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Dutch

Specialty Definition: Dutch

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Specialty Definition: Dutch

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The word Dutch when used alone, has several possible meanings in the English language. Most, if not all, of these meanings are in reference to the European country The Netherlands, its people or culture.

The term "Dutch", when used by itself can refer to:

• The Dutch language
• The inhabitants of the Netherlands

"Dutch" is often confused with German "Deutsch". English "Dutch", German "Deutsch", and Dutch "Dietsch" are actually variations of the same word. It seems that "Dutch" used to be a generic term to refer to Netherlanders and Germans alike. Today, the English word only refers to the Netherlands.

The label "Dutch" is found in a number of terms and expressions:

• Dutch courage,
• Dutch chocolate,
• Dutch disease,
• Dutch door,
• Double dutch,
• Dutch oven,
• Dutch uncle,

and the phrase "going Dutch".

Several of these are derogatory terms which result from Anglo-Dutch wars.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Dutch."

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Dutch colonization of the Americas

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

During the 17th century, Dutch traders established trade posts and plantations throughout the Americas; actual colonization, with Dutch settling in the new lands was not as common as with settlements of other European nations. Many of the Dutch settlements had been abandoned or lost by the end of the century, with the exception of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, which remain Dutch territory until this day, and Suriname, which became independent in 1975.

North America

In 1602, the government of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands chartered the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC) with the mission of exploring for a passage to the Indies and claiming any unchartered territories for the United Provinces.

In 1609, English explorer Henry Hudson attempted to find a northwest passage to the Indies, instead discovering areas of current United States and Canada, among others giving his name to the Hudson River and Hudson Bay and claiming the surrounding land for the VOC.

After some early trading expeditions, the first settlement was founded in 1615: Fort Nassau, on Castle Island, near present-day Albany. The settlement served mostly as a trade post for fur trade with the natives and was later replaced by Fort Oranje (or Fort Orange) at present-day Albany.

In 1621, a new company was established for with a trading monopoly in the Americas and West Africa: the Dutch West India Company (Westindische Compagnie or WIC). The WIC sought recognition for the area in the New World - which had been called New Netherland - as a province, which was granted in 1623. Soon after, the first colonists, mostly from present-day Belgium and Germany, arrived in the new province.

In 1626, director general of the WIC Peter Minuit "purchased" the island of Manhattan from Indians and started the construction of fort New Amsterdam. In the same year, Fort Nassau was built in the New Jersey area. Other settlements were Fort Casimir (Newcastle) and Fort Beversrede (Philadelphia). In 1655, the main settlement of New Sweden, Fort Christina, was captured after the Swedes had briefly occupied Fort Casimir. Large numbers of the inhabitants of these settlements were not Dutch, but came from a variety of other European countries, including England.

In 1664, English troops under the command of the Duke of York (later James II of England) attacked the New Netherlands colony. Being greatly outnumbered, director general Peter Stuyvesant surrendered New Amsterdam, with Fort Orange following soon. New Amsterdam was renamed New York, Fort Orange was renamed Fort Albany.

The loss of the New Netherland province led to the Second Anglo-Dutch War during 1665-1667. This conflict ended with the Treaty of Breda in which the Dutch gave up their claim to New Amsterdam in exchange for Suriname.

From 1673 to 1674, the territories were once again briefly captured by the Dutch in a renewed war with England, only to be returned at the Treaty of Westminster.

Caribbean

Netherlands Antilles

Dutch colonization of Sint Maarten began in 1620 although the onwership of the island changed hands at least 16 times before 1816, when it was permanently split between France and the Netherlands.

Several other islands were captured and fortified to prevent Spanish attacks in the ongoing Dutch war for independence from Spain and to exploit timber and salt resources:

• Curaçao in 1634
• Saba in 1640
• St. Eustasius in 1635
• Bonaire in 1633
• Aruba in 1636

The Netherlands Antilles remain a overseas territory of the Netherlands, although they were granted self-rule in 1954. In 1986, Aruba was granted autonomy, separately from the other islands.

Virgin Islands

The Dutch established a base on St. Croix in 1625, the same year that the British did. French Protestants joined the Dutch but conflict with the British colony led to its abandonment before 1650. The Dutch established a settlement on Tortola in 1648 and later on Anegada and Virgin Gordo. The British took Tortola in 1672 and Anegada and Virgin Gordo in 1680.

Tobago

The Netherlands made numerous attempts to colonize the island in the 17th century. Each time, the settlements were destroyed by rival European powers. Dutch settlements on Tobago existed:

• 1628-1637 destroyed by Spanish
• 1654-1666 conquered by British and destroyed by French
• 1672 destroyed by British
• 1676-1677 destroyed by French

South America

Suriname

The European colony in Suriname was founded in the 1650s by Lord Willoughby, the governor of Barbados. This colony was captured by the Dutch under Abraham Crijnsen during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. It was sold to the Dutch West India Company in 1683 and came to be known as Dutch Guiana. They colony developed an agricultural economy based on African slavery. During the Napoleonic Wars, England controlled Suriname from 1799 until 1816, when it was returned to the Dutch. The Netherlands granted Suriname independence in 1975. Political instability resulted in large numbers of Surinamese moving to the Netherlands.

Guyana

The Dutch West Indian Company built a fort in 1616 on the Essequibo River. The Dutch traded with the Indian peoples and, as in Suriname, established sugar plantations worked by African slaves. While the coast remained under Dutch control, the English established plantations west of the Suriname River. Conflict between the two countries meant parts of the region changed hands a number of times, but by 1796 Britain had control of the region. The Netherlands ceded he colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice to Britain in 1814.

Brazil

Between 1638 and 1640 the Netherlands came to control almost half of Brazil, with their capital in Recife. The Dutch West India Company set up their headquarters in Recife. The governor, Johan Maurits invited artists and scientists to the colony to help promote Brazil and increase immigration. The Portuguese won a significant victory in the Battle of Guararapes in 1649. By 1654, the Netherlands had surrendered and returned control of all Brazilian land to the Portuguese.

See also European colonization of the Americas

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Dutch colonization of the Americas."

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Dutch East India Company

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC in Dutch, literally "United East Indies Company") was established on March 20, 1602, when the government of the Netherlands granted it a monopoly to trade with Asia. It is considered the first company that issued shares.

The VOC consisted of 6 Chambers (Kamers) in Amsterdam, Middelburg (for Zeeland), Enkhuizen, Delft, Hoorn and Rotterdam. Delegates of these chambers convened as the Heeren XVII (the Lords Seventeen). The Kamers contributed delegates to the seventeen in proportion to the capital that they had subscribed; Amsterdam's delegates numbered eight.

The company established its headquarters in Batavia on Java (now Jakarta, Indonesia). Other trade posts were also established in what became Indonesia, such as on the Spice Islands (Moluccas), which include the Banda Islands where the VOC maintained a monopoly over the trade in nutmeg and mace.

A VOC trade post on Deshima, an artificial island off the coast of Nagasaki, was for a long time the only place where Europeans could trade with Japan.

In 1652, Jan van Riebeeck established a post at the Cape of Good Hope (south end of Africa, currently in South Africa) to resupply VOC ships on their journey to East Asia. This post later became a conventional colony when Europeans started to settle there. VOC trade posts were also established in Persia (now Iran), Bengal (now Bangladesh and part of India), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Formosa (now Taiwan) and southern India. In 1664, Koxinga expelled the Dutch from Taiwan. By 1669, the VOC had 150 merchant ships, 40 warships, 10,000 soldiers, and paid a dividend of 40%.

The company was in almost constant conflict with the English; relations were particularly embittered after the Amboyna Massacre in 1623. During the 18th century, its posssessions were increasingly focussed on the modern Indonesia. After the fourth war between the Dutch Republic and England (1780-1784), the VOC got into financial trouble, and in 1798, the company was dissolved. Indonesia was awarded to The Netherlands by the Congress of Vienna in 1815.

VOC ships

• VOC ship Amsterdam
• VOC ship Batavia

See also:

• The British East India Company, founded in 1600
• The Dutch West India Company, founded in 1621
• The French East India Company, founded in 1664

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Dutch East India Company."

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Dutch language

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

nds:Nederlannsch

Dutch (Nederlands), more precisely called Netherlandic, is a West Germanic language. Together with Low Saxon, Dutch forms the Low German language group.

Nederlands (Dutch)
Language codes: dut/nld(ISO 639-2) nl(ISO 639-1)
Language classification
Indo-European languages Germanic languages West Germanic languages Low German languages Low Franconian language
Language Spread
Netherlands    Flanders (Northern Belgium)

Geographical spread

Dutch is spoken in the Netherlands, the northern half of Belgium (Flanders), Belgium's capital Brussels, the northernmost part of France, the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba, Suriname and amongst certain groups in Indonesia. The latter two are both former Dutch colonies. In Suriname, Dutch is still the official language in government and education. In total, Dutch is spoken by more than 20 million people. Afrikaans, a language spoken in South Africa and Namibia, is derived primarily from 16th century Dutch dialects, and a great deal of mutual intelligibility still exists.

Flemish is the collective term used for the Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium. It is not a separate language, though the term is often used to distinguish the Dutch spoken in Flanders from that of the Netherlands. The word Dutch comes from the old Germanic word theodisk, meaning 'of the people', 'vernacular' as opposed to official, i.e. Latin or later French. In the Dutch language, there exist two cognates of this word: duits (corresponding to German deutsch, i.e. modern German) and diets (Dutch). The latter is no longer in general use, in part due to its adoption by 20th century fascists and other nationalists.

Of all the major modern Germanic languages, Dutch is the closest relative of English. The Frisian language, spoken in the Dutch province of Friesland and very closely related to Dutch, is even closer to English. Low Saxon and other Low German languages are also very closely related to Dutch and English.

The most important dictionary of the modern Dutch language is the Van Dale groot woordenboek der Nederlandse taal, more commonly referred to as the Dikke van Dale ("dik" is Dutch for "fat"). However, it is dwarfed by the "Woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal", a scientific endeavour that took 147 years from initial idea to first edition, resulting in over 45,000 pages.

The official spelling is given by the Woordenlijst Nederlandse taal, more commonly known as "het groene boekje". (Lit. "the green booklet", because of its colour) The Dutch and Flemish governments coordinate their language activities in the Nederlandse Taalunie.

Language development

In early times, the Dutch language as such did not exist. Instead there were various Germanic dialects spoken in the region, mostly of (Low) Frankian origin. A process of standardization started in the Middle ages, especially under the influence of the Burgundian Ducal Court in Dijon (Brussels after 1477). The dialects of Flanders and Brabant were the most influential in this time.

Around 1600, a unified language was created to make the first Dutch bible translation, consisting of elements from various dialects, but mostly based on the dialects from Holland. This can be taken as the starting point of Dutch as a modern language.

There was some slight confusion about the meaning of the Dutch\ language a few centuries ago, at least in England. Two examples: William Caxton (c.1422-1491) wrote in his Prologue to his Aeneids in 1490 that an old English text was more like to Dutche than English, and Professor W.F. Bolton marked this word in his note as German. Peter Heylyn, Cosmography in four books containing the Chronography and History of the whole world, Vol. II (London, 1677: 154) tells, "...the Dutch call Leibnitz," adding that the Dutch is spoken in the parts of Hungary adjoining to Germany. He must have meant "Deutsch" in both cases.

Standard language

Algemeen Beschaafd Nederlands (meaning 'general civilized Dutch', abbreviated to ABN) is the official Dutch language, the standard language as taught in schools and used by authorities in the Netherlands, Flanders (Belgium), Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles. The Taalunie (Language Union), an association established by Dutch government and the government of Flanders, defines what is ABN and what is not, e.g. in terms of orthography and spelling.

For reasons of political correctness, the terms Algemeen Nederlands (general Dutch) and Standaardnederlands (standard Dutch) are also used; Algemeen Beschaafd Nederlands could be interpreted as 'the Dutch that is spoken by civilized people', which would suggest that people speaking variants of the standard language are not civilized.

Pronunciation and vocabulary

Dutch did not participate in the second (High German) sound shifting - compare German machen /-x-/ Dutch maken, English make, German Pfanne /pf-/, Dutch pan, English pan, German zwei /ts-/, Dutch twee, English two.

It also underwent a few changes of its own. For example, words in -old or -olt lost the l in favor of a diphthong. Compare English old, German alt, Dutch oud. A word like hus with /u/ (English house) first changed to huus with /y/, then finally to huis with a diphthong that resembles the one in French l'oeil. The phoneme /g/ was lost in favor of a (voiced) guttural fricative /G/, or a voiced palatal fricative (in the South: Flanders, Limburg).

Like all other West Germanic languages (except English) Dutch has a rather complicated word order, which presents a problem for Anglophones learning Dutch. Likewise, Dutch devoices all consonants at the ends of words (e.g. a final d sound is shifted to a t sound; to become 'ents of worts'), which presents a problem for Dutch speakers when learning English.

Because of assimilation, often the initial consonant of the next word is also devoiced, e.g. het vee (the cattle) is /h@tfe/. This process of devoicing is taken to an extreme in some regions (Amsterdam, Friesland) with almost complete loss of /v/,/z/ and /G/. Further south these phonemes are certainly present in the middle of a word. Compare e.g. logen and loochen /loG@/ vs. /lox@/. In Flanders the contrast is even greater because the g becomes a palatal. ('soft g').

The final 'n' of the plural ending -en is often not pronounced (as in Afrikaans), except in the North East and the South West where the ending becomes a syllabic n sound.

Dutch has more French loanwords than German, but fewer than English. The number of English loanwords in Dutch is quite large, and is growing rapidly. There are also some German loanwords, like überhaupt and sowieso.

The Phonemes of the Dutch language:

Plosives

/p, b/

/t, d/

/k/ [g] [g]is not a phoneme of Dutch and appears only in foreign words

Fricatives

/f, v/ /v/ fell together with /f/ for many speakers

/s, z/ /z/ fell together with /s/ for many speakers

/x, G/ /G/ fell together with /x/ for many speakers

/h/

/S, Z/ /Z/ only in foreign words. Some scholars interpret /S/ [s_j] as an allophone of /s/ + /j/

Semi-vowels

/j/

/w/ (actually, /w/ is most often released as an approximant)

Liquidss

/l/

/r/

/m/

/n/

/N/

Vowels

Back vowels

/A/ /Y/ /O/

Mid (central) vowels

/@/ Schwa: e in kunnen /kYn@/ /Y/ u in kunnen

Front vowels

/a/ maken /E/ best /e/ neer often pronounced as a diphthong) /2/ keuken (often pronounced as a diphthong) /I/ minst /i/ klieven /y/ Ruud

Diphthongs

/EI/ jij, intimiteit /@Y/ huis /Aw/ vrouw

Many Dutch words have been derived from English, especially during the twentieth century. The reverse is much less common, but Dutch origins can be found in the following English cognates. However, note that this list does also include some words of which the etymology is uncertain, and that some may have been derived from Low Saxon equivalents instead or as well.

English	Dutch	Meaning (if different)
ahoy	hoi	hello
apartheid	apartheid	(via South Africa)
berm	berm
to bluff	bluffen	to brag
boom	boom	tree
boss	baas
brandy/ brandy wine	brandewijn	lit. burn wine
bundle	bundel
buoy	boei	shackle or buoy
to cackle	kakelen
coleslaw	koolsla
cookie	koekje
cruise	(door)kruisen	to cross paths or to cross
deck	dek
(boat)dock	dok
to drill	drillen
dike, dyke	dijk	wall to prevent flooding
easel	ezel	or. donkey
to etch	etsen
(to) filibuster	vrijbuiter	from Spanish filibustero --> French filibustier --> Dutch vrijbuiter, pirate
freebooter	vrijbuiter
freight	vracht
frolic	vrolijk	cheerful, gay
furlough	verlof	permission (to leave)
gas	gas	Neologism from Christiaan Huygens, derived from the Greek "Kaos"
gin	genever
to grab	grijpen	to seize, to grasp, to snatch
guild	gilde	precursor to unions
halibut	heilbot	lit. holy flounder
to hoist	hijsen
holster	holster
Hottentot	Hottentot
keel	kiel
to keelhaul	kielhalen	lit. to haul keel
knapsack	knapzak	lit. bag of food
landscape	landschap
leak	lek
lottery	loterij
maelstrom	maalstroom
manekin	manneken	lit. small man
measles	mazelen
morass	moeras
offal	afval	lit. "that which falls off"
pump	pomp
quack	kwakzalver	lit. someone who daubs ointments
roster	rooster	schedule, or. grating
to rove	roven	to rob
rucksack	rugzak	lit. back-bag
Santa Claus	Sinterklaas	Saint Nicholas
scow	schouw
skate, to skate	schaats, schaatsen
sketch	schets
skipper	schipper	lit. shipper
sled, sleigh	slede, slee
sloop	sloep
to slurp	slurpen
smack	smak
to smelt	smelten	to melt
to smuggle	smokkelen
snuff	snuiftabak	lit. sniff tobacco
splinter	splinter
to split	splijten
spook	spook	ghost(ly image)
to stoke	stoken	stoke a fire
stoop	stoep	pavement/sidewalk
stove	stoof
waffle	wafel
wagon	wagen	cart, carriage, wagon
yacht	jacht	or. hunt
yankee	Jan Kees	Personal name, originally used mockingly to describe pro-French revolutionary citizens, with allusion to the small keeshond dog, then for "colonials" in New Amsterdam)

lit.: the literal meaning of the Dutch word (the actual meaning is similar to the English one)
or.: the word originally had the meaning specified, but is in Dutch also used with the same meaning as in English

External Links

• History of the Dutch Language
• Van Dale (Dictionary -- in Dutch)
• Nederlandse Taalunie (Dutch Language Union -- in Dutch)
• Algemene Nederlandse Spraakkunst (General Dutch Grammar -- in Dutch)
• Free online resources for learners
• Ethnologue report for Dutch
• Euromosaic - Flemish in France - The status of Dutch in France
• http://www.notam02.no/~hcholm/altlang/ht/Dutch.html - The Alternative Dutch Dictionary

See also Common phrases in different languages, Limburgian dialect.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Dutch language."

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Holland

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

This article is about the region in the Netherlands. For other uses, see Holland (disambiguation). Holland is the name of a region in the central-western part of the Netherlands. Holland is a former county of the Holy Roman Empire and later the leading member of the Republic of the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands (1581-1795). Because of this historic dominating position, the name Holland is often applied incorrectly to denote the entire Netherlands. For a short time (1806-1810) however, there was the Napoleonic Kingdom of Holland, which did encompass the entire Netherlands.

The area is today divided between two provinces of the Netherlands: North Holland (Noord-Holland) and South Holland (Zuid-Holland) that were created in 1840.

The name Holland in this and the other entries on this page ultimately stem from holt land ("wooded land"). A popular, but incorrect, etymology holds that it is derived from hol land ("hollow land"), inspired by the low-lying geography of both the Dutch and the English region.

Even though officially incorrect, the word Holland is often used by both Dutch (speaking) and foreign people to denote the entire Netherlands, possibly because "The Netherlands" ("Nederland" in Dutch) is such a long word to pronounce. It is a common misconception by people who think they know better that someone saying he or she is from Holland is actually from one of the two provinces mentioned above.

See also: Count of Holland

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Holland."

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Netherlands

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Groningen Friesland Drenthe Overijssel Flevoland Gelderland Utrecht North Holland South Holland Zeeland North Brabant Limburg

Koninkrijk der Nederlanden

(In Detail) (Full size)
National motto: Je Maintiendrai (French, I will maintain)
Official language	Dutch (+Frisian in Friesland)
Capitals	Amsterdam, The Hague'''¹
Largest City	Amsterdam
Queen	Beatrix
Prime minister	Jan Peter Balkenende
Area  - Total  - % water	Ranked 131st 41,526 km² 18.41%
Population  - Total (2003)  - Density	Ranked 59th 16,150,511 477/km²
Independence  - Declared  - Recognised	Eighty Years' War July 26, 1581 1648
Currency	Euro², Dutch euro coins
Time zone	UTC+1
National anthem	Het Wilhelmus
Internet TLD	.NL
Calling Code	31
(1\) Seat of government (2) Prior to 1999: Guilder

The Netherlands (Nederland in Dutch) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a constitutional monarchy. It is located in northwestern Europe and borders the North Sea, Belgium and Germany. The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated and geographically low-lying countries in the world and is famous for its dikess, windmills, wooden shoes, and perceived social tolerance. This country is also host to the International Court of Justice and is often - technically incorrectly - referred to by the collective name of its two main provinces: Holland (North and South Holland). Amsterdam is the official capital (as the constitution states). The Hague is the administrative capital (the seat of government), the home of the Queen, and the location for most of the embassies.

History

Main articles: History of the Netherlands, Dutch monarchy

Under Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and king of Spain, the region was part of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands, which also includes most of present-day Belgium. After gaining formal independence from Philip II, the son of Charles V in 1648, the Dutch, as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, grew to become one of the major seafaring and economic powers of the 17th century, referred to as the Golden Age in the Netherlands, establishing colonies and trade posts all over the globe.

After being incorporated in the French empire under Napoleon, a Dutch kingdom was formed with present-day Belgium and Luxembourg in 1815. The Belgians soon gained independence however (1830); Luxembourg fell under the Dutch monarchy as well but had different rules of ascendancy and broke away after the death of King William III. During the 19th century, the Netherlands was slow to industrialize compared to neighbouring countries.

After remaining neutral in World War I, the country was occupied by Nazi Germany in May 1940, to be fully liberated only in 1945. After the war, the Dutch economy prospered again, being a member of the economic Benelux and European Economic Community unions. The Netherlands also became a member of NATO.

The Netherlands was among the founding members of the European Union when it was formed in 1992.

Politics

Main article: Politics of the Netherlands

The Netherlands has been a constitutional monarchy since 1815, after it had been a republic from 1581 to 1806 (it was occupied by France between 1806 and 1815).

Head of state, since 1980, is Queen Beatrix of the House of Orange-Nassau. Formally, she appoints the members of the government. In practice, once the results of parliamentary elections are known, a coalition government is made (a process which might take several months), after which the government formed in this way is officially appointed by the queen.

The parliament consists of two houses. Elections for the 150 members of the Lower House (Tweede Kamer, or Second Chamber) take place every four years, or earlier when the Lower House has taken a no-confidence motion against the government. The less important Senate (Eerste Kamer, or First Chamber) is chosen every four years after the provincial elections by the just chosen members of the provincial parliaments. Together, the First and Second Chamber are known as the Staten Generaal, the States General.

Political scientists consider the Netherlands a classic example of a consociational state.

Provinces & Dependencies

Main articles: Provinces of the Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Aruba

Map of the Netherlands | Larger size

The Netherlands is divided into 12 administrative regions, called provincies (provinces):

• Groningen - in the northeast
• Friesland - north
• Drenthe - northeast, south of Groningen
• Overijssel - east, south of Drenthe
• Flevoland - central, in the IJsselmeer
• Gelderland - east central, south of Overijssel
• Utrecht - central
• North Holland - (Noord-Holland) northwest
• South Holland - (Zuid-Holland) west central, south of North Holland
• Zeeland - southwest
• North Brabant - (Noord-Brabant) south
• Limburg - southeast, stretching into Belgium.

All provinces are divided into municipalities (gemeenten), together 489 (from 2004: 483); see Municipalities in the Netherlands, and also Cities of the Netherlands.

A number of islands in the Caribbean Sea are dependencies of the Netherlands: the Netherlands Antilles (Nederlandse Antillen), a group of five islands, and Aruba, formerly part of the Antilles.

Geography

Main article: Geography of the Netherlands

A remarkable aspect of the Netherlands is the flatness of the country. About half the country is less than 1 meter above sea level, and large parts of it are actually below sea level (see map showing these areas). The highest point, the Vaalserberg, in the southeasternmost point of the country, is 321 m high. Many low areas are protected by dikes and sea walls. Parts of the Netherlands, for example almost all of Flevoland province, have been reclaimed from the sea - these areas are known as polders.

The country is artificially split in two by three rivers Rhine (Rijn), Waal and Meuse (Maas).

The predominant wind direction in the Netherlands is southwest, which causes a moderate maritime climate, with cool summers and mild winters.

Also of interest: National parks (Netherlands), Zuiderzee Works.

Economy

Main article: Economy of the Netherlands

The Netherlands has a prosperous and open economy in which the government has successfully reduced its role since the 1980s. Industrial activity is predominantly in food-processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. A highly mechanised agricultural sector employs no more than 4% of the labor force but provides large surpluses for the food-processing industry and for exports. The Dutch rank third worldwide in value of agricultural exports, behind the US and France. The Netherlands successfully addressed the issue of public finances and stagnating job growth long before its European partners.

As a founding member of the Euro, the Netherlands replaced its former currency, the guilder, on January 1 1999 along with the other adopters of the single European currency, with the actual euro coins and banknotes following on January 1 2002.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of the Netherlands

Dutch population pyramid
(in % of total population)

%	Male																						Age	Female																						%
0.36																							85+																							1.05
0.60																							80-84																							1.18
1.14																							75-79																							1.74
1.55																							70-74																							1.95
1.93																							65-69																							2.13
2.30																							60-64																							2.33
2.77																							55-59																							2.69
3.73																							50-54																							3.60
3.65																							45-49																							3.54
3.93																							40-44																							3.81
4.27																							35-39																							4.08
4.25																							30-34																							4.05
3.63																							25-29																							3.54
3.04																							20-24																							2.93
2.96																							15-19																							2.83
3.11																							10-14																							2.97
3.20																							05-09																							3.06
3.11																							00-04																							2.98
Data: International Data Base (2000)

The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with more than 400 inhabitants per square km.

There are two official languages, Dutch and Frisian, both of which are Germanic languages. Frisian is only spoken in the northern province of Friesland, and it is the language which most resembles English. In addition to Dutch and Frisian, several dialects of Low Saxon are spoken in much of the north; they have no official recognition. At the national borders in the south, the Dutch language shifts into other varieties of Low Franconian speech, which may or may not be best classified as Dutch, most notably West Flemish.

The main religions are Catholicism (18% in 1999) (dioceses) and Protestantism (15%). About 63% of the Dutch don't consider themselves to be members of a church. The part of the country south of the three rivers is (or was) generally Catholic, with the northern part Protestant (mostly of the Dutch Reformed Church).

The Dutch are known as a tolerant people. Their image abroad is mainly based on trade, tulips, windmills, wooden shoes, cheese and Delftware pottery. More recently the liberal Dutch policies on recreational drugs, prostitution, same-sex marriage and euthanasia have received international attention; Amsterdam is widely perceived abroad as a city where 'anything goes'. See also Drugs policy of the Netherlands .

Culture

Main article: Culture of the Netherlands

The Netherlands has produced many great painters. The 17th century, when the Dutch republic was prosperous, was the age of the "Dutch Masters" such as Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, Jan Steen and many others. Famous Dutch painters of the 19th and 20th century are Vincent van Gogh and Piet Mondriaan. M. C. Escher is a well-known graphics artist. A both famous and infamous Dutch master art forger is Han van Meegeren.

The Netherlands is the country of philosophers Erasmus of Rotterdam and Spinoza, and all of Descartes' major work was done there.

In the Golden Age, Dutch literature flowered as well, with Joost van den Vondel, P. C. Hooft as the two most famous names. Important 20th century authors include Harry Mulisch, Jan Wolkers, Simon Vestdijk, Cees Nooteboom, Gerard van het Reve and Willem Frederik Hermans. The Diary of Anne Frank was also written in the Netherlands.

See also: Sport in the Netherlands, Music of the Netherlands

Holidays

Date	English Name	Local Name	Remarks
January 1	New Year's Day	Nieuwjaar
March/April	Easter	Pasen	The Dutch celebrate two days of Easter.
April 30	Queen's day	Koninginnedag	Originally, Koninginnedag was celebrated on the birthday of the queen, Queen's day is now celebrated on the birthday of the current queen's mother, as this gives better weather.
May 4	Remembrance of the dead	Dodenherdenking	Remembrance of those who died during the Second World War.
May 5	Liberation day	Bevrijdingsdag	Celebration of the 1945 capitulation of German forces in World War II.
40 days after Easter	Ascension Day	Hemelvaartsdag
7 weeks after Easter	Pentecost	Pinksteren	The Dutch celebrate two days of Pentecost.
December 5	Saint Nicholas's Eve	Sinterklaas	A predecessor of Santa Claus, Sinterklaas gives presents to the children.
December 25, December 26	Christmas	Kerstmis	The Dutch celebrate two days of Christmas.

Replicas of Dutch buildings can be found in Holland Village, Nagasaki, Japan. A similar Holland Village is being built in Shenyang, China.

Miscellaneous topics

• Communications in the Netherlands
• Transportation in the Netherlands
• Education in the Netherlands
• Dutch Football League teams
• Military of the Netherlands
• Foreign relations of the Netherlands
• General Intelligence and Security Office (AIVD)
• Drugs policy of the Netherlands
• Tourism in the Netherlands
• New Netherland

External links

• Overheid.nl (www.overheid.nl/info/english.html) - official Dutch government portal
• Govenment.nl - official Dutch government web site
• province maps showing subdivision in municipalities, link for each municipality to basic data page
• http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/nl.html
• CBS - Key figures from the Dutch bureau of statistics
• http://flagspot.net/flags/nl-index.html - site about flags, but also with province maps showing municipalities, and some other info

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European Union:
Austria  |  Belgium  |  Denmark  |  Finland  |  France  |  Germany  |  Greece  |  Ireland
Italy  |  Luxembourg  |  Netherlands  |  Portugal  |  Spain  |  Sweden  |  United Kingdom

Countries acceding to membership on May 1, 2004:
Cyprus  |  Czech Republic  |  Estonia  |  Hungary  |  Latvia  |  Lithuania  |  Malta  |  Poland  |  Slovakia  |  Slovenia

---

Countries of the world  |  Europe

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Netherlands."

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New Netherland

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

New Netherland (Dutch Nieuw-Nederland, Latin: Nova Beligica) was the territory claimed by the Netherlands on the eastern coast of North America in the 17th century. New Netherland was part of Dutch colonization of the Americas.

The coast was previously explored by Giovanni da Verrazano in 1524 whose expedition was financed by the citizens of Lyon, France, under the auspices of King Francois I. Despite this, the area was mostly ignored by Europeans for a long time afterwards.

In 1609, Henry Hudson set sail on an exploration trip commissioned by the Dutch East India Company, on the ship Halve Maen (Half Moon), to find a north-east passage to East Asia. However he found his intended route north of Norway blocked by ice and turned west instead, exploring the coast of North America and sailing up the Hudson River as far as the future Albany.

The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands claimed the area between 40 and 45 degrees North, and several trading companies from Amsterdam established competing posts to trade with the native inhabitants. Fort Nassau was established in 1614 near the future Albany. Fort Nassau was abandoned in 1618. In 1621 the Dutch West India Company was formed with a monopoly of the trade, and in 1624 the Company built Fort Orange at the present location of Albany.

Colonization began in 1626, when 30 Dutch and Walloon families settled on Manhattan island and in the area of the Delaware River. The first purchase of land from the natives was of Manhattan, by Peter Minuit. The Dutch policy was to require formal purchase of all land that they settled, although the principle of land ownership was not one that the existing inhabitants recognised, likely resulting in misunderstandings. For example, the people from whom Minuit "bought" Manhattan did not live on the island, and probably thought that they were selling a share in the hunting rights.

Under provisions of the Treaty of Westminster, the Netherlands ceded the colony to England on November 10, 1674 (a British fleet sailed into New York Harbor and took over the colony). The colonial governor, Peter Stuyvesant, was unpopular with the residents, in part because he tried to restrict religious freedom: the Flushing Remonstrance of 1660 objected to his ban on Quakers as an infringement on the residents as Christians and as Dutch citizens. Perhaps because of Stuyvesant's unpopularity, there was no significant resistance to the English takeover.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "New Netherland."

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North Holland

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

North Holland: (Dutch: Noord-Holland) is a province of the Netherlands, located in the northwest part of the country. The capital is Haarlem. Other cities include the country's capital Amsterdam, Hilversum, Alkmaar and Zaandam.

Geography: North Holland forms a peninsula between the North Sea and the IJsselmeer. More than half of the province consists of reclaimed land in the form of polders and is below sea level. The island of Texel is also part of North Holland.

North Holland is divided into 65 gemeente (local government) areas:

• Aalsmeer
• Alkmaar
• Amstelveen
• Amsterdam
• Andijk
• Anna Paulowna
• Beemster
• Bennebroek
• Bergen
• Beverwijk
• Blaricum
• Bloemendaal
• Bussum
• Castricum
• Den Helder
• Diemen
• Drechterland
• Edam-Volendam
• Enkhuizen
• Graft-De Rijp
• Haarlem
• Haarlemmerliede en Spaarnwoude
• Haarlemmermeer
• Harenkarspel
• Heemskerk
• Heemstede
• Heerhugowaard
• Heiloo
• Hilversum
• Hoorn
• Huizen
• Landsmeer
• Langedijk
• Laren
• Medemblik
• Muiden
• Naarden
• Niedorp
• Noorder-Koggenland
• Obdam
• Oostzaan
• Opmeer
• Ouder-Amstel
• Purmerend
• Schagen
• Schermer
• Stede Broec
• Texel
• Uitgeest
• Uithoorn
• Velsen
• Venhuizen
• Waterland
• Weesp
• Wervershoof
• Wester-Koggenland
• Wieringen
• Wieringermeer
• Wijdemeren
• Wognum
• Wormerland
• Zaanstad
• Zandvoort
• Zeevang
• Zijpe

External links

• The province's website (in Dutch)
• basic information - http://www.sdu.nl/staatscourant/scdata/prov/noord-holland.htm
• province map showing subdivision in municipalities, link for each municipality to basic data page

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "North Holland."

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Suriname

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Republic of Suriname (also spelled Surinam) is a country in northern South America, in between French Guiana to the east and Guyana to the west. The southern border is shared with Brazil and the northern border is the Atlantic coast.

Republiek Suriname

(In Detail)
National motto: Justitia - Pietas - Fides (Latin: Justice - Piety - Loyalty)
Official language	Dutch
Capital	Paramaribo
President	Ronald Venetiaan
Area  - Total  - % water	Ranked 90th 163,270 km² 1.10%
Population  - Total (2001)  - Density	Ranked 163rd 433,998 2.66/km²
Independence  - Date	From the Netherlands November 25, 1975
Currency	Suriname Guilder
Time zone	UTC -4
National anthem	God zij met ons Suriname
Internet TLD	.SR
Calling Code	597

History

Main article: History of Suriname

Though Dutch traders had established several colonies in the Guiana region before, the Dutch did not get hold of what is now Suriname until the Treaty of Breda, settling the end of the Second Anglo-Dutch War.

After becoming an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1954, independence was granted in 1975. A military regime led by Desi Bouterse ruled the country in the 1980s, until democracy was re-established in 1988.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Suriname

Suriname is a democracy based on the 1987 constitution. The government's legislative branch is the National Assembly, consisting of 51 members. These members are elected every five year.

The National Assembly elects the head of the executive branch, the president, by a two-third majority. If no candidate achieves such a majority, the president is elected by the People's Assembly, a 340 member institute consisting of the National Assembly and regional representatives.

Districts

Main article: Districts of Suriname

Suriname is divided into ten districts:

• Brokopondo
• Commewijne
• Coronie
• Marowijne
• Nickerie
• Para
• Paramaribo
• Saramacca
• Sipaliwini
• Wanica

Geography

Main article: Geography of Suriname

Suriname is the smallest country in South America (not counting French Guiana, as this is part of France). It is situated on the Guiana Shield, the highest point being the Julianatop (1,286 m above sea level). The land can be artificially divided into two parts. The northern, coastal area has been cultivated, and most of the population lives here. The southern part consists of sparsely inhabited tropical rainforest.

Lying near the equator, the climate in Suriname is tropical, and temperatures do not vary a lot throughout the year. The year has two rainy seasons, from December to early February and from late April to mid-August.

Located in the north-east of the countries is the W.J. van Blommesteinmeer, a large reservoir lake, created in 1964 by a dam (Brokopondo project).

Economy

Main article: Economy of Suriname

The Surinamese economy is very dependent of other countries, its main trade partners being the Netherlands, the United States and countries in the Caribbean.

Main export products are bauxite and sugar, and Suriname has some oil and gold reserves. About a quarter of the people work in the agricultural sector.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Suriname

The Surinamese population is made up of several minority groups. The large of them are the Hindustani, descendants of 19th century immigrants from India, about 37% of the population. The Creole, mixed white and black form about 31%, while the Javanese ("imported" from the former Dutch East Indies) and Maroons (descendants of escaped African slaves) make up 15 and 10 percent, respectively. The remainder is formed by Indianss, Chinese and whites.

Because of the great number of ethnic groups in the country, there is no main religion. Most of the Hindustani are Hindu, but Islam and Christianity are also widespread.

While Dutch is still the official language of Suriname, Sranang Tongo, originally a Creole language, is considered the lingua franca. The Surinamese of Asian descent often also speak their own languages.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Suriname

Due to the mix of population groups, the Surinamese culture is very diverse.

• Music of Suriname

Miscellaneous topics

• Communications in Suriname
• Transportation in Suriname
• Military of Suriname
• Foreign relations of Suriname

External links

• ANDA Suriname - Surinamese portal (in Dutch)

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Countries of the world  |  South America

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Suriname."

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United Provinces

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

This article is about the Dutch United Provinces. There was also a nation called the United Provinces of Central America. The United Provinces (Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden/Provinciën, Republic of the Seven United Netherlands/Provinces -- 1581 - 1795) was a European republic which is now known as the Netherlands.

History

Before 1581, the area of the low countries consisted of a number of counties and duchies. Through marriage or sale, these states all ended up in the hands of the Habsburg emperor Charles V and his son, king Philip II of Spain. In 1568, the Netherlands revolted against king Philip because of his persecution of the Protestants and his high taxes. This was the start of the Eighty Years' War.

In 1579, a number of the northern Netherlands signed the Union of Utrecht, in which they promised to support each other in their defense against the Spanish army. This was followed in 1581 by the declaration of independence, in which the provinces officially deposed Philip II.

The United Provinces first tried to choose their own lord, and they asked the Duke of Anjou and later the Earl of Leicester to rule them. This was not a success, and in 1588 the provinces became a Republic.

The Republic was officially recognized in the Peace of Westphalia (1648), and lasted until French revolutionary forces invaded in 1795 and set up a new republic, called the Batavian Republic and later the Kingdom of Holland.

The Netherlands became independent of France in 1813. In the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 the names "United Provinces of the Netherlands" and "United Netherlands" are used. In 1816 it joined with Belgium to be the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and then the Kingdom of the Netherlands after Belgium became independent.

Politics

The republic consisted of seven provinces, which had their own governments and were very independent, and a number of so called Generality Lands. These were governed directly by the States-General. The States-General was seated in The Hague, and consisted of representatives of each of the seven provinces.

The provinces of the republic were Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, Overijssel, Friesland and Groningen. Each province was governed by the Provincial States and by a stadtholder. In theory, the stadtholders were elected and subordinate to the States-General. However, the princes of Orange-Nassau were chosen as stadtholders of most of the provinces. There was a constant power struggle between the Orangists, who supported the stadtholders, and the Regents, supporters of the States-General.

See also: History of the Netherlands, Dutch Golden Age, Francis van Aarssens

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "United Provinces."

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Synonyms within Context: Dutch

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Modern Usage: Dutch

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Commercial Usage: Dutch

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Image Slideshow: Dutch

Photos: Dutch More pictures...

Illustrations: Dutch More pictures...

Computer Images: Dutch More pictures...

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Photo Album: Dutch

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	Baseball at Dutch Harbor - the national pastime goes to the Aleutians. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.		The crew of the SURVEYOR playing baseball at Dutch Harbor. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.
	Army installations at Dutch Harbor. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth.		An early spring day at Dutch Harbor. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth.
	Dutch Harbor. Home to many North Pacific fishing vessels. Credit: Fisheries.		The AURIGA tied up at Dutch Harbor. Credit: Fisheries.
	A large fishing vessel leaving Dutch Harbor on a gray, cold, windy evening. Credit: Fisheries.		Entering Dutch Harbor at twilight during RONALD H. BROWN around the world cruise in 1999. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now.
	Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Vessel MILLER FREEMAN tied up at Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now.		Figure 6. Pyranometer, a sensor used to measure variations in solar radiation. It is used with a recording device, the solarigraph. The principle of operation of the pyranometer is that of the thermophile of the Dutch Willem Moll. This principle was adapted by Dr. Ladislaw Gorczynski of the Meteorological Institute of Varsovia in 1924. The instrument shown was probably made in the 1940's. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now.
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Digital Photo Gallery: Dutch
 

"In a dutch train" by Marlon Bruin Commentary: "The top level of a dutch train."	"Dutch ducks" by Frank P.J. Van Haalen Commentary: "Dutch ducks in the harbor of Hellevoetsluis, Holland, The Netherlands."
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Historic Usage: Dutch

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Use in Literature: Dutch

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Non-Fiction Usage: Dutch

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Usage Frequency: Dutch

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Name Usage Frequency: Dutch

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Usage in Company Names: Dutch

Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.

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Expressions: Dutch

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Dutch

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Modern Translation: Dutch

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Ancestral Language Translations: Dutch

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Derivations & Misspellings: Dutch

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Rhyming with "Dutch"

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Anagrams: Dutch

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