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Introduction to the Netherlands
The Netherlands is one of the parliamentary democratic countries that lives under a constitutional monarchy and takes Amsterdam as its capital. The Netherlands is characterized by being low and flat, and it also includes large areas of canals, lakes, and rivers, in addition to the presence of large areas of reclaimed land, which is barren land that has become agricultural. which is approximately 6,500 square kilometres.
History of the Netherlands
The Low Netherlands was founded by Julius Caesar and was inhabited by Germanic tribes at that time: the Nervii, the Pharisee, and the Batavia, located on the Roman borders, which were not subject to the rule of Rome until 13 BC. They then became allies of Rome, and during the period between the Fourth and eighth centuries, the Franks controlled the region, and it became part of Charlemagne's empire in the eighth and ninth centuries. Later, it was subject to the Burgundian rule and the Habsburg monarchy, and in the sixteenth century, it was subject to Spanish rule.
The Netherlands became one of the greatest maritime and trading powers in Europe by the end of the seventeenth century, due to the founding of the Dutch East India Company in 1602 AD, accordingly, Dutch independence was completely achieved, and this was after the Thirty Years' War that took place during the period between 1618 -1648 AD, and after several revolutions and events, Spain recognized the independence of the Netherlands in 1648 AD, and this was followed by several political events that resulted in the merging of all the provinces of the Netherlands and Belgium into one kingdom, and that was in the year 1814 AD, and in 1830 AD, Belgium separated from the Netherlands, to form a separate kingdom, and it was decided Adopting constitutional liberalism as a system of government in the Netherlands in 1848 AD.
Geography of the Netherlands
Netherlands website
The Netherlands is located in northwestern Europe. It is bordered to the east by Germany, to the south by Belgium, and to the north and west by the North Sea. It is located at latitude 52° 23' north and longitude 4° 55' east. It is also Its land area is 33,883 square kilometres, while its water area is 7,643 square kilometres, with a total of 41,526 square kilometres. The extent of the North Sea and its territory is about 1,478 km, of which 451 km is coastal areas.
Climate of the Netherlands
The climate in the Netherlands is moderate. The average temperature in July may reach 17 degrees Celsius, while in January it reaches 2 degrees Celsius, noting that frost prevails in the country for sixty days per year, while the number of clear days in the Netherlands is about Only 25 days per year, and in this context, it is noteworthy that the country witnesses rainfall during all seasons of the year, as the average annual rainfall is about 790 millilitres, and it should be noted that the prevailing wind movement in the Netherlands is westerly and southerly, and the hills in the south of the country play A role in significantly reducing the speed of strong winds along the coast.
Topography of the Netherlands
The Netherlands is divided into three natural topographical sections. These are the sand dunes, the upper eastern part of the Netherlands, and the reclaimed lowlands. It is noteworthy that 27% of the Netherlands is located below sea level, and the Valserberg hill, which is 321 meters high above sea level, is located in the far south of the Netherlands, and it is the highest point in it. The lowest point in the country is located in the northeast of Rotterdam and is represented by the area known as Prince Alexander, which is seven meters below sea level. About dams in the Netherlands, a group of dams have been built along the Rhine and Meuse Rivers, and also on part of the North Sea coast, along the coast of Lake IJssel, or as it was previously called, Zuiderzee.
Normal life in the Netherlands
Most of the wild plant species found in the Netherlands are originally from the Atlantic Ocean region, and it is noteworthy that the variation in temperatures during the winter and salts may cause slight differences between wild plants and garden plants from the coastal region to the continental regions, and each of them is considered: sand, Clay, and peat are important factors for the soil in areas of indoor plants. As for animals, mollusks have been found in the far southwest of the Netherlands, as well as in the Wadden Sea region. As for migratory birds, it is noted that they pass in huge numbers through the Netherlands, and some marine creatures are at risk of extinction. Due to water pollution in rivers, such as river crayfish and river fish, many nature reserves have been established by private and governmental organizations to preserve endangered animals.
Demographics of the Netherlands
Ethnic diversity in the Netherlands
The main ethnic group in the country constitutes 79.3% of the indigenous population of the Netherlands. The Netherlands also includes other ethnic groups that represent some minorities, such as Europeans, who represent 5.7% of the Dutch population, Turks, who represent 2.4%, and Indian Europeans, who represent 2.3%. Moroccans represent approximately 2.2%, Surinamese represent 2.1%, Caribbeans represent 0.9%, and Poles represent 0.6%, while the Chinese and Iraqis are equal; The percentage of each of them is about 0.3%, in addition to other ethnic groups in the country, where their combined percentage is approximately 3.9%.
Population in the Netherlands
The population of the Netherlands is approximately 17,119,750 people, according to the latest data issued by the United Nations at the beginning of 2020 AD, and thus it ranks 69th in the list of countries according to population, and therefore it can be said that the population in this country amounts to 0.22% of the total World population, with a population density of approximately 508 per square kilometer. It is noteworthy that 92.5% of the population of the Netherlands lives in urban areas, and the average age in this country is about 43.3 years.
Religion in the Netherlands
The population of the Netherlands follows several religions, according to statistics conducted in 2018 AD, Christianity is the official religion in the country, as 25% of the population follows Catholic Christianity, about 15% follow Protestant Christianity, and about 5% of them follow the Islamic religion, and from Other religions found in the Netherlands are Hinduism, Buddhism, and other religions.
Language in the Netherlands
The Dutch language is considered the official language spoken by most of the Netherlands' residents, and the Frisian language is considered the second official language in the province of Friesland in the northern Netherlands, where it is spoken by between 325,000 and 450,000 people. There are two main languages in the Netherlands: Low German or Low Saxon, which includes several dialects and is spoken in the east of the country, and Limburgish, which is spoken in the southeast of the province of Limburg.
Government in the Netherlands
The system of government in the Netherlands
The Netherlands is described as a consociational state with a constitutional monarchy, where its governance and political systems aim to obtain consensus on political and societal issues, and any constitutional amendment needs approval from the two general councils of state, and the government, parliament and authority are considered The judiciary and the Council of Ministers are the main political institutions in the country. It is noteworthy that there is no separation of legislative powers between Parliament and the Dutch government. The government exercises executive powers, while judicial power is distributed among two separate court systems.
The main tasks of the Dutch authorities can be explained as follows:
- Executive authority: The task of forming the government and legislative authority is entrusted to the King of the Netherlands, and any decision is considered effective after the King signs its issuance.
- Judicial authority: The Hoge Raad is the highest court in the Netherlands, handling civil, criminal, and tax-related cases.
- Legislative authority: If the legislative authority’s proposals are approved by the majority, they are sent to
Administrative divisions in the Netherlands
The Netherlands is divided into twelve administrative regions, called "provinces": Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, North Holland, North Brabant, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, and South Holland, except the province of Limburg. Among them is the presidency of a governor-general called the King’s Commissioner (Dutch: Commissaris van de Koningin). The state is also divided into special water regions, which are subject to the rule of bodies known as the Dutch Water Boards (Dutch: waterschap), noting that this body is considered one of the oldest democratic bodies in the world. The country.
Flag of the Netherlands
The national flag of the Netherlands consists of only three colors: They are: red, white, and blue. The coat of arms of this country represents a lion carrying a sword with a group of arrows, so that the lion symbolizes authority and power, while the arrows symbolize the governorates of the country. The history of this country’s flag dates back to the Eighty Years’ War, extending from the year 1568 AD to 1648 AD, and it is referred to as: Until 1937 AD, the colors of the flag were: white, blue, and orange, which was replaced by red during that year.
Economy of the Netherlands
The Netherlands is the sixth-largest economy in the European Union. The trade surplus is constantly rising, its industrial relations are considered stable, and unemployment is low. The Netherlands is concerned with many industries, including petroleum refining, food processing, the chemical industry, and various electrical machines. It is worth noting that the Agriculture in the Netherlands represents the second largest source of agriculture in the world, as it supports the situation of the entire country, and about 2% of the workforce works there. [17] While two-thirds of the Netherlands’ economy depends on foreign trade, it ranks seventh in the world in terms of exports. Through taxes and oversight, the government mainly affects the country’s economy. As for the Netherlands’ monetary policy, the European Central Bank is in control. In 2002, the euro was adopted as the official currency in the country.
Education in the Netherlands
The Netherlands hosted 122,000 students from all over the world during the 2017-2018 academic year, most of whom were from Germany and China. Among the majors that international students chose most to study in the Netherlands were: Economics and business, humanities and social studies, and engineering. The educational system in the Netherlands is divided into several stages as follows:
- Primary education: Both public schools and schools for a particular religion or population group in the Netherlands focus on the individual skills of students. The student enters the primary/intermediate stage at the age of 4 to 5 years and continues for eight years, with the first two years of primary education including recreational activities. And games for children. Then they are taught reading, writing, and arithmetic problems in the third year. In the fourth year, students undergo a proficiency test that determines the course of their secondary education. Their English language education begins in the seventh or eighth year.
- Secondary education: Secondary school students are divided into three tracks according to their skills and the desire of their parents. The first track is concerned with preparatory vocational education and lasts for four years. The second track is concerned with applied arts and lasts for five years. The third track is a preparatory scientific track that lasts for six years. The student then enters the university.
- Vocational education: Vocational education includes many vocational training colleges for multiple specializations, and students of any age are allowed to enter these colleges and complete what they did not complete in the secondary stage for whatever reason.
- Higher education: There are two types of higher education in the Netherlands, which are as follows:
- Research education: It is a type of education specialized in research universities, as it focuses on the theoretical aspects of different fields of knowledge, allows its students to conduct independent research, and grants them a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate degree.
- Higher professional education: It is a type of education specialized in universities of applied sciences, as it focuses on the practical aspect of different fields of knowledge, and grants its students bachelor’s and master’s degrees only.