| 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
- Nine men to be tried for murder of Dutch crime reporter Peter R de Vriesby Agence France-Presse in The Hague (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 30, 2023
Hearing to start in January in case of journalist shot in the street in 2021 who was adviser to a witness in trial of a Dutch drug baron Nine men suspected of the murder of prominent Dutch crime reporter Peter R de Vries will go on trial in January, a Dutch court has announced, with a verdict expected by the summer.De Vries was gunned down on a busy […]
- Dutch Ed Sheeran fan is one of 14 picked to make a videoby Robin Pascoe (DutchNews.nl) on November 30, 2023
A Dutch Ed Sheeran fan is one of 14 Sheerios from around the world picked out by the master songwriter...
- Right-wing coalition plans adrift. “We need to talk,” says BBBby Robin Pascoe (DutchNews.nl) on November 30, 2023
A four-way coalition between the biggest four right-wing parties seemed a long way off on Thursday with Geert Wilders accusing...
- Betcity fined €3 million for lax approach to money launderingby Robin Pascoe (DutchNews.nl) on November 30, 2023
The Dutch gambling authority KSA has fined website Betent (Betcity) €3 million for breaking laws on preventing money laundering and financing terrorism. ...
- Shrimp boat stuck on beach nice for tourists, not for ownerby Hanneke Sanou (DutchNews.nl) on November 30, 2023
A shrimp boat that has run aground on the beach at Zandvoort is fast becoming a tourist attraction as a...
- Culture minister Gunay Uslu steps down to head Corendonby Robin Pascoe (DutchNews.nl) on November 30, 2023
Junior culture minister Gunay Uslu is leaving the government to take over as chief executive at her family’s travel firm...
- Has Yesilgöz convinced the VVD to back her PVV position?by Hanneke Sanou (DutchNews.nl) on November 30, 2023
The decision by VVD leader Dilan Yesilgöz not to enter into a coalition with Geert Wilders but take on a...
- Geert Wilders’ win shows we are in a new phase for the far right in western Europe | Cas Muddeby Cas Mudde (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 30, 2023
As mainstream politics has shifted to the right, once-fringe parties are gaining support – and moving closer to governmentThe turning point in Geert Wilders’ path to Dutch electoral triumph (if not power) is now thought to have been the decision by the leader of the conservative VVD party to open the door to Wilders’ party as a coalition partner. It […]
- Consumer groups protest at “unfair, misleading” Meta fee planby Robin Pascoe (DutchNews.nl) on November 30, 2023
The Dutch consumer association Consumentenbond is one of 19 European bodies that have submitted a complaint to the EU consumer protection...
- Dutch state to cut ABN Amro stake to 40% in new share saleby Robin Pascoe (DutchNews.nl) on November 30, 2023
The Dutch state is planning to reduce its stake in ABN Amro from 49.5% to 40%, the state shareholdings agency...
- ASR agrees to close “woekerpolis” chapter with €250m dealby Robin Pascoe (DutchNews.nl) on November 30, 2023
Insurance company ASR has agreed to pay extra compensation to thousands of consumers who lost out financially because of the...
- Chilly days ahead, with frosts at night and winter sunshineby Robin Pascoe (DutchNews.nl) on November 30, 2023
The KNMI weather bureau issued a code yellow weather warning for the entire country on Thursday morning, saying drivers face...
- Europe has entered a new age of anxiety – and it's dragging Britain along too | Martin Kettleby Martin Kettle (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 30, 2023
Far from freeing the UK from continental insecurities, Brexit has made some of them worse. Isolationism won’t help: the only hope is to work with our neighboursOnce again, a spectre is haunting Europe. Yet the spectre is not communism, as Karl Marx wrongly predicted nearly 200 years ago. Far from it. The spectre today consists of multiple new drivers of […]
- Geert Wilders and Europe’s lurch to the far right - podcastby Presented by Michael Safi with Senay Boztas and Jon Henley; produced by Courtney Yusuf, Natalie Ktena, Morgan Ofori and Rudi Zygadlo; executive producer Elizabeth Cassin. Additional production by Daniel Semo (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 29, 2023
Since winning the most seats in the Dutch election last week, Geert Wilders has been attempting to form a government. The controversial figure is the leader of the far-right Party for Freedom and has campaigned for anti-Islamic policies in the past, including a ban on the Qur’an and headscarves.How did the far-right politician win so many seats in the […]
- Geert Wilders and Europe’s lurch to the far right – podcastby Presented by Michael Safi with Senay Boztas and Jon Henley; produced by Courtney Yusuf, Natalie Ktena, Morgan Ofori and Rudi Zygadlo; executive producer Elizabeth Cassin (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 29, 2023
How did far-right politician Geert Wilders win so many seats in the Dutch election? Jon Henley and Senay Boztas reportSince winning the most seats in the Dutch election last week, Geert Wilders has been attempting to form a government. The controversial figure is the leader of the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) and has campaigned for anti-Islamic […]
- Omid Scobie’s book on royal family pulled from Dutch shelves over ‘error’by Nadeem Badshah (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 28, 2023
Book reportedly revealed who expressed ‘concerns’ about what skin colour Harry and Meghan’s son would haveA new book about the royal family has been taken off shelves in the Netherlands after reports it named the person who allegedly expressed “concerns” about what skin colour Harry and Meghan’s son Archie would have.Xander, publishers of the […]
- Inequality and the rise of populism across Europe | Lettersby Guardian Staff (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 28, 2023
Brian Marler says that in following neoliberal policies, the Netherlands has become the most unequal country in Europe and more rightwingYour article (UK spends more financing inequality in favour of rich than rest of Europe, report finds, 27 November) states that Britain is the second most unequal country, after the US. I live in the Netherlands, which has […]
- Finland to close border with Russia for two weeks, prime minister announces – as it happenedby Lili Bayer in Brussels (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 28, 2023
Finnish PM Petteri Orpo says border crossing will close from Thursday as Finland accuses Russia of orchestrating arrival of people from third countries. This live blog is now closedThe foreign ministers of the Baltic states have decided not to attend the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) ministerial council in Skopje, the three […]
- Geert Wilders will have to scrap most of manifesto to enter government, say expertsby Jon Henley Europe correspondent (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 28, 2023
Far-right anti-Islam pledges and Nexit referendum promise are unacceptable to potential coalition partnersEurope live – latest updatesGeert Wilders, the Dutch populist whose Party for Freedom (PVV) won the most seats in last week’s election, will have to sacrifice almost all his far-right manifesto to enter government, analysts say – and even that may […]
- Geert Wilders wants former minister as new ‘scout’, reports say, after first one resigns over fraud claims – as it happenedby Lili Bayer in Brussels (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 27, 2023
Gom van Strien’s planned talks with party leaders have been cancelled after he stepped down. This live blog is closedIrish police are expected to make sweeping arrests of suspected ringleaders of Thursday’s riot in Dublin and to obtain wider rights to use facial recognition technology to help identify suspects in any future disorder.The moves come amid […]
- Geert Wilders: effort to form Netherlands coalition not off to ‘dream start’by Senay Boztas in Amsterdam (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 27, 2023
Blow to far-right leader as man chosen to oversee coalition talks quits over fraud claimsEurope live – latest updatesThe far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders has admitted that he was not off to a “dream start” in his attempts to form a government, after a man he appointed to oversee coalition talks quit over fraud allegations before getting […]
- Eurostar services from Amsterdam to London to be suspended for six monthsby Alex Lawson (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 27, 2023
Blow to passengers as direct trains from Netherlands cancelled from June 2024 to early 2025Rail passengers will be unable to directly travel from Amsterdam to London for six months next year as a big revamp of the Dutch capital’s largest railway station causes upheaval on the Eurostar.The refurbishment of Centraal station will lead to the suspension of […]
- Success of Geert Wilders’ far-right PVV raises fears for Dutch climate policiesby Ajit Niranjan, Europe environment correspondent (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 26, 2023
The party has a hostile stance on attempts to cut carbon emissions but got more votes than any other in general electionThe shocking success of Geert Wilders’ far-right PVV party in Dutch elections has left climate activists fearful of a drastic shift to fossil fuels and a rollback of climate policies if it manages to form a government.Best known abroad […]
- The Observer view on Geert Wilders’ win: far-right victory is a warning to the rest of Europe | Observer editorialby Observer editorial (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 26, 2023
The Netherlands’ election was no clean sweep, but it signals the perils of inaction on migration and the cost of livingThe fact that a far-right politician who peddles offensive anti-migrant and anti-Muslim views and bears more than a passing resemblance to Donald Trump has triumphed in the Dutch general election is dismaying, to put it mildly. But too […]
- Geert Wilders’ win shows the far right is being normalised. Mainstream parties must act | Stijn van Kesselby Stijn van Kessel (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 26, 2023
The Party for Freedom leader succeeded last week because he has become part of the Dutch political furniture. This disturbing trend needs to be halted• Read more: Riots, race and the end of the ‘Irish welcome’Election results lend themselves to different stories, certainly in the Netherlands, where so many old and new parties compete for votes. Yet […]
- Geert Wilders vows to become Dutch PM by compromising with other partiesby Reuters in Amsterdam (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 25, 2023
Anti-Islam MP who won recent election says he will ‘continue to moderate’ his positions to gain powerVeteran Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders on Saturday vowed to be prime minister of the Netherlands, after an election in which his party won the most seats.In a long post on X, formerly Twitter, that expressed frustration at other parties for […]
- ‘They feel they are being neglected’: why voters turned to ‘Dutch Trump’ Geert Wildersby Senay Boztas in Volendam (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 25, 2023
In a pretty waterside town, residents applaud the veteran rightwinger’s stance on immigration, calling his success a ‘vote against the established order’In a shopping centre in Volendam, a fishing port north of Amsterdam, on Friday, there was satisfaction about far-right politician Geert Wilders having dominated last Wednesday’s Dutch elections. […]
- ‘A Brexit moment’: Dutch voters digest Geert Wilders’ shock election winby Clea Skopeliti (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 25, 2023
We hear from across the political spectrum as far-right populist begins talks to form governmentThe party of the Netherlands’ outgoing prime minister, Mark Rutte, has said it will not go into government with the anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders after this week’s shock election result.Wilders’ far-right Freedom party (PVV) won 37 seats, more than […]
- ‘It’s scary’: residents in Rotterdam reflect on Geert Wilders’ election winby Ashifa Kassam in Rotterdam (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 24, 2023
Wilders’ far-right party won the most seats in Dutch election, though many in this diverse city say they can understand whyIn this tiny plaza, still plastered with posters urging voters to back the minority rights party Denk, the yawning divide between voters in Rotterdam’s diverse Feijenoord district was on full display.On one side stood Nas Kosa, a […]
- WW2 bomber crew’s remains identified 80 years after plane shot down over Netherlandsby Senay Boztas in Amsterdam (Netherlands | The Guardian) on November 24, 2023
Burials can go ahead of men who never returned from bombing mission over Germany in 1943Eighty years after they were shot down by the Germans over Dutch waters, British airmen Arthur Smart, Raymond Moore and Charles Sprack can be laid to rest after the Dutch defence ministry confirmed their remains had been identified.Two silver-plated cigarette cases were […]
