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 tied on points, wins and goal differential and played to a draw in their head-to-head match, so whoever does better on the final day wins the group.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

The Netherlands and Japan are the class of this group.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

The Netherlands Vehicle Authority, or RDW, said at the time that it would submit an application to roll out the system across the whole of the EU.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 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 and nearby Belgium are known for their great art masters and their reverence for painting.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman