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.

---

Discover More

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 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 would become the fourth of four predicted winners to fulfil Klement's statistical prophecy if they lift the trophy in July.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

The Netherlands approved Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature, marking the first European regulatory approval for the software.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 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