The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland [ˈneːdərlɑnt] (listen)), informally Holland,[12][13] is a country located in northwestern Europe with overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.[14] The Netherlands consists of twelve provinces; it borders Germany to the east, and Belgium to the south, with a North Sea coastline to the north and west. It shares maritime borders with the United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium in the North Sea.[15] The country's official language is Dutch, with West Frisian as a secondary official language in the province of Friesland.[1] Dutch, English and Papiamento are official in the Caribbean territories.[1]

The four largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht.[16] Amsterdam is the country's most populous city and the nominal capital.[17] The Hague holds the seat of the States General, Cabinet and Supreme Court.[18] The Port of Rotterdam is the busiest seaport in Europe.[19] Schiphol is the busiest airport in the Netherlands, and the third busiest in Europe. The Netherlands is a founding member of the European Union, Eurozone, G10, NATO, OECD, and WTO, as well as a part of the Schengen Area and the trilateral Benelux Union. It hosts several intergovernmental organisations and international courts, many of which are centred in The Hague.[20]

Netherlands literally means "lower countries" in reference to its low elevation and flat topography, with nearly 26% falling below sea level.[21] Most of the areas below sea level, known as polders, are the result of land reclamation that began in the 14th century.[22] In the Republican period, which began in 1588, the Netherlands entered a unique era of political, economic, and cultural greatness, ranked among the most powerful and influential in Europe and the world; this period is known as the Dutch Golden Age.[23] During this time, its trading companies, the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company, established colonies and trading posts all over the world.[24][25]

With a population of 17.8 million people, all living within a total area of 41,850 km2 (16,160 sq mi)—of which the land area is 33,500 km2 (12,900 sq mi)—the Netherlands is the 16th most densely populated country in the world and the second-most densely populated country in the European Union, with a density of 531 people per square kilometre (1,380 people/sq mi). Nevertheless, it is the world's second-largest exporter of food and agricultural products by value, owing to its fertile soil, mild climate, intensive agriculture, and inventiveness.[26][27][28]

The Netherlands has been a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a unitary structure since 1848. The country has a tradition of pillarisation and a long record of social tolerance, having legalised prostitution and euthanasia, along with maintaining a liberal drug policy. The Netherlands allowed women's suffrage in 1919 and was the first country to legalise same-sex marriage in 2001. Its mixed-market advanced economy has the thirteenth-highest per capita income globally.

Aruba (/əˈruːbə/ ə-ROO-bə, Dutch: [aːˈrubaː, -ryb-] (listen), Papiamento: [aˈruba]), officially the Country of Aruba (Dutch: Land Aruba; Papiamento: Pais Aruba), is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about 29 kilometres (18 mi) north of the Venezuela peninsula of Paraguaná and 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Curaçao.[7] It measures 32 kilometres (20 mi) long from its northwestern to its southeastern end and 10 kilometres (6 mi) across at its widest point.[7] Together with Bonaire and Curaçao, Aruba forms a group referred to as the ABC islands. Collectively, these and the other three Dutch substantial islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean, of which Aruba has about one-third of the population. In 1986, it became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and acquired the formal name the Country of Aruba.

Aruba is one of the four countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands, along with the Netherlands, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten; the citizens of these countries are all Dutch nationals.[8] Aruba has no administrative subdivisions, but, for census purposes, is divided into eight regions. Its capital is Oranjestad.[8][7]

Unlike much of the Caribbean region, Aruba has a dry climate and an arid, cactus-strewn landscape.[7][8] The relatively warm and sunny weather, and the climate allow for related tourism activities all year round. Its area is 179 km2 (69.1 sq mi) and it is quite densely populated, with 108,166 inhabitants per the 2020 census.

Curaçao (/ˈk(j)ʊərəˌsoʊ, -ˌsaʊ, ˌk(j)ʊərəˈsoʊ, -ˈsaʊ/ KURE-ə-soh, -⁠sow, -⁠SOH, -⁠SOW;[8][9] Dutch: [kyːraːˈsʌu, kuːr-] (listen);[10] Papiamento: Kòrsou, [ˈkɔrsɔu̯]), officially the Country of Curaçao (Dutch: Land Curaçao;[11] Papiamento: Pais Kòrsou),[12][13] is a Lesser Antilles island in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about 65 km (40 mi) north of the Venezuela coast. It is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.[14] Together with Aruba and Bonaire, it forms the ABC islands. Collectively, Curaçao, Aruba, and other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean. It is the largest of the ABC islands in both area and population as well as the largest of the Dutch Caribbean.[15]

Curaçao was formerly part of the Curaçao and Dependencies colony from 1815 to 1954 and later the Netherlands Antilles from 1954 to 2010, as Island Territory of Curaçao (Dutch: Eilandgebied Curaçao, Papiamento: Teritorio Insular di Kòrsou),[16] and is now formally called the Country of Curaçao.[13] It includes the main island of Curaçao and the much smaller, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao ("Little Curaçao").[13] Curaçao has a population of 158,665 (January 2019 est.),[3] with an area of 444 km2 (171 sq mi); its capital is Willemstad

Sint Maarten (Dutch pronunciation: [sɪntˈmaːrtə(n)] (listen)) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean.[5] With a population of 41,486[1] as of January 2019 on an area of 34 km2 (13 sq mi), it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the northern 56% of the island constitutes the French overseas collectivity of Saint Martin. Sint Maarten's capital is Philipsburg.[6] Collectively, Sint Maarten and the other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean.

Before 10 October 2010, Sint Maarten was known as the Island Territory of Sint Maarten (Dutch: Eilandgebied Sint Maarten), and was one of six island territories (eilandgebieden) that constituted the Netherlands Antilles.[6] Sint Maarten has the status of an overseas country and territory (OCT) and is not part of the European Union.

On 6 and 7 September 2017, the island was hit by Category 5 Hurricane Irma, which caused widespread and significant damage to buildings and infrastructure.[6]