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Netherlands

Specialty Definition: Constitution of the Netherlands

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The constitution of the Netherlands dates back to 1815. The full text can be found at http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nederlandse_Grondwet.

Chapters:

1. Basic rights
2. Government
3. Parliament
4. Advisory institutions
5. Law and government
6. Administration of justice
7. Lower government
8. Revision of the constitution

There are also several additional articles.

Chapter 1 (Basic right) deals with issues such as equality (article 1), the right to vote, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom to meet and protest and the right to privacy.

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

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Culture of the Netherlands

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Culture of the Netherlands.

Architecture

• Hendrik Petrus Berlage (1856-1934)
• J. H. van den Broek (1898-1978)
• Jacob van Campen (1595-1657)
• P. J. H. Cuypers (1827-1921)
• Willem Marinus Dudok (1884-1974)
• Johannes Duiker (1890-1935)
• Aldo van Eyk (1918-?)
• Lieven de Key (ca. 1560-1627)
• Hendrik de Keyser (1565-1621)
• Rem Koolhaas (1944)
• J. J. P. Oud (1890-1963)
• S. van Ravesteyn
• Gerrit Rietveld (1888-1964)

Art

Graphic arts

• M. C. Escher (1898-1972)

Musea

• Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
• Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterloo (see Helene Kroller-Muller)
• Museum Boymans van Beuningen, Rotterdam
• Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
• Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam

Nature

• Marjolein Bastin

Painting

• Karel Appel (1921)
• Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
• Jan van Goyen (1596-1656)
• Pieter de Hooch (1629-1684)
• Frans Hals (ca. 1581-1666)
• Hendrik Willem Mesdag (1831-1915)
• Piet Mondrian (originally Mondriaan) (1872-1944)
• Adriaen van Ostade (1610-1685)
• Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)
• Jan van Scorel (1495-1652)
• Jan Steen (1626-1679)
• Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675)

Theatre

Cabaret

• Lenette van Dongen, one-(wo)man-show
• Henk Elsink, one-man-show
• Herman Finkers, one-man-show
• Seth Gaaikema, one-man-show
• Youp van 't Hek, one-man-show
• Toon Hermans, one-man-show
• Brigitte Kaandorp, one-(wo)man-show
• Wim kan, one-man-show
• Wim Sonneveld, one-man-show
• Paul van Vliet, one-man-show
• Mini & Maxi, cabaret
• Purper, cabaret
• Tingeltangel, cabaret
• André van Duyn, comedian

Film

Actors

• Jeroen Krabbé, actor
• Moniek van de Ven, actress
• Rutger Hauer, actor
• Johanna Tersteege, actress

Films

• Anthonia
• De Lift

Directors

• Matthijs van Heyningen, producer
• Paul Verhoeven, director/producer
• Bert Haanstra, cameraman/director
• Alex van Warmerdam, director/producer

Music of the Netherlands

Classical music

• Louis Andriessen (1939)
• Jurjen de Haan
• Otto Ketting (1935)
• Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621)

Orchestras

• Concertgebouworkest, Amsterdam
• Radio Philharmonisch Orkest
• Residentie Orkest
• Rotterdams Filharmonisch Orkest, Rotterdam

Popular music

• Acda & de Munnik
• Herman Brood (1946-2001)
• Golden Earring
• The Nits

Dance

• Nederlands Danstheater, Dutch Dance Theatre
• Scapino Ballet

Publishing

Newspapers

• Algemeen Dagblad
• De Telegraaf (full content also available on internet, for a fee)
• De Volkskrant
• Het Parool
• Nederlands Dagblad (full content also available on internet, for a fee)
• NRC Handelsblad
• Trouw

Magazines

Ca. 70 Dutch magazines have been sold to and are now published by the Finnish publisher Sanoma. Apart from many typical Dutch ones like Margriet, Libelle and Nieuwe Revu these include a Disney magazine named after Donald Duck and the Dutch edition of Playboy.

National library: Koninklijke Bibliotheek - http://www.kb.nl/

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

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History of the Netherlands

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Prehistory

The Netherlands have been inhabited since the last Ice Age. The most famous remnants from the early age in the Netherlands are the hunebedden (Dutch for dolmens), large stone grave monuments from the neolithic, which can be found in Drenthe.

Roman Era

In the first century BC, the Romans came to the Netherlands. For the majority of the Roman occupation, the boundary of the Roman Empire lay along the Rhine. Romans built the first cities in the Netherlands, most importantly Utrecht, Nijmegen, and Maastricht. The northern part of the Netherlands, outside the Roman Empire, where the Frisians lived (and still do), was also heavily influenced by its strong southern neighbour.

Holy Roman Empire

After the fall of the Roman Empire and the subsequent period of turmoil, the Netherlands was divided in three parts, the Frisians living by the coast, the Saxons in the east, and the Franks in the south. The Franks managed to overcome their neighbours. Under Charlemagne, a Frankish empire was built, having its heartland in the future Belgium and northern France, and spanning France, Germany, northern Italy, and several other regions. The Frankish empire divided and re-united several times, in the end giving rise to two major powers, France and the Holy Roman Empire in Germany. The Netherlands formed part of the latter.

The Holy Roman Empire, however, did not remain a political unity. Local vassals made their countships and duchies into private kingdoms and felt not much obliged to the emperor, who over large parts of the nation governed only in name. Large parts of what now comprise the Netherlands were governed by the count of Holland, the duke of Gelre, the duke of Brabant and the bishop of Utrecht, but Friesland and Groningen in the north kept their independence, being governed by the lower nobility. Most of what is now the Netherlands and Belgium was united by the duke of Burgundy.

Struggle for Independence and the Golden Age

Flag of the revolt - orange, white, blue

Through inheritance, the area became a possession of the Habsburg dynasty under Charles V of Spain in the late 15th century. In the Netherlands, part of the population, influenced by the Reformation, became Protestants. This was not liked by Charles's son and successor Philip II of Spain, who also was very distant in attitude (never visiting the Low Countries himself), whereas his father had been raised in Ghent (Belgium) and had become lord of the Netherlands before he became king of Spain. Philip's attempts to enforce religious persecution of the Protestants and his endeavours to centralise government, justice and taxes led to a revolt, starting when the seven Dutch provinces united in the Union of Utrecht in 1579 and formed the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (also known as the "United Provinces"). William of Orange, a nobleman, took the lead in what is called the Eighty Years' War (1568 - 1648). On May 15, 1648, the Peace of Westphalia confirmed the independence of the United Provinces from Spain.

During the Eighty Years' War the Dutch also started large-scale overseas trade - they hunted whales near Svalbard, traded spices with India and Indonesia, started colonies in Brazil and New Amsterdam (now New York), South Africa, the West Indies. The wealth accumulated from all this trade led to the 17th century being called the golden age (de gouden eeuw) of the Netherlands. As the Netherlands were a republic they were governed by regents, an aristocracy of city-merchants, rather than by a king or by nobility. In principle every city and province had its own government and laws. There was much independence of the various cities and districts, although some of the lands belonging to the republic had provincial official status, such as Brabant and Limburg (Netherlands).

With the independence of the Netherlands, a decline of the wealth of the Dutch set in. In 1650, the stadtholder William II, Prince of Orange died, leaving the nation without a powerful ruler. The following year, England imposed the 1651 Navigation Act, which severely hurt Dutch trade interests. A fight over the Act resulted in the First Anglo-Dutch War, which lasted from 1652 to 1654, ending in the Peace of Westminster, by which the Navigation Act remained in effect.

The Second Anglo-Dutch War began in 1665 when the English declared war - they had already attacked Dutch settlements in the New Netherlands. While the Dutch were also troubled by French invasions in the Spanish Netherlands - present-day Belgium - the English and Dutch signed a peace treaty: the 1667 Peace of Breda, after Dutch admiral Michiel de Ruyter destroyed a large part of the English fleet on the Thames. It was agreed that the English would keep the Dutch possesions in North America (the area around current New York City), while they give control of Suriname to the Dutch. Also, the Navigation Act was loosened.

1672 is known in the Netherlands as the Rampjaar (disaster year). England declared war on the Republic, (the Third Anglo-Dutch War), followed by France, Münster and Cologne, which had all signed alliances against the Republic. France, Cologne and Münster invaded the Republic, while an English attempt to land could only just be prevented. In the meantime, a new stadtholder, William III, was appointed. Later, two important politicians during the stadtholderless era, Johan and Cornelis de Witt were brutally murdered in The Hague. With the aid of other German nations, the Dutch succeed in fighting back, leading to a peace with Cologne and Münster in 1674, after England also agreed to peace, in the Second Peace of Westminster.

In 1678, peace was made with France, though the Spanish and German allies felt betrayed by the treaty signed in Nijmegen. When the English king James II of England was dethroned, William III was asked to become king of England in 1688.

See also Dutch Golden Age, for an in-depth look at culture and arts in the United Provinces in the 17th century .

French rule

At the end of the 18th century, unrest was growing in the Netherlands. Fights were starting between the Orangists, wanting stadtholder William V of Orange to obtain more power, and the patriots, who under influence of the American and French Revolutions wanted a more democratic government. Holland was the first country to salute the American flag, and Britain declared war before the coutry could join a group of neutral countries sworn to mutual assistance. This Fourth Anglo-Dutch War (1780 - 1784) proved a disaster for the Netherlands, particularly economically. In 1785 there was a democratic ('patriotic') revolt, but the House of Orange called upon their Prussian relatives to put it down. Many patriots fled the country to France.

After the French Revolution, French republican armies invaded the Netherlands and settled the internal strife in favour of the Patriots, who created the short-lived Batavian Republic. French influence was strong, and Napoleon turned the Netherlands (including a small part of Germany) into the Kingdom of Holland, with his brother Louis Napoleon as king ("Konijn van Olland"). This also did not last very long, because when Napoleon noticed that his brother put the Dutch interests before the French, he made the Netherlands part of the French empire.

The House of Orange in the meantime signed a treaty with Britain in which they gave to that country the Dutch colonies in 'safekeeping' and ordered the colonial governors to surrender to the English. This put an end to most of the Dutch colonial empire. Guyana and Ceylon never returned to Dutch rule. The Cape colony was briefly returned to the Batavian Republic but became definitively British after 1806.

Other colonies, including Indonesia, were returned following the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 (there was also an Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824).

Monarchy

See also: Dutch monarchy

After the Napoleonic era the Netherlands were put back on the map of Europe. The country had always been part of the precarious balance of power that had kept France in check. Particularly the Russian tsar wanted the Netherlands to resume this role and wanted the colonies to be returned. A compromise was struck with Britain at the Congress of Vienna, whereby only Indonesia was returned, but the North and South of the Netherlands reunited. The country became a monarchy, with the son of the last stadtholder William V, the prince of Orange as king William I. His United Kingdom of the Netherlands originally consisted of what is now the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, but the Belgians soon began feeling like second-class citizens. The primary factors that contributed to this feeling were religious (the predominantly Catholic South versus the mostly Protestant North), economic (the South was industrialising, the North had always been a merchants' nation) and linguistic (the French-speaking South was not just Wallony, but also extended to the French-speaking bourgeoisie in the Flemish cities). In 1830 the situation exploded, the Belgians revolted and declared independence from the North. King William sent an army in 1831, but it was forced to retreat after a few days when the French army was mobilised. The North refused to recognise Belgium until 1839.

In 1848, unrest broke out all over Europe. In the Netherlands, little unrest happened, but the effects were large. The liberal Johan Rudolf Thorbecke was asked by the king to create a new constitution, which basically turned the Netherlands into a democracy. The new document was proclaimed valid on November 3 of that year.

By the end of the 19th century, when internationally countries were claiming colonies, the Netherlands extended their hold on Indonesia. Max Havelaar by Multatuli, the most famous book in the history of Dutch literature, complained about the exploitation by the Dutch of the country and its inhabitants.

20th century

World War I

In World War I, the Netherlands remained a neutral country, but the army mobilised when war broke out in August 1914. The German invasion of Belgium that same year led to a large flow of refugees from that country (about 1 million).

The country being surrounded by states at war, and with the North Sea unsafe for civilian ships to sail on, food became scarce; food was now distributed using coupons. An error in food distribution caused the so-called Aardappeloproer (Potato-rebellion) in Amsterdam in 1917, when civilians plundered a food transport intended for soldiers.

In November 1918 the leader of the Sociaal-Democratische Arbeiders Partij (SDAP, Social-Democratic Labour Party), Jelles Troelstra, called for a socialist revolution among the workers, but his plan failed.

World War II

At the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the Netherlands declared their neutrality again. However, on May 10, 1940, Nazi Germany launched an attack on the Netherlands and Belgium and overran most of the country quickly, fighting against a poorly-equipped Dutch army. On May 14, a small number of battlefields was left, among others at Rotterdam. Nazi Germany invited the Netherlands to surrender the city, to which no reply came in time. The result was a massive bombardment of Rotterdam, killing about 800 people and destroying large parts of the city, leaving 78,000 homeless. Following the bombardment the Netherlands capitulated to Nazi Germany. The royal family had already fled to England. Nazi Germany's civil administration of the Netherlands was headed by Arthur Seyss-Inquart.

Persecution of the Jews, of which about 140,000 lived in the Netherlands at the start of the war, including some 20,000 refugees, started immediately after the invasion. In 1942, a transport camp was erected near Westerbork. Concentration camps were built near Vught and Amersfoort. At the end of the war, only about 20,000 of the 140,000 Dutch Jews remained alive. Among those who died was Anne Frank, who later gained world-wide fame when her diary, written while hiding from the Nazis, was found and published.

After the Allies landed in Normandy in June 1944, they proceeded quickly towards the Dutch border. In September of the same year a daring operation, Operation Market Garden, was staged to make a quick incursion into the southern Netherlands and capture bridges across the three main rivers. The bridge at Arnhem, across the Rhine, could however not be captured. Most of the Dutch, who thought the liberation had already started - the day the operation started is known as Dolle Dinsdag (Mad Tuesday) - would have to wait until 1945, although the part south of the rivers was liberated at that time.

The winter 1944 - 1945 was very harsh, and many Dutch starved, giving the winter the name Hongerwinter (Hunger winter). On May 5, 1945, following Allied victories in Nazi Germany, Nazi Germany finally surrendered, signing the surrender to the Dutch at Wageningen.

On January 11, 1942, the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies had started. The Dutch surrendered on March 1, when Japanese troops landed on Java. Dutch citizens were captured and put to work in labour camps. The Japanese surrendered on August 15, 1945, after the Americans had dropped two atomic bombs on Japan.

After World War II

Immediately after the liberation of the Dutch East Indies from Japan, on August 17, 1945, the colony declared its independence as Indonesia. A confusing phase followed, known as the Indonesian National Revolution, with the Netherlands recognising the new country on the one hand, while fighting the Indonesian nationalists in two wars, or "police actions". Increasing international pressure from the United Nations, and the United States (which threatened to stop Marshall Plan aid), and Indonesian determination lead the Netherlands to accept the new situation. Indonesia formally gained independence on December 27, 1949. Only the western half of New Guinea remained Dutch (until 1961).

Although it was originally expected that the loss of the Indies would lead to an economic downfall, the reverse appeared true, and in the 1950s the Netherlands quickly increased its wealth. In 1952 the Netherlands were among the founders of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) (together with France, West-Germany, Italy, Belgium and Luxemburg) . The ECSC would over time evolve into the European Union.

A modern, industrialised nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EC, and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. In recent years the Dutch have often been a driving force behind the unification of European countries in the European Union.

Same-sex marriage (homohuwelijk, or gay marriage) became permitted on 1 April 2001. At that time the Netherlands were the only country where gay marriages were not only allowed, but also considered fully equivalent to heterosexual ones.

see also Netherlands/2000, Netherlands/2001

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1043528.stm

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

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List of cities in the Netherlands

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

This is a list of cities in the Netherlands, sorted by province. See also the lists of municipalities in the province articles.

Drenthe

• Assen
• Coevorden
• Emmen
• Hoogeveen
• Meppel

Flevoland

• Almere
• Dronten
• Emmeloord (mun. Noordoostpolder)
• Lelystad
• Urk

Friesland

• Drachten (mun. Smallingerland}
• Harlingen
• Heerenveen
• Leeuwarden
• Sneek

Gelderland

• Apeldoorn
• Arnhem
• Doetinchem
• Ede
• Harderwijk
• Nijmegen
• Wageningen
• Winterswijk
• Zutphen

Groningen

• Delfzijl
• Groningen

Limburg

• Geleen
• Heerlen
• Kerkrade
• Maastricht
• Roermond
• Sittard
• Valkenburg aan de Geul
• Venlo
• Weert

North Brabant

• Bergeijk
• Bergen op Zoom
• Breda
• Den Bosch
• Eindhoven
• Helmond
• Oss
• Roosendaal
• Tilburg
• Waalwijk

North Holland

• Alkmaar
• Amstelveen
• Amsterdam
• Den Helder
• Enkhuizen
• Haarlem
• Hilversum
• Hoofddorp (mun. Haarlemmermeer)
• Hoorn

Overijssel

• Almelo
• Deventer
• Enschede
• Hengelo
• Oldenzaal
• Zwolle

South Holland

• Delft
• Dordrecht
• Gouda
• Leiden
• Rotterdam
• The Hague ('s-Gravenhage or Den Haag)

Utrecht

• Amersfoort
• Nieuwegein
• Utrecht
• Zeist

Zeeland

• Flushing (Vlissingen)
• Middelburg
• Terneuzen

External link

Map

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

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List of national parks of the Netherlands

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

National parks in the Netherlands were defined in the 1960s as: "Areas of at least 1000 hectares, consisting of natural terrains, water and/or forests, with a special landscape and flora and fauna. There are good possibilities for recreative use. In the national parks, nature care and nature development is intensified, nature and environmental education, nature oriented recreation and research are stimulated." The first national park, in Schiermonnikoog, was however not established until 1989.

National Parks

• Nationaal Park De Biesbosch
• Nationaal Park De Drunense en Loonse Duinen
• Nationaal Park Dwingelderveld
• Nationaal Park De Maasduinen
• Nationaal Park De Meinweg
• Nationaal Park De grote Peel
• Nationaal Park Schiermonnikoog
• Nationaal Park De Hoge Veluwe
• Nationaal Park De Veluwezoom
• Nationaal Park De Weerribben
• Grenspark De Zoom - Kalmthoutse Heide (mainly in Belgium)
• Nationaal Park Zuid-Kennemerland

National Parks to be

These areas will become National Parks in the near future.

• Nationaal Park in oprichting De Alde Feanen
• Nationaal Park in oprichting Drents-Friese Wold
• Nationaal Park in oprichting Duinen van Texel -- the dunes of the island of Texel, 4300 hectares, May 2002
• Nationaal Park in oprichting Lauwersmeer
• Nationaal Park in oprichting Oosterschelde
• Nationaal Park in oprichting Utrechtse Heuvelrug
• Nationaal Park in oprichting Sallandse Heuvelrug

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

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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

---

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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Politics of the Netherlands

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Netherlands are a constitutional monarchy. The most important part of parliament, the Tweede Kamer (second chamber, or lower house), has 150 members, and is chosen once every four years by proportional representation. Like a number of other European countries with proportional representation, the Dutch have always had coalition governments.

The executive branch of government is headed by the Monarch, who appoints the Ministers and State Secretaries of the cabinet. The prime minister of the Netherlands (Dutch Minister-president or premier) is the head of the cabinet, and as such, coordinates the policy of the government. Although formally no special powers are assigned, the prime minister functions as the "face" of the government to the public. Usually, the prime minister is also minister of General Affairs (Minister van Algemene Zaken). Until 1945, the position of head of the council of ministers officially switched between the ministers, although practices differed throughout history. In 1945, the position was formally instituted.

In practice the cabinet requires the support of the lower house, otherwise it would not have any influence over legislation, so the Monarch will ask the representatives to form a coalition which will select a cabinet. The Constitution of the Netherlands does not permit somebody to be a member of both cabinet and the lower house, so any cabinet members appointed from the house are replaced from the party lists.

The present constitution--which dates from 1848 and has been amended several times--protects individual and political freedoms, including freedom of religion. Although church and state are separate, a few historical ties remain; the royal family belongs to the Dutch Reformed Church (Protestant). Freedom of speech also is protected.

Government Structure
The country's government is based on the principles of ministerial responsibility and parliamentary government. The national government comprises three main institutions: the Monarch, the Council of Ministers, and the States General. There also are local governments.

The Monarch. The monarch is the titular head of state. The Queen's function is largely ceremonial, but she does have some influence deriving from the traditional veneration of the House of Orange--from which Dutch monarchs for more than three centuries have been chosen; the personal qualities of the Queen; and her power to appoint the formateur, who forms the Council of Ministers following elections.

The Council of Ministers plans and implements government policy. The Monarch and the Council of Ministers together are called the Crown. Most ministers also head government ministries, although ministers-without-portfolio exist. The ministers, collectively and individually, are responsible to the States General (parliament). Unlike the British system, Dutch ministers cannot simultaneously be members of parliament.

The Council of State is a constitutionally established advisory body to the government which consists of members of the royal family and Crown-appointed members generally having political, commercial, diplomatic, or military experience. The Council of State must be consulted by the cabinet on proposed legislation before a law is submitted to the parliament. The Council of State also serves as a channel of appeal for citizens against executive branch decisions.

States General (parliament). The Dutch parliament consists of two houses, the First Chamber and the Second Chamber. Historically, Dutch governments have been based on the support of a majority in both houses of parliament. The Second Chamber is by far the more important of the two houses. It alone has the right to initiate legislation and amend bills submitted by the Council of Ministers. It shares with the First Chamber the right to question ministers and state secretaries.

The Second Chamber consists of 150 members, elected directly for a 4-year term--unless the government falls prematurely--on the basis of a nationwide system of proportional representation. This system means that members represent the whole country--rather than individual districts as in the United States--and are normally elected on a party slate, not on a personal basis. There is no threshold for small-party representation. Campaigns usually last 6 weeks, and the election budgets of each party tend to be less than $500,000. The electoral system makes a coalition government almost inevitable. The last election of the Second Chamber was in January 2003 (early elections).

The First Chamber is composed of 75 members elected for 4-year terms by the 12 provincial legislatures. It cannot initiate or amend legislation, but its approval of bills passed by the Second Chamber is required before bills become law. The First Chamber generally meets only once a week, and its members usually have other full-time jobs. The current First Chamber was elected following provincial elections in March 2003.

Courts. The judiciary comprises 62 cantonal courts (kantongerechten (pl.)), 19 district courts (rechtbanken (pl.)), five courts of appeal (gerechtshoven (pl.)), and a Supreme Court (Hoge Raad) which has 24 justices. All judicial appointments are made by the Crown. Judges nominally are appointed for life but actually are retired at age 70.

Local government. The first-level administrative divisions are the 12 provinces, each governed by a locally elected provincial council and a provincial executive appointed by members of the provincial council. The province is formally headed by a queen's commissioner appointed by the Crown.

The smallest administrative divisions are the gemeenten (municipalities) governed by a town council chosen by all adults for a four years term, and a burgemeester (mayor) appointed by the Crown. The appointment procedure was recently brought for dicussion. The appointment procedure is considered undemocratic and alternatives are:

• Direct election of the mayor by the people: two candidates are nominated by the Crown.
• Appointment by the town council from a nomination made by the Crown.

Given the consensus-based nature of Dutch Government, elections do not result in any drastic change in foreign or domestic policy.

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands
conventional short form: Netherlands
local long form: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
local short form: Nederland

Data code: NL

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Amsterdam; The Hague is the seat of government

Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (provincies, singular - provincie); Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe, Overijssel, Flevoland, Gelderland, Utrecht, Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, Zeeland, Noord-Brabant and Limburg

Dependent areas: Aruba, Netherlands Antilles

Independence: 1579 (from Spain)

National holiday: Queen's Day, 30 April

Constitution: adopted 1814; amended many times, last time 17 February 1983

Legal system: civil law system incorporating French penal theory; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980); Heir Apparent Willem Alexander (born 27 April 1967), son of the monarch
head of government: Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following Second Chamber elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; vice prime ministers appointed by the monarch
note: government coalition - CDA, VVD, and D66; there is also a Council of State composed of the monarch, heir apparent, and councilors consulted by the executive on legislative and administrative policy

Legislative branch: bicameral States General or Staten Generaal consists of the First Chamber or Eerste Kamer (75 seats; members indirectly elected by the country's 12 provincial councils for four-year terms) and the Second Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections:

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Hoge Raad, justices are nominated for life by the monarch

Political parties and leaders: See political parties of the Netherlands.

Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA (Jan Peter Balkenende); Lijst Pim Fortuyn or LPF (Mat Herben), Labor Party or PvdA (Wouter Bos); People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Liberal) or VVD (Gerrit Zalm); Democrats '66 or D'66 (Boris Diettrich); a host of minor parties

Political pressure groups and leaders: Federation of Netherlands Trade Union Movement (comprising Socialist and Catholic trade unions) and a Protestant trade union; Federation of Catholic and Protestant Employers Associations; Interchurch Peace Council or IKV; large multinational firms; the nondenominational Federation of Netherlands Enterprises

International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, International Maritime Organization, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, Zangger Committee

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue; similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer

Dutch cabinets since World War II

Note: first party mentioned provided prime minister.

Netherlands cabinet	Prime Minister	Party	From	Until
Schermerhorn/Drees	Wim Schermerhorn Willem Drees	VDB,PvdA,KVP,ARP	June 24, 1945	July 3, 1946
Beel I	Louis Beel	KVP,PvdA	July 3, 1946	August 7, 1948
Drees I	Willem Drees	PvdA,KVP,CHU,VVD	August 7, 1948	March 15, 1951
Drees II	Willem Drees	PvdA,KVP,ARP,CHU	March 15, 1951	September 2, 1952
Drees III	Willem Drees	PvdA,KVP,ARP,CHU	September 2, 1952	October 13, 1956
Drees IV	Willem Drees	PvdA,KVP,ARP,CHU	October 13, 1956	December 22, 1958
Beel II	Louis Beel	KVP,ARP,CHU	December 22, 1958	May 19, 1959
De Quay	Jan de Quay	KVP,ARP,CHU,VVD	May 19, 1959	July 24, 1963
Marijnen	Victor Marijnen	KVP,ARP,CHU,VVD	July 24, 1963	April 14, 1965
Cals	Jo Cals	KVP,ARP,PvdA	April 14, 1965	November 22, 1966
Zijlstra	Jelle Zijlstra	ARP,KVP	November 22, 1966	April 5, 1967
De Jong	Piet de Jong	KVP,ARP,CHU,VVD	April 5, 1967	July 6, 1971
Biesheuvel I	Barend Biesheuvel	ARP,KVP,CHU,VVD	July 6, 1971	August 9, 1972
Biesheuvel II	Barend Biesheuvel	ARP,KVP,CHU,VVD	August 9, 1972	May 11, 1973
Den Uyl	Joop den Uyl	PvdA,KVP,ARP,PPR	May 11, 1973	December 19, 1977
Van Agt I	Dries van Agt	CDA,VVD	December 19, 1977	September 11, 1981
Van Agt II	Dries van Agt	CDA,PvdA,D'66	September 11, 1981	May 29, 1982
Van Agt III	Dries van Agt	CDA,D'66	May 29, 1982	November 4, 1982
Lubbers I	Ruud Lubbers	CDA,VVD	November 4, 1982	July 14, 1986
Lubbers II	Ruud Lubbers	CDA,VVD	July 14, 1986	November 7, 1989
Lubbers III	Ruud Lubbers	CDA,PvdA	November 7, 1989	August 22, 1994
Kok I	Wim Kok	PvdA,VVD,D'66	August 22, 1994	August 3, 1998
Kok II	Wim Kok	PvdA,VVD,D'66	August 3, 1998	July 22, 2002
Balkenende I	Jan Peter Balkenende	CDA,LPF,VVD	July 22, 2002	May 27, 2003
Balkenende II	Jan Peter Balkenende	CDA,VVD,D'66	May 27, 2003

Before the two "purple" cabinets of Wim Kok, for 80 years the CDA (or the parties that later joined to form the CDA) had been in the government, sometimes with the socialists (PvdA), sometimes with the liberals (VVD) as their coalition partner.

See also

• Netherlands
• Dutch monarchy
• Drugs policy of the Netherlands
• Political parties of the Netherlands

External link

• extremely detailed statistics and historical facts about elections, cabinets, parties, etc (in Dutch) for whole 20th century can be found at www.geschiedenis.com

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

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Roel Felius

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Roel Felius was born in Goes, Zeeland on October 25th 1988 and still lives there. His hobbies are singing, acting and drawing. Roel was chosen to participate in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2003 in Copenhagen to represent the Netherlands. and reached the 11th place out of 16.

Musicians Paskal Jakobsen and Jeroen Rietbergen helped him with the performance of his song "Mijn ogen zeggen alles" (My eyes say everything). The song is about a man who had a stroke and is now totally paralised. He can only move his eyes and uses them to talk.

External link

http://www.roelfelius.nl/

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

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Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

A "registered partnership" system became active on January 1st, 1998. However after a court case brought about by a gay couple it was concluded that restricting marriage to opposite-sex partners was in violation of the constitution, which forbids discrimination against homosexuals. Hence the marriage law was changed and since April 1st, 2001 same-sex marriages have been permitted. Note that registered partnerships, although originally introduced to enable same-sex couples to make their partnership official, are open to opposite-sex couples as well.

There was strong opposition from fundamentalist religious groups to the introduction of same-sex marriage, e.g., see Khalil el-Moumni. Individual churches have retained the right to decide whether or not to conduct such ceremonies; in practice many have been willing to do so.

While regional government offices are obliged to perform civil same-sex marriages, some uncertainty has remained about whether individual officials have the right to refuse to perform them.

The rules about nationality and residence are the same as for any other marriage in the Netherlands: at least one partner must either have Dutch nationality or reside in the country. There is no guarantee that a same-sex marriage will be recognised in other countries. Most likely it will be accepted in those and only those countries that have themselves a form of registered partnership for same-sex couples.

According to provisional figures from the Netherlands Central Bureau of Statistics, for the first six months same-sex marriages made up 3.6 percent of the total number of marriages: a peak of around 6 percent in the first month followed by around 3 percent in the remaining months: about 2100 men and 1700 women in total.

Same-sex marriages are fully equivalent to opposite-sex marriages in the Netherlands with apparently two restrictions relating to adoption of children. First, if a married lesbian has a child, her wife will not count as the child's father or mother; unless and until she adopts the child, she will count for the law as a stepmother. Second, Dutch law provides some exceptions for other nation's laws regarding international adoptions for Dutch same-sex couples.

Related links

• Same-sex marriage
• Same-sex marriage in Belgium
• Same-sex marriage in Canada
• Same-sex marriage in the United States

External links

• Netherlands Ministry of Justice factsheet (in English)

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

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Seventeen Provinces

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Originally the term Netherlands referred to a much larger entity than the current Kingdom of the Netherlands. Charles V of Hapsburg was the lord of seventeen provinces roughly covering the current Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg and the good part of the North of France (Artois). Most of these were fiefs under the Holy Roman Empire, of which Charles became Emperor himself. Two, Flanders and Artois, were French fiefs. The French king and the Holy Roman Emperor agreed to release all seventeen from the largely nominal and by then anachronistic ties to both realms. This was called the Pragmatic Sanction of 1548). Seven northern provinces claimed their independence in 1581 as a republic called the United Provinces:

• Groningen
• Friesland
• Overijssel (with Drenthe and Lingen)
• Gelre (with Zutphen) (after 1543)
• Utrecht
• Holland
• Zeeland

Three others were divided between north and south (which later became Belgium):

• Limburg
• Brabant
• Flanders remained mostly part of the south, but later lost half its territory to France in the wars with Louis XIV

Of the remaining territories:

• Luxemburg remained part of the south but half of it became an independent entity after the Napoleonic wars
• Hainaut, Namur and Mechelen remained part of the south
• Artois, Tournai and Douai became French later.

In addition, there were a number of fiefdoms in this region that were not part of the Netherlands, the largest one is Liege. In the north, there were also a few smaller entities like the island of Ameland, that would retain their own lords until the French revolution.

In the days of Charles V, there is no doubt that the economic, political and cultural center was the south, although Holland was gradually gaining importance in the 15th and 16th centuries. In fact, the south was one of the leading economic regions of Europe at the time.

To distinguish between the older, larger Netherlands from the current country, Dutch speakers usually drop the plural for the latter. They speak of Nederland for the current country and de Nederlanden for the domains of Charles V. In other languages, this has not been adopted.

The fact that the same term Netherlands has such different historical meanings can sometimes lead to difficulties in expressing oneself correctly. For example, composers from the 16th century are often said to belong to the Nederlandse School. Although they themselves would not have objected to that term, today it may wrongly create the impression that they were from the north. In fact, they were almost exclusively from the south.

External link

• Map of the Seventeen Provinces

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

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Transportation in the Netherlands

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Transportation in the Netherlands

Rail transport (heavy rail)

Railway tracks

(2001)

• all standard gauge (1.435 m);
• total: 2,809 km (multiple track counted once)
• electrified: 2,061 km (2001), 1,500 volt DC, see w:nl:Elektrificatie#Nederland.
• single track: 931 km.
• total length of tracks 6,505 km (multiple track counted multiple times).
• 3,004 level crossings, of which 2,144 protected.

Two new lines are being constructed: the HSL (see below) and a freight line from Rotterdam to Germany, the Betuweroute. [1]

Two railway arcs will be ready in December 2003:

• Hemboog between Schiphol/Amsterdam-Lelylaan and Zaandam, bypassing the crossing at Amsterdam Sloterdijk (see [1])
• Gooiboog between Hilversum/Naarden-Bussum and Almere Muziekwijk (see [1])

A third arc being constructed is:

• Utrechtboog between Schiphol/Amsterdam-Rai and Bijlmer/Utrecht (city), bypassing the crossing at Duivendrecht.

ProRail takes care of maintenance and extensions of the national railway network infrastructure (not the metro or tram), allocating rail capacity, and traffic control.

The rail capacity supplied by ProRail is used by five public transport operators (see below) as well as cargo operators: Railion, ERS, ACTS, Shortlines. Also there is Herik Rail, with seven carriages, where trains can be chartered for parties, meetings, etc. The other charter train company is the NESM Nostalgie Expresse; this company makes a lot of trips with historic (steam) trains. They also run some dance and partytrains. See also [1]

Railways for public transport

• operated mainly by Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), minor parts by NoordNed, Syntus, Connexxion and DB Regionalbahn Westfalen; all have a common tariff system.

Trains have 1st and 2nd class.

See also:

• Train routes in the Netherlands
• Train stations in the Netherlands
• Trains in the Netherlands

International trains

• Amsterdam C - Schiphol Airport - The Hague HS - Rotterdam C - Dordrecht - Roosendaal - Antwerp Berchem - Mechelen - Brussels Nord - Brussels C - Brussels Midi). See also Train routes in the Netherlands#Train number series (series 600).
  • The train can use 1500 volt DC (Netherlands) and 3000 volt DC (Belgium).
• Thalys [1]: Amsterdam C - Schiphol Airport - The Hague HS - Rotterdam C - Antwerp Berchem - Brussels Midi -Paris Nord; twice a week also to Marne-La-Vallée-Chessy (Disneyland Resort Paris)
  • The train can use 1500 volt DC (Netherlands), 3000 volt DC (Belgium) and 25000 volt AC 50 Hz (France).
  • High speed between Brussels and Paris.
  • HSL-project: a new high-speed railway is being built between Schiphol Airport and Brussels.
• Amsterdam Centraal - Berlin Ostbahnhof, Germany, has stops in the Netherlands at::
  • Amsterdam Centraal
  • Amersfoort
  • Deventer
  • Hengelo
  • (further see Transportation in Germany)
• Amsterdam Centraal - Cologne Hbf, Germany and further to Munich, Germany and Basel SBB, Switzerland and Vienna Westbf, Austria, partly by ICE [1], has stops in the Netherlands at:
  • Amsterdam Centraal
  • Duivendrecht (not all trains stop here)
  • Utrecht Centraal
  • Arnhem
  • (further see Transportation in Germany)

Night service

There is a night service, called Nachtnet (Night Network, although it is just a single U-shaped line) with an hourly service connecting Rotterdam Central, Delft, The Hague Central, Leiden Central, Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam Central, Utrecht Central. Due to the U-shape, the travelling time from the first four stations to Utrecht is longer than during the day.

Public transport in general

For metro and tram there are no night services. There are night buses in a number of cities, usually on Friday and Saturday night only, possibly only during the first part of the night.

A public transport pass for train (2nd class), bus, metro and tram costs 2928.50 euro/year (2004: 3099.50). It is also valid on the ferries Vlissingen-Breskens, Amsterdam-IJmuiden and Rotterdam-Dordrecht. It is not valid on most other ferries, nor on the Thalys. Night services by train are included, those by bus are not.

Other public transport

(see also Airports below)

All metros, trams and buses (except the neighborhood buses and night buses) share the National Tariff System.

Metro

(all standard gauge (1.435 m))

• Amsterdam, Diemen, Ouder-Amstel, operated by Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf (GVB) (GVB site, metropla site)
  • power 750 volt DC

• Rotterdam, Schiedam, Spijkenisse, Albrandswaard, Capelle aan den IJssel, operated by Rotterdamse Electrische Tramweg Maatschappij (RET) (RET site, metropla site)
  • power 750 volt DC
  • The eastern parts of the system have some level crossings (with priority), and could therefore be called light rail instead of metro; however, they are integrated in the system; these parts have overhead wires, while the rest has third-rail, the vehicles can handle both.

Tram / light rail

(all standard gauge (1.435 m))

• Amsterdam, Diemen, Amstelveen, operated by GVB
  • power 600 volt DC

• Rotterdam, Schiedam, operated by RET
  • lines: 1 Schiedam Woudhoek - CS - De Esch, 2 Charlois - Lombardijen NS, 3 Kleiweg NS - CS - Diergaarde Blijdorp, 4 Molenlaan - CS - Marconiplein(M) - (in peak hours to Schiedam Broersvest), 5 Schiebroek - CS - Willemsplein, 7 Spangen - CS - Woudestein, 8 Spangen - CS - Oostplein, 20 CS - Beverwaard, 23 CS - Feijenoord Stadion

• The Hague, Rijswijk, Leidschendam-Voorburg, Delft, Nootdorp, operated by Haagsche Tramweg Maatschappij (HTM)
  • power 600 volt DC

• Utrecht, Nieuwegein, IJsselstein, operated by Connexxion (light rail in the sense of intermediate form between tram and train, with its own right-of-way, with level crossings with priority).
  • Stops for both branches: Moreelsepark - Stadsbusstation - Westplein - Graadt van Roggenweg - Ziekenhuis Oudenrijn - Vijf Meiplein - Vasco da Gamalaan - Kanaleneiland Zuid - Westraven - Zuilenstein - Batau Noord - Wijckersloot - Nieuwegein Centrum.
  • Further stops for Nieuwegein branche: Merwestein - Fokkesteeg - Wiersdijk - Nieuwegein Zuid.
  • Further stops for IJsselstein branche: St. Antonius Ziekenhuis - Doorslag - Hooge Waard - Eiteren - Clinckhoef - Achterveld.

• Houten, operated by NS (light rail line, could be called metro, though not underground, with its own right-of-way, without level crossings).
  • power 1500 volt DC (tram has been adapted with a so-called 'downchopper' to allow the use of this higher voltage), overhead wires
  • picture: [1]

Randstad Rail is a plan (expected to be operative in 2006) to:

• connect the Erasmus Line of the Rotterdam metro system to the existing railway Hofplein Line that would be converted from heavy rail to light rail, allowing the Rotterdam metro trains to run to the Hague Centraal railway station; at the north end of the Hofplein Line a new connection would be made with the Hague Centraal to keep heavy rail and light rail apart;
• connect tram lines 3 and 6 in The Hague with the existing railway Zoetermeer Line that would also be converted from heavy rail to light rail and would be extended with a new Oosterheem Line which would become part of line 6; existing tram tracks would be adapted for longer and wider vehicles

(see www.randstadrail.nl).

In 2003 construction will start of a light rail line between Maastricht and Kerkrade.

See also RijnGouweLijn.

Bus

A special bus line is the Zuidtangent, which has largely its own bus lane, with priority at crossings [1].

Route: Haarlem - Hoofddorp - Schiphol Airport - Amstelveen - Amsterdam southeast

Arnhem has an electric trolleybus system.

Bus companies include Arriva, Connex, Connexxion, Hermes, NoordNed, Syntus.

Hermes operates in the southeast of the Netherlands, see [1].

Other transport

Highways:
total: 125,575 km
paved: 113,018 km (including 2,235 km of expressways)
unpaved: 12,557 km (1998 est.)

National highways (incomplete) (see [1]):

• A1 Amsterdam - Oldenzaal (De Lutte) - Germany (A30)
• A2/E35/E25 Amsterdam - Maastricht- Visé (Belgium)
• A4/E19 Amsterdam - Den haag / Intersection Markiezaat - Belgium Border (Antwerp)
• A6 Muiderberg (A1) - Joure (A7)
• A7 Zaandam - Afsluitdijk - Groningen - Nieuweschans - Germany (A280)
• A8 Coentunnel - Assendelft
• A9 Alkmaar - Diemen (A1)
• A10 Ring-road Amsterdam
• A12/E30/E25/E35 Scheveningen - Bergh (German border A3)
• A13/E19 Den Haag (A4)- Rotterdam (A20)
• A16/E19 Rotterdam - Dordrecht - Breda - Belgium
• A20/E25 Maasdijk - Rotterdam - Gouda

Waterways: 5,046 km, of which 47% is usable by craft of 1,000 metric ton capacity or larger, see List of waterways and [1].

Pipelines: crude oil 418 km; petroleum products 965 km; natural gas 10,230 km

Ports and harbors: Amsterdam, Delfzijl, Den Helder, Dordrecht, Eemshaven, Groningen, Haarlem, IJmuiden, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Utrecht, Vlissingen)

Merchant marine:
total: 563 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,035,899 GRT/4,576,841 DWT
ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 343, chemical tanker 41, combination bulk 2, container 56, liquified gas 20, livestock carrier 1, multi-functional large load carrier 8, passenger 8, petroleum tanker 25, refrigerated cargo 32, roll-on/roll-off 16, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 5 (1999 est.)
note: many Dutch-owned ships are also operating under the registry of Netherlands Antilles (1998 est.)

Airports: 28 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 19
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (1999 est.)
The largest airport by far is Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, which is actually one of the largest of Europe. Smaller airports with regular passenger service are Zestienhoven near Rotterdam, Eelde near Groningen, Twenthe airport near Enschede, Eindhoven airport and Maastricht-Aachen airport.

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 6 (1999 est.)

Heliports: 1 (1999 est.)

See also

• Train routes in the Netherlands
• Train stations in the Netherlands
• Trains in the Netherlands
• Transportation in Europe

External links

• Public transport in the Netherlands:
  • http://www.9292ov.nl/
  • National Tariff System (bus, tram, metro)
  • http://homepages.cwi.nl/~dik/english/public_transport/
• train schedules for the whole of Europe (German Railways site)
• Netherlands light-rail projects
• Light Rail Atlas
• Public transport to beaches (zip-file) - from Den Helder to Hoek van Holland, with map showing railways and bus lines, and showing km-pole numbers, used for defining beach locations.

Railway maps:

• http://www.treinen.demon.nl/map/ns2.htm (with intercity routes colored)
• http://www.ns.nl/graphics/pdf/kaart.pdf (with distances)
• http://railweb.techsite.cz/mapy/mnls.jpg (with table numbers used in the paper version of the timetable)
• http://trainspotting.buekkes.de/maps/benelux-network/benelux-network.gif - (whole Benelux, indicating single or multiple track and electrification)
• Schematic maps of all tracks, switches and platforms: http://www.sporenplan.nl/html_nl/sporenplan/ns/ns_normaal/start.html
• http://www.antenna.nl/cnt/spoorzoeker/spoorkrt/spk1850.htm - maps showing development of the railway network since the first track in 1839; see also [1].
• For train stations and surroundings, see also Train stations in the Netherlands#Maps.

Line maps for other public transport:

• Amsterdam [1]
• Arnhem [1] (not up-to-date)
• Dordrecht and Werkendam [1] (consists of part of the NS map mentioned below with bus lines added)
• Eindhoven [1], [1]
• Nijmegen [1]
• Renesse [1]
• Roosendaal [1]
• Rotterdam [1]
• The Hague all (current), tram (new), bus (new)
• Utrecht (city) [1]
• Zoetermeer [1]

• Friesland
• Northeast of the Netherlands
• East of Gelderland (Syntus)
• Limex (southwest of Limburg)
• Fast Farry Rotterdam – Dordrecht
• Border areas (with info in Dutch)
• Coastal areas: see above.

Oddly and unfortunately, for large parts of the Netherlands bus line maps do not seem to be available on the web. However, they are often posted at bus stops and can sometimes also be obtained on paper in bus information offices (sometimes in a less detailed version, e.g. without bus stops being marked). Connexxion has ca. 17 maps on paper that can be sent by mail on request (only one at a time!).

Maps showing all streets and also public transport

General map showing railways and stations well (i.e. also in smaller scales), but, oddly, without station names:

• NS rail travel planner - contains a detailed map of the whole country; to view a location, specify it as destination and choose an arbitrary point of departure, then ask for the route map of the post transport from the train station. If you specify "Public transport" as means of pre or post transport, you will be redirected to http://www.ovr.nl with the corresponding map.

General map showing railways well, but stations only in larger scales, with station names popping up:

• Vialys

General map showing railways well, but stations only when highly zoomed in, and no station names:

• Yellow pages / Telephone directory - A map (plattegrond) is provided after searching for a company or person; if one just wants to use the map, do an arbitrary search like [1] , select Plattegrond and by zooming out and selecting an area to zoom in go to any part of the map.

Of these three, only the NS map shows metro lines, without stations, and none show tram or bus lines. www.ovr.nl shows only the single bus stop concerned on the map, not the line or the other stops.

For general maps see also Geography of the Netherlands#External links. There are hardly any maps on Internet that show virtually all streets as well as tram or bus lines (the maps of Dordrecht and Werkendam mentioned above seem to be the only ones, with on the latter not all lines). However, such maps are available on paper for many cities.

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

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Abbreviations & Acronyms: Netherlands

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Image Slideshow: Netherlands

Photos: Netherlands More pictures...

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Photo Album: Netherlands

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	Hardware fragments. Measured drawing delineated by Frederic Lansing, 1936. (Reproduction Number: HABS NJ-16, sheet 27 of 27) The wrought-iron hardware depicted in this HABS drawing comes from a Dutch Colonial house built sometime between 1677 and 1720 by David des Marest, a French Huguenot and immigrant to the American Colonies from the Netherlands. The hinges may have been part of the original building or may have been added later as part of an improvement project during the colonial period. The stone pestle for grinding and the wrought-iron fire tongs and horse's bit were also found around the house. Credit: Library of Congress.		Children in the Netherlands learning how to keep their mouths healthy. / WHO p. Credit: National Library of Medicine; photo by T. Farkas..
	Netherlands fighting Germany and Indonesia. Credit: Library of Congress.		Amsterdam, Netherlands. A Dutch father, who had been severely wounded in his head, hand, and leg, stares in horror at the mutilated corpse of his little girl. Credit: Library of Congress.
	Str. P. Galand [sic], Netherlands Line. Credit: Library of Congress.		Netherlands Line Str. Obdam. Credit: Library of Congress.
	The freedom loving peoples of the Netherlands East Indies have long had their own armament program underway. They have been preparing to defend their islands ever since the Nipponese embarked upon their program to "unify" the Pacific area. This younger wo. Credit: Library of Congress.		This is the Dutch cruiser "de Ruyter," firing a salvo while on manuvers from its base at Sourabaya, on the island of Java, Netherlands East Indies. The bulk of the Dutch Navy is again in the battle for democracy, basing its operations at this strongly for. Credit: Library of Congress.
	World's Fair. Mural, Netherlands exhibit I. Credit: Library of Congress.		Embassies and legations. Legation of Netherlands, exterior. Credit: Library of Congress.
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Digital Photo Gallery: Netherlands
 

"Landscape - Netherlands" by Jasper Zeinstra Commentary: "Landscape - Netherlands."	"Zinger Transport NL" by H. Van Uden Commentary: "Truck with driver from Zinger Transport in Vianen, The Netherlands."
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Historic Usage: Netherlands

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

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