| Area Total | 41,543 sq km |
| Climate | temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters |
| Natural Resources | natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land |
| Imports | $China 16.4%, Germany 15.3%, Belgium 8.5%, US 6.9%, UK 5.1%, Russia 4.3% (2017) – machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing |
| Exports | Germany 24.2%, Belgium 10.7%, UK 8.8%, France 8.8%, Italy 4.2% (2017) – machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and livestock, manufactured goods |
| Government | parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Capital | Amsterdam; note – The Hague is the seat of government |
| Population | 17.2 million (July 2018 est.) |
| Ethnicity | Dutch 76.9%, EU 6.4%, Turkish 2.4%, Moroccan 2.3%, Indonesian 2.1%, German 2.1%, Surinamese 2%, Polish 1%, other 4.8% (2018 est.) |
| Language | Dutch (official); Frisian, Low Saxon, Limburgish, Romani, and Yiddish |
News about the Netherlands
- Ajax and PSV dumped out of Champions League with home defeats
by Gordon Darroch (DutchNews.nl) on January 28, 2026Ajax and PSV Eindhoven have been eliminated from the Champions League as they both slumped to home defeats on a...
- Stricter measures needed to prevent bird flu jumping to humans
by Hanneke Sanou (DutchNews.nl) on January 28, 2026Experts are calling for stricter measures and more testing to prevent the bird flu virus from jumping to human beings...
- Government ordered to protect Bonaire from climate change
by Molly Quell (DutchNews.nl) on January 28, 2026The Netherlands has failed to take sufficient measures to protect the former Dutch colony of Bonaire from the ravages of...
- King backs Dutch troops in wake of Trump’s Afghanistan slur
by Robin Pascoe (DutchNews.nl) on January 28, 2026Dutch king Willem-Alexander has spoken out in support of Dutch soldiers who served with Nato forces in Afghanistan, in the...
- Coalition parties slide in new poll as D66 lose ground on left
by Gordon Darroch (DutchNews.nl) on January 28, 2026The three parties that will form the next government have fallen back to 66 seats in the latest monthly EenVandaag...
- MPs reject plans to expand A27 by cutting down more trees
by Hanneke Sanou (DutchNews.nl) on January 28, 2026A majority of MPs have backed a motion to scrap controversial plans to expand part of the A27 motorway near...
- Haul of €250m of cocaine found in magnets shipped from Ecuador
by Gordon Darroch (DutchNews.nl) on January 28, 2026Nearly five tonnes of cocaine have been seized in what customs officers say is one of the biggest shipments of...
- F-35s land at Schiphol in test of airport’s combat readiness
by Gordon Darroch (DutchNews.nl) on January 28, 2026Four F-35 fighter jets touched down at Schiphol airport on Tuesday in the first military exercise to be carried out...
- The Netherlands has been hit by an influx of influencers
by Molly Quell (DutchNews.nl) on January 28, 2026The Americans are coming and amongst the hoard are a dangerous subset known as influencers. Can we survive the onslaught,...
- VVD and D66 drop plan to relax the rules on cash payments
by Robin Pascoe (DutchNews.nl) on January 28, 2026The two biggest parties in the pending coalition government have dropped their proposal to relax the rules requiring all companies...
