Euro (€) (EUR)
}}
:''For the impact on left-wing policies on the Netherlands and the rest of Europe, see [[European migrant crisis]]''
The '''Netherlands''' (Dutch: ''Nederland'') , also known informally as ''Holland'' or ''The Low Countries'', is a country in the [[European Union]] in northwestern Europe, north of Belgium and France. It is a part the primary component of [[the Kingdom of the Netherlands]], which also includes the [[Caribbean]] countries of [[Aruba]], [[Curaçao]] and [[Sint Maarten]]. It is bordered by [[Belgium]] to the south and [[Germany]]to the east, while facing the [[North Sea]] to the north and has west. [[Amsterdam]] is the official capital, while [[The Hague]] is the actual seat of government. The Netherlands is famous for being a small, low-lying, and densely populated country. Its total population of area is 16.9 million ,160 square miles: only 12,900 (201582%)of that land, the rest water, and its total population in 2020 was 17. Its system 3 million. With aquatic areas excluded, the country has a population density of government is 1,341/mi², the fifth-highest in the world and the second-highest in the [[constitutional monarchyEuropean Union]], of which it is a leading member. The country is often referred land area of the Netherlands would be much smaller if not for a complex process of land reclamation that dates back to the Middle Ages; more than a fourth of the land today is in fact below sea level, protected by a complex of dikes and drainage systems. The very name "Netherlands" almost directly translates as "HollandLow Countries,"in reference to its elevation. Since 1848, which was originally the name country has been a [[constitutional monarchy]] with a unitary system of two densely populated government. Of its twelve provinces of , the country (most important historically are North-Holland and South-Holland). The , which contain the cities of [[Amsterdam]], The Hague, and [[Rotterdam]] and [[The Hague]] all lie in these provinces. Because of their disproportionate influence, that have always been the most influential regions in the Netherlandscountry is often referred to as "Holland". The official language is [[Dutch]] and the people are referred to in English as Dutchmen or collectively as the Dutch.
The major ethnic groups in the Netherlands are [[Dutch]] 79%, Turks 2%, Surinamese 2%, Moroccans 2%.
The Netherlands has long been notorious for its left-leaning social policies, having in the recent past legalized prostitution, [[euthanasia]], [[gay "marriage"]], and the recreational use of many harmful drugs. Although a traditional adherence to pro-free-market policies has given the country one of the world's highest per-capita incomes, this has been endangered by a leftward drift in economic matters as well, as the ongoing persecution of [[Dutch farmers]] demonstrates. In certain respects, the country should be thought of as a [[technocracy]] rather than a parliamentary democracy.
==History==
Hoek van Holland ("Hook of Holland", literally 'corner of Holland') is a port in [[South Holland]], and is administratively part of the city of [[Rotterdam]]. It lies at the outflow of the Nieuwe Waterweg [[canal]] and the [[North Sea]], and is the base for ferry services to [[Harwich]] in eastern [[England]].
== Economy ==
The Dutch economy is almost $1 trillion, which is expected to be reached in less than 5 years. It is the 17th largest in the world. It was 10th in 1985, ahead of [[China]] at that time. The Netherlands is a major center of trade among European countries.
*GDP: $900 billion (2020)
*GDP per capita: $52,478 (2020)
*Natural resources: Land, farms, forests, oil.
On July 6, 2022 Dutch police fired on [[Dutch farmers]] protesting environmental regulations attempting to shut down family farms.<ref>https://www.politico.eu/article/police-fire-dutch-farmer-protest-nitrogen-emission-cut/</ref>
==Provinces==