The Netherlands

Cultural  

1. Constitutional monarchy in northwestern Europe, bordered by the North Sea to the west and north, Germany to the east, and Belgium to the south. Amsterdam is the constitutional capital, and The Hague is the seat of the government. The Netherlands are also popularly known as Holland, after a region of the country.

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The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries also saw a flowering of Dutch painting by masters such as Rembrandt.

Half of the country lies below sea level. Much of this land has been reclaimed from the North Sea and is protected by dikes and irrigated by an intricate system of canals.

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, The Netherlands established a powerful commercial and colonial empire. The Dutch Empire included the settlement of New Amsterdam, which later became New York, and the conquest of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).

During World War II, Germany invaded and occupied The Netherlands, exterminating most Dutch Jews (see also Jews). (See Anne Frank.)

Example Sentences

The Netherlands and Japan are the class of this group.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

The Netherlands Vehicle Authority, or RDW, said the system had been tested for more than a year and a half and that using it correctly made a positive contribution to road safety.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

The Netherlands is in the midst of its own heated public debate on assisted dying, which has spilled into the Canadian committee hearings.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

The Netherlands has the most expensive diesel in Europe at more than $2.80 a litre, according to research by the RAC, a British motoring organisation.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

Hardly surprisingly, the alliance did not last, and, following defeats of the English Navy by the Dutch, after 1672 France was left alone to invade The Netherlands.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin