Portal:Netherlands

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Welcome to the Dutch Portal!
Welkom bij het Nederlandse Portaal!

The Netherlands is one of the four countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Netherlands is a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch, located in northwestern Europe. It borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east. Since 10 October 2010, the Caribbean islands of Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius are also part of the Netherlands. Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten are separate countries within the Kingdom.

In many countries, the Netherlands is often referred to by the name Holland. However widespread, this usage is incorrect in English, as Holland is a region in the central-western part of the Netherlands, consisting of two provinces.

The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated and geographically low-lying countries in the world (its name literally means "Low-lands") and is popularly famous for, among other things, its dikes, windmills, wooden shoes, tulips, bicycles and social tolerance. Its liberal policies (towards drugs and prostitution among other things) receive international attention. The country is host to the International Court of Justice. Its capital is Amsterdam, as stated by the constitution, but The Hague is the seat of government and the home of the monarch. Most embassies are located in the Hague, as well. As of the 2011 report^[update], the Netherlands ranks 3rd on the list of countries by Human Development Index.

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The Treaty of Butre was concluded between the Netherlands and Ahanta and signed at Butre, Gold Coast on 27 August 1656. The treaty regulated the jurisdiction of the Netherlands and the Dutch West India Company over the town of Butre and the surrounding country of Upper Ahanta, factually creating a Dutch protectorate over the area, which would last until the Dutch departure from the Gold Coast in April 1872.

The country of Ahanta, in what is now the Western Region of the Republic of Ghana, constituted a regional power in the form of a confederacy of chiefdoms which had come in early contact with the European nations settling on the Gold Coast for the purpose of trade.

In the middle of the seventeenth century the two European competitors in the area were the Dutch West India Company and the Swedish Africa Company. The European powers allied themselves with African states and chiefs in order to gain a sustainable upper hand. In this case the African allies were the Ahanta chiefdoms on the one hand and the state of Encasser, a political entity of which little is known, on the other.

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Credit: Commons user Trebaxus

Lights were lit along the fire line of Rotterdam on May 14, 2007 to commemorate the Rotterdam Blitz, where Nazi Germany bombed the city as part of Case Yellow. Over ninety tonnes of bombs were dropped over the city, mainly in the heart, and around 1 square mile (2.6 km²) of the city was razed, killing over eight hundred people.

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Did you know...

... that Dutch malacologist Adolph Cornelis van Bruggen (pictured) is an expert in African land snails?

... the Netherlands is one of the few countries in the world where the government is not seated in the capital? The Constitution of Netherlands regards Amsterdam as the official capital, but The Hague is the seat of the Government of Netherlands.

... the Netherlands is the 15th most densely populated country in the world, with 395 inhabitants per square km (or 482/km² if only the land area is counted, 18.4% is water)?

... about 20% of the surface area of the Netherlands is located below sea level?

... Dutch company Philips invented the audio cassette, the video tape, the compact disc and the CD-ROM?

... a UNICEF report published in 2007 ranked the Netherlands as the best country for children to live in?

... prostitution is legal in the Netherlands?

... the KLM is the longest running national airline in the world?

... Rotterdam is one of the largest seaports in the world?

... 10% of the surface of the Netherlands has been taken from the sea?

... the Dutch national anthem (the Wilhelmus) is the oldest in the world?

... the Apenheul Primate Park in Apeldoorn is the first free-roaming primate park in the world?

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Tiësto is one of the world's most famous trance DJs and producers in the electronic dance music scene. Although he has used many aliases in the past, he is best known for his work as DJ Tiësto. On his latest productions, however, he has dropped the "DJ" label and is now known simply as "Tiësto", an alias which is a twist on his childhood nickname.

His accomplishments include being voted "World’s No.1 DJ" 3 consecutive times by DJ Magazine from 2002 through 2004, the first DJ to play live on stage in front of a public audience at an Olympic Games at the 2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony in Athens, and a nomination for a Grammy Award in 2008, for his album Elements of Life.

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