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Netherlands is a Western European nation, comprising 2
provinces out of the 12 that make up the
Netherlands. Situated on the coast of the Plain of
Northern Europe, it covers an area of 41 526 km2. It
is bathed by the North Sea, to the north and west, and
is bordered by Belgium, to the south, and Germany, to
the east. The main cities are Amsterdam, the capital,
with a population of 742 300 inhabitants (2004),
Rotterdam (603 300 inhab.), The Hague, the seat of
government, with 470 300 inhabitants, Utrecht (265 600
inhab.) And Eindhoven ( 208 500 inhab.). The relief of
the Netherlands is divided into two distinct areas: the
one that covers the south and east of the country, with
wavy relief and with a maximum altitude of 322 meters,
and the rest of the country, predominantly flat, where,
even, it surrounds 20% of the land is below sea
level. These lands, called polders, were conquered from
the sea through drainage and the construction of dikes
in a process that, although dating back to the 12th
century, only saw significant advances from the second
decade of the 20th century, such as the Delta Plan,
taken carried out in the Southwest of the country
between 1960 and 1987.
Climate
Holland's climate is maritime temperate, with rainfall
relatively distributed throughout the year.
Economy
The Netherlands has several natural energy resources, of
which natural gas stands out, whose reserves are the
largest in Western Europe. As for oil and coal, although
they exist in reasonable quantities, they do not satisfy
domestic needs, thus forcing the country to resort to
importing those materials.
The Dutch economy is one of the most developed in
Europe, building its growth on a strong private sector
that encompasses all economic activities.
The primary sector is well developed, integrating
activities such as greenhouse horticulture (tomatoes,
cucumbers and lettuce are the main products),
floriculture (mainly dedicated to the tulip, the
national symbol) and the creation of dairy cattle that
sustain the strong production dairy products. In
relation to the secondary sector, the metallurgical,
food and tobacco industries are its main sources of
income, followed by the chemical, electronic and oil
industries. In recent years, the Dutch Government has
encouraged the development of other industries, such as
aeronautics and automobiles. Finally, in the tertiary
sector, the importance of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange
(founded in the early 17th century) and the Dutch
banking system, predominantly in the hands of private
groups, is important. On the other hand, the fact that
the Netherlands constituted the Benelux (together with
Belgium and Luxembourg) and joined the European Union
has numerous advantages in terms of commercial
transactions. The Netherlands' main trading partners are
Germany, Belgium-Luxembourg, the United Kingdom and
France.
Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide
emissions, per capita (metric tons, 1999), is
0.5.
History
Holland, although inhabited since the Low and Middle
Paleolithic (250,000 to 35,000 BC), has its roots in the
Celtic and German civilizations (8th century to 1st
century BC) and in Roman civilization (20th century) I
a. To the 5th century AD.). The Roman domain was
followed by the Franks, but these were eventually
superseded by the Carolingian Empire (which had
Charlemagne as its most famous emperor) at the end of
the 7th century, which was dismembered after the death
of Emperor Louis, the Pio, in the year 840.
From the 10th century onwards, several secular and
religious principalities began to appear, all with a
feudal connection to the German kingdom, with the
exception of Flanders, whose count maintained a
vassalage with France. These principalities started, in
the following century, a period of independence wars,
taking advantage of the weakening of the German and
French kingdoms, but the latter ended up imposing its
dominance in the beginning of the 13th century,
maintaining it until the 14th century. The
principalities then came into conflict with each other
with a view to obtaining dominance in the region, which
was to be achieved by Flanders, a principality where the
powerful cities of Bruges, Ghent and Ypres were
inserted, which were the basis of the economic growth
that led Flanders overlapping the principalities of
Holland, Brabant and Utrecht. In 1504, Dutch territory
became part of the Spanish Crown, participating, since
then, in the different conflicts in which Spain was
involved. During the Reformation, Holland converted to
Calvinism, which inspired Prince William of Orange to
lead a revolution opposing the Counter-reform policy led
by Philip II of Spain, culminating in the establishment
of the United Provinces of Holland (1579), whose
independence it was recognized by Spain only in 1648. In
fact, in the 17th century, Holland became the leading
European country in overseas trade, provoking rivalries
with England, a country with which it went to war
several times. In 1688, the English Parliament invited
William of Orange to rule England as William III, who,
through a combination of forces, it faced French power
during the reign of Louis XIV. However, throughout the
18th century, Dutch maritime power weakened, making the
Netherlands dependent on England. With the French
Revolution, Holland became a French protectorate, but in
1814 the house of Orange founded the kingdom of Holland,
under the regency of William I (William IV), which
included Luxembourg and Belgium (however, in 1830
Belgium became independent). This year, the Dutch
Parliament (referred to as the General States) approved
a Constitution that gave Holland the status of
constitutional monarchy, in 1848 a new Constitution to
give Parliament maximum powers. Holland became a French
protectorate, but in 1814 the house of Orange founded
the kingdom of Holland, under the regency of William I
(William IV), which included Luxembourg and Belgium
(however, in 1830 Belgium became if independent). This
year, the Dutch Parliament (referred to as the General
States) approved a Constitution that gave Holland the
status of constitutional monarchy, in 1848 a new
Constitution to give Parliament maximum powers. Holland
became a French protectorate, but in 1814 the house of
Orange founded the kingdom of Holland, under the regency
of William I (William IV), which included Luxembourg and
Belgium (however, in 1830 Belgium became if
independent). This year, the Dutch Parliament (referred
to as the General States) approved a Constitution that
gave Holland the status of constitutional monarchy, in
1848 a new Constitution to give Parliament maximum
powers.
The Netherlands then assumed a status of neutrality,
which allowed it to bypass the various conflicts in
Europe (including the First World War). Thus, all
national forces turned to the country's development,
based on the industrialization of the economy. However,
even though it was a neutral country, the Netherlands
was involved in the Second World War, when it was
invaded by Germany, and, at the end of the conflict, it
abandoned its neutrality status and became a member of
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. (BORN).
The post-war period was marked by the need for
national reconstruction, a need that touched all sectors
of society and, as such, it was duly used, not only by
Queen Guilhermina in the complete and definitive
democratization of the political system (implantation of
the electoral system of universal suffrage and
proportional representation), as well as to establish an
economic recovery plan accepted by the Government, the
employers and the various workers' unions. Growth became
inevitable and, with the entry in 1958 into the European
Economic Community (EEC, today the European Union) and
the realization of economic union with Belgium and
Luxembourg (Benelux), it gained European contours. The
Labor Party has, throughout the post-World War II
decades, led Dutch political life, although in recent
years it has shared power with the Christian Democratic
Appeal Party.
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