The Netherlands - A Country File
Understand the basics of the Netherlands at a glance...
The Netherlands is a country situated in north western Europe. It is one part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands which includes the Netherlands, Antilles and Aruba in the Caribbean.
The Netherlands is commonly referred to as Holland, although the two provinces of Holland make up only a small part of the country. Amsterdam - the capital city, the Hague - the seat of government and Rotterdam - the third largest city all fall within Holland.
The official language of the Netherlands is Dutch, although English is taught at schools and is widely spoken in the urban centres. Dutch is also the term used to describe nationals of the Netherlands; many of them also speak French and German. In northern parts of the Netherlands a large number of Dutch speak Frisian.
The resident population of the Netherlands is approximately 16 million.