Netherlands

The Netherlands (Dutch:Nederland) is a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of twelve provinces and Caribbean Netherlands in the Caribbean. The European part of the Netherlands borders Belgium to the south and Germany to the east and shares maritime borders with the United Kingdom. The Netherlands is often incorrectly referred to as Holland by foreigners. (However there are provinces called North and South Holland.)

The Netherlands is a highly industrialised country and one of the most densely populated countries in Europe, with a population density of 405.5/km2 (1,050.3/sq mi). Most of the Netherlands is flat and 40% of the country lies below sea level. The citizens of the Netherlands, called the Dutch, have built dikes to hold back the sea. The Netherlands was one of the first countries in the world to have an elected parliament. The capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam; However, the government is seated in The Hague.