| 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
- Firefighters tackle large wildfire in The Hague coastal dunes
by Gordon Darroch (DutchNews.nl) on April 29, 2026More than 50 fire engines were sent to tackle a bush fire that broke out in the coastal dunes in...
- Hooting around in Maastricht: eagle owl caught with two mates
by Louis Gore-Langton (DutchNews.nl) on April 29, 2026A male eagle owl in a quarry near Maastricht has fertilised two females within an hour, in what experts say...
- Chipsoft says stolen patient data has been destroyed
by Louis Gore-Langton (DutchNews.nl) on April 29, 2026Medical software company Chipsoft has said the patient data stolen in this month’s ransomware attack on its systems has been...
- Teenagers being recruited by gangs for cross-border ”hit jobs”
by Gordon Darroch (DutchNews.nl) on April 29, 2026Criminal gangs are recruiting children as young as 13 across Europe for violent acts such as planting exposives, shootings and...
- Food prices set to keep rising amid energy crisis: ABN Amro
by Louis Gore-Langton (DutchNews.nl) on April 29, 2026Food prices in the Netherlands are likely to keep rising well into 2027 as soaring energy costs begin to take...
- Gorinchem holds new election after claims of proxy vote fraud
by Gordon Darroch (DutchNews.nl) on April 29, 2026Voters in Gorinchem are going back to the ballot box on Wednesday in a re-run of elections ordered because of...
- Minimum-wage jobs steady as reforms to temp sector stall
by Louis Gore-Langton (DutchNews.nl) on April 29, 2026Around 610,000 jobs in the Netherlands were paid at or near the minimum wage in 2025 – one in 15...
- Man, 34, arrested over vandalism at Loosdrecht asylum shelter
by Gordon Darroch (DutchNews.nl) on April 28, 2026A 34-year-old man has been arrested by police investigating an attack by vandals on a former council office that is...
- Transavia cancels flights in wake of Middle East war
by Gordon Darroch (DutchNews.nl) on April 28, 2026Budget airline Transavia has cancelled some of its flights in May and June as a result of soaring fuel prices...
- Banks demand action from Meta, TikTok as fraud losses hit €26m
by Louis Gore-Langton (DutchNews.nl) on April 28, 2026Dutch banks have called on social media companies to do more to combat fraud after customers in the Netherlands lost...
