A little lesson on the Netherlands and its neighbours, with many links from Wikipedia. (Information in Wikipedia is not necessarily accurate!) Also included are topics like the Schengen Area and visa policies, and the European Union.
The Netherlands (Nederland in Dutch) is a country (Wikipedia, government, tourism). The adjectival form of the Netherlands is Dutch in English. The Netherlands consists of 12 provinces in European Netherlands and 3 special municipalities in Caribbean Netherlands. The 12 provincies 'provinces' in European Netherlands are:
and the 3 special municipalities in Caribbean Netherlands (Wikipedia, government) are:
The three islands of Caribbean Netherlands are often collectively known as the BES Islands. (The special municipalities have the functions of municipalities, and some functions of provinces. The rest of the provincial functions are performed by the central government of the Netherlands.) The pages here in How to NL are primarily about European Netherlands, while Caribbean Netherlands will also be touched upon. (I will try to learn more about the Caribbean Netherlands in the near future.)
The governing body above the Netherlands is the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in Dutch), which is a sovereign state. The Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of 4 constituent countries: the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten. The latter three are entirely in the Caribbean. While Caribbean Netherlands and European Netherlands have basically the same laws, Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten have their own legal systems. The only matters shared amongst the four consituent countries are matters like nationality laws (i.e. they have the same Dutch nationality), foreign affairs, and defence. Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten are basically not discussed here in How to NL, as they are not the Netherlands.
Another term you might encounter is Dutch Caribbean, which includes Caribbean Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten.
Bonaire had a status referendum in 2015: two third of the voters indicated that they are not happy with the current arrangement of being a special municipality of the Netherlands. Sint Eustatius had a status referendum in 2014: two thirds of the voters voted for autonomy, but the turnout was not sufficient for the referendum to be binding.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. The current monarch is King Willem-Alexander (Wikipedia, royal page), who ascended the throne in 2013. Koningsdag, or King's day, is a national holiday, and celebrations are held kingdom-wide. It falls on the 27th of April (or the 26th if the 27th is a Sunday). The preceding monarch, Queen Beatrix (now titled Princess; Wikipedia, royal page), abdicated in 2013. Koninginnedag, or Queen's day, was on the 30th April. These days, there are still foreign tourists turning up in the Netherlands on the 30th April expecting festivities; they become disappointed when they are told that the Queen's day are no longer celebrated, and they have missed the King's day by just a few days.
The Netherlands had a huge colonial empire. In the 20th century, the ex-colonies became Indonesia (Southeast Asia; Wikipedia, government, tourism), and Suriname (South America; Wikipedia, government, tourism). Many Dutch people are originally from, or have ancestors from, these places. Dutch is still spoken by most people in Suriname, and many Dutch words have entered the Indonesian language and other languages spoken in Indonesia.
In the 19th century, Belgium gained independence from the Netherlands, and Luxembourg was in a personal union with the Netherlands (the king of the Netherlands was also the grand duke of Luxembourg). These three soverign states are – since 1940s – part of the Benelux Union. The Benelux states coorporate on many matters.
(Also in the 19th century, British Gold Coast absorbed Dutch Gold Coast, Danish Gold Coast, and local kingdoms, Ashanti and Fante in particular; in the 1950s, British Gold Coast, including British Togoland, gained independence as Ghana (Wikipedia, government, tourism). See here for a history of the Dutch empire.)
The Netherlands is often informally referred to as Holland; Holland is in fact a region of the Netherlands (now the provinces of Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland), albeit the most prosperous region in the country. The using of Holland to refer to the entire Netherlands is somewhat similar to how England is informally used to refer to the entire United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Nonetheless, Dutch people are usually not offended when their country is referred to as Holland in English. They sometimes do that themselves, especially in international sports context. The official tourism website of the Netherlands is called Holland.com. Holland is a better known brand name than the Netherlands.
The capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam (Wikipedia, government, tourism). Important royal functions, e.g., coronation, are hold in Amsterdam. The Hague ('s-Gravenhage or Den Haag in Dutch; Wikipedia, government, tourism) is not (called) the capital; it is the seat of the national government. The parliament and the supreme court are also in The Hague. Embassies of foreign countries are in The Hague and not Amsterdam (although there are consulates in Amsterdam or other cities). Many important international and European institutions are in The Hague, e.g. International Court of Justice, Europol. The King and his family live in The Hague region.
The Randstad is one of the largest Megalopolis in Europe, both in terms of population and economic importance. It consists of Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and smaller cities in between. It contains the Port of Rotterdam, the largest seaport in Europe, and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, one of the largest airports in Europe.
Nether- in Netherlands means 'low'. The Netherlands is known as Pays-Bas 'Low Countries' in French. About one-fourth of European Netherlands lie below the sea level, and about one-fourth is between 0 to 1 meter above sea level. The entire coast of European Netherlands is protected by dykes, levees, locks, dams, sluice gates, and storm surge barriers. The highest land point in European Netherlands is 322m above sea level, at Vaalserberg, very nearly at the Drielandenpunt 'Three-country point', the tripoint with Belgium and Germany. (The road up there is called Viergrenzenweg 'Four-borders way', because there also used to be Neutral Moresnet sharing the quadripoint.) On the Dutch side of the Drielandenpunt is a maze.
The highest point in the Kingdom of the Netherlands is 887m above sea level, the summit of Mount Scenery in Saba, a potentially active volcano.
The official language of the Netherlands is Dutch. Other than the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Dutch is also an official language in Belgium and Suriname. The Afrikaans language in South Africa and Namibia is largely mutually intelligible with Dutch. The majority of Dutch people speak very good English, and are usually willing to speak English to foreigners. (Be courteous; don't just assume that everyone has to speak English with you.) Many also speak German and/or French.
Regional languages with official status or recognition are (West) Frisian in Fryslân, Papiamentu in Bonaire, and English in Sint Eustatius and Saba. Other than Frisian, the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages also recognises the following regional languages in the Netherlands: Dutch Low Saxon, Limburgish, Romani, and Yiddish. See also Dutch dialects.
Traditionally, the dominant religion in European Netherlands is Calvanistic Protestantism, while Roman Catholicism is also prominent. The Netherlands was roughly divided into a Protestant north, and Catholic south. These days, most people are not, or not very, involved in religion, except in the (Protestant) Bible Belt, which runs roughly from the southwest to the northeast.
The Netherlands is known for its liberalism (or perhaps, pragmatism) in many of its policies. For example, the Netherlands is the first country in the world to legalise same-gender marriage. (Same-gender marriage is also available in Caribbean Netherlands. Same-gender marriage is not performed in Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint-Maarten, but marriage performed in the Netherlands is recognised by them.) Drugs are illegal, but there is an official policy of non-enforcement for private usage of 'soft' drugs. (See, e.g., Drug policy of the Netherlands.) The Dutch government is more concerned about your health, than policing the usage of 'soft' drugs. The Dutch authorities often give advice on precautions one has to take in order to take soft drugs safely, if one chooses to take soft drugs.
Note that in the Netherlands, a coffeeshop, spelt in English, is a licensed place which sells cannibis/marijuana. (They can also sell drinks and food, but not alcoholic drinks or other drugs.) A place which sells coffee and food is a café. (A café can also be a bar.) Although coffeeshops are tolerated by the national government, local governments can place extra restrictions on them. For instance, many municipalities, especially the ones near the German or Belgian border, do not allow coffeeshops to serve people not residing in the Netherlands.
Abortion and prostitution are legal in the Netherlands. With prostitution, again, local authorities can place restrictions on prostitution venues. 'Window' prostitution, which the Netherlands is famous for, can be found in about 10 cities. (See, e.g., Prostitution in the Netherlands.)
European Netherlands borders Germany to the east, and Belgium to the south.
The Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland in German; Wikipedia, government, tourism) consists of 16 constituent states. The two states that border the Netherlands are Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony; Wikipedia, government, tourism) in the north, and Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia; Wikipedia, government, tourism) to the south. North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, and the Rhine-Ruhr area within it, close to the Netherlands, is another major megalopolis in Europe.
The German empire ended in 1918, when it became a federal republic. During the First World War in 1914–1918, Germany lost all its colonies to its enemies. The German language is a West Germanic language, like Dutch and English. German has official status at national level in six countries: Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Belgium. Amongst ex-colonies, the German language is most noticeably used in Namibia. See also German dialects.
Germany refrained from invading the Netherlands during the First World War, but Germany did invade the Netherlands during the Second World War. Relations between Germany and the Netherlands gradually mended after the Second World War. Germany is now by far the largest trading partner of the Netherlands. Huge amount of cargo is transported to/from Germany via the Port of Rotterdam, the largest seaport in Europe. The largest seaport in Germany is the Port of Hamburg, which is the second or third largest seaport in Europe.
The Kingdom of Belgium (Koninkrijk België in Dutch, Royaume de Belgique in French, Königreich Belgien in German; Wikipedia, government) is a federal constitutional monarchy. The current monarch is King Philippe (Wikipedia, royal page) who ascended the throne in 2013.
There is a national government, but much of the power is devloved to the various sub-national governments. (And the sub-national governments do not necessarily work with each other; they cannot even cooperate on making a unified tourism website for the whole country.) Belgium has a complicated structure of sub-national governments. Firstly there are the three communities that govern cultural matters: the Flemish Community (Wikipedia, government), the French Community (i.e. French-speaking community of Belgium; Wikipedia, government), and the German-speaking Community (Wikipedia, government). Then there are the three regions, which deal with matters 'on the ground': Flanders (functions excercised by the Flemish Community; Wikipedia, tourism), Brussels-Captial Region (Wikipedia, government, tourism), and Wallonia (Wikipedia, government, tourism). Flanders is mostly Dutch-speaking. Brussels is officially bilingual in French and Dutch, but in reality mostly French speaking. Wallonia is mostly French-speaking, with a German-speaking region in the extreme east (see Eupen-Malmedy: Wikipedia, tourism). Belgium did not suffer too badly during its 589 days without an elected federal government in 2010–2011, because so much power is devolved to the various sub-national governments.
Flanders and Wallonia have five provinces each. From west to east, the provinces that border the Netherlands are West-Vlaanderen (West Flanders; Wikipedia, government, tourism), Oost-Vlaanderen (East Flanders; Wikipedia, government, tourism), Antwerpen (Antwerp; Wikipedia, government, tourism), Limburg (Wikipedia, government, tourism) in Flanders, and Liège (Wikipedia, government, tourism) in Wallonia.
The official languages of Belgium are Dutch, French, and German. Belgian Standard Dutch is phonetically noticeably different from Netherlands Standard Dutch, and there are some lexical differences, but grammatically both Belgium Stadard Dutch and Netherlands Standard Dutch are based on the urban dialects of Holland. 'Flemish' can refer to either Belgian Standard Dutch, or the local Flemish dialects of Dutch. The same can be said about the relationship between Belgian Standard French and French Standard French, and 'Walloon/Wallonian'. German is spoken natively by less than 1% of the population in Belgium.
Language is a delicate political issue in Belgium. Historically, the minority French language had all the political power. These days, the Flemish government and Walloon government make little concessions for each other's language. For example, on road signs in Flanders, names of places in Wallonia often only appear in their Dutch version, and similarly, in Wallonia, names of places in Flanders often only appear in their French version. Sometimes the Dutch name and the French name of the same place can look (and sound) very different. For example, the Walloon city of Mons is known as Bergen in Dutch. The Flemish city of Antwerp is known as Antwerpen in Dutch, but Anvers in French. For foreigners travelling in Belgium, it is advisable to be versed in the place names in Belgium, and also nearby regions, in both Dutch and French, and perhaps also German. For example, the nearby French city of Lille (which was originally Flemish) is known as Rijsel in Dutch. The nearby German city of Aachen is known as Aken in Dutch, and Aix-la-Chapelle in French. The Walloon city of Liège is known as Luik in Dutch, and Lüttich in German.
In the 1960s, the ex-Belgian colonies gained independence as (what are now known as) Democratic Republic of the Congo (Wikipedia, government, tourism), Rwanda (Wikipedia, government, tourism), and Burundi (Wikipedia, government, tourism). They all have French as their official language, or one of their official languages. (Dutch did not have prestige in Belgium at that time.)
The capital of Belgium is Brussels. Many international and European organisations are based in Brussels, e.g. NATO, European Commission. Brussels is the de facto capital of the European Union. For these reasons, there are far more foreign embassies in Brussels than in The Hauge or Luxembourg City. There are about 10 countries in the world that do not have an embassy in Brussels. On top of the embassies, foreign countries and Belgium also have their missions to the European Union and/or NATO in Brussels.
Belgium is traditionally Roman Catholic. However, these days few people are actively involved in religion. Flanders are somewhat more religious than Brussels and Wallonia.
Belgium is also relatively socially progressive. Belgium is the second country in the world to legalised same-gender marriage. (In 2016) the preceding prime minister is openly gay. The possession of a very small ammount of cannibis/marijuana is legal in Belgium, but it is not sold as openly in Belgium as it is in the Netherlands.
Belgium is the second largest trading partner of the Netherlands. The Port of Antwerp is the second or third largest seaport in Europe. Antwerp is also the most important diamond trading centre in the world.
The highest land point in Belgium, the Signal de Botrange in the extreme east of the country, is 694m above sea level. There is a pub, and a communication tower, which has a viewing area on top of it.
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg in Luxembourgish, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg in French, Großherzogtum Luxemburg in German; Wikipedia, government, tourism) borders Belgium to the northeast, Germany to the northwest, and France to the south. After the Napoleonic era, the kings of the Netherlands were also the grand dukes of Luxembourg. After King William III of the Netherlands died in 1890, due to differences in the succession laws of the Netherlands and Luxembourg, in the Netherlands the throne was passed to his daughter Queen Wilhelmina, but in Luxembourg to his [17th cousin once removed through male line, or wife's half-uncle] Grand Duke Adolphe. (Grand Duke Adolphe was earlier the Duke of Nassau, until the annexation of the Duchy of Nassau by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1866. The monarchs of the Netherlands and Luxembourg are both senior members of the House of Nassau.) Luxembourg is a constitutional monarchy, and the current monarch is Grand Duke Henri (Wikipedia, royal page), who ascended the throne in 2000. He is the first cousin of King Philippe of Belgium. The royal families of Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands are very close to each other in multiple ways.
The official languages of Belgium are Luxembourgish, French, and German. Unlike Belgium, where language use is mostly geographically-based, in Luxembourg basically all citizens are multilingual in at least two or three languages; all three languages are introduced to children before secondary school. The law is in French. Luxembourg has a huge immigrant population; 20% of the population speak English at work, school, or at home, and 20% of the population speaks Portuguese. (It also happens that Grand Duke Henri is a quater Portuguese: his grandmother, Grand Duchess Charlotte, and her husband Prince Felix, are cousins and their mothers are Princess Maria Ana and Princess Maria Antónia of Portugal.)
The capital of Luxembourg is Luxembourg City (Wikipedia, government, tourism). Many European institutions are based in Luxembourg City, e.g. Court of Justice of the European Union, General Secretariat of the European Parliament.
Luxembourg is somewhat less socially-progressive than the Netherlands and Belgium. Drugs are illegal. Same-gender marriage was legalised much later (2015). Nonetheless, currently (2016; since December 2013), the prime minister and the deputy prime minister of Luxembourg, from two different political parties, are both openly gay; basically no one in Luxembourg cares about the sexual orientation of politicians.
To the south of Belgium and Luxembourg is the French Republic (République Française in French; Wikipedia, government, tourism). France has 18 regions: 13 of them in Europe (European France is also called Metropolitan France), and 5 of them overseas, situated in the wider Caribbean region, or off the East African coast. France also has 8 other overseas territories, which have different sets of laws than the 18 regions of France proper (the 18 regions are often referred to as la France entière 'the whole of France' by the French government). The official language of France is French.
Close to France and Belgium, across the English Channel, is England (which does not have a government of its own; Wikipedia, tourism) of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Wikipedia, government, tourism). The de facto official language of UK is English, the language that you are reading in.
United Kingdom has 14 overseas territories. In addition, there are the 3 Crown Dependencies: they are not sovereign states, their monarchs are the same person as each other and the monarch of United Kingdom, but they are not part of United Kingdom.
Bonaire (Wikipedia, government, tourism) is located in the Leeward Antilles. To the east is Curaçao (Wikipedia, government, tourism), and further east is Aruba (Wikipedia, government, tourism). Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao are often collectively known as the ABC Islands.
To the south is the mainland of Venezuela (Wikipedia, government, tourism); to the east are the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela.
Sint Eustatius (Wikipedia, government, tourism) and Saba (Wikipedia, government, tourism) are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles. To the north is Sint Maarten (Wikipedia, government, tourism). Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius, and Saba are often collectively known as the SSS Islands.
Sint Maarten occupies the southern 40% of the Saint Martin island, and the northern 60% is the French overseas collectivity of Saint-Martin (Wikipedia, government, tourism). To the north of Saint Martin is the British overseas territory of Anguilla (Wikipedia, government, tourism). To the southeast of Saint Martin, and to the northeast of Sint Eustatius and Saba, is the French overseas collectivity of Saint-Barthélemy (Wikipedia, government, tourism). To the southeast of Sint Eustatius is Saint Kitts and Nevis (Wikipedia, government, tourism).
European Netherlands is within the Schengen Area (Wikipedia, European Commission website). The Schengen Area also includes Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Metropolitan France, Denmark proper, and other countries. Within the Schengen Area, there is no systematic border check on the border between member states. However, you could still be stopped at or near the border, and asked for identification by the police, just like how you can be asked anywhere else in the country. In the Netherlands, it is compulsory to show your ID in certain situations (see what the government says on this issue). Countries within the Schengen Area have the same visa policies; you might want to see what the European Commission says about the visa policy of Schengen Area, what the Dutch government says on the same topic, and unoficial explanations in Wikipedia.
Dutch Caribbean is outside the Schengen Area. You might want to have a look at what the Dutch government says about visa policy of the Dutch Caribbean, and unofficial explanations in Wikipedia. (Overseas France is also outside the Schengen Area; you might want to see unofficial explanations on the visa policy of Overseas France in Wikipedia.)
United Kingdom, all of its territories, and the Crown Dependencies are outside the Schengen Area. In some cases, you go through British border checks in France/Belgium before you board your Britain-bound vehicle, and vice versa for French border checks in Britain for France-/Belgium-bound journeys (juxtaposed controls; please also check official sources elsewhere for most-up-to-date information):
UK exit checks are performed differently from entry checks; when leaving UK, staff of the train/ferry companies checks details of your ID against information you provided them when you book your ticket, and they send customer details to the authorities.
United Kingdom is part of the Common Travel Area together with Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey. You might want to have a look at what the UK government says about the visa policy of UK, and unofficial explanations on the visa policy of the United Kingdom, Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey at Wikipedia. You might also want to have a look at what the Irish government says about the visa policy of the Republic of Ireland, and also unofficial explanations at Wikipedia. (If you are interested (unofficial): visa policy of the British Overseas Territories.)
European Netherlands uses the Euro € (together with, e.g., Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, France proper, Republic of Ireland), whereas Caribbean Netherlands uses the US dollar $. European Netherlands uses Central European Time (UTC+1) in winter, and Central European Summer Time (UTC+2) in summer (see time in Europe). Caribbean Netherlands uses Eastern Caribbean Time (UTC–4) year-round.
Amongst the countries and territories discussed above, some are within the European Union (EU; Wikipedia, official EU website), and some are not. Amongst the dependencies of member states, some are classed as Outermost regions (OMR), and some are classed as Overseas countries and territories (OCT). OMRs are within the European Union, and most European Union regulations apply there. On the other hand, OCTs are outside the European Union; they have special relationships with EU member states, and fewer EU regulations apply there.
Currently (2016), the following are within the European Union:
Overseas countries and territories (i.e. these are outside the European Union):
See, e.g., Wikipedia's article on the Special member state territories and the European Union. In the past, some OMRs have changed into OCTs, and some OCTs have changed into OMRs, so the list above might change in the future.
As for the Dutch Caribbean, people there have the same Dutch nationality as people in European Netherlands, and so they are also citizens of the European Union, and enjoy freedom of movement within the European Union.
United Kingdom voted in June 2016 to leave the European Union (see also the webpage of the Department for Exiting the European Union). Formal procedures to leave EU have not yet started (September 2016), and the United Kingdom remains part of the European Union until it leaves the European Union. Amongst the constituent countries of the United Kingdom, Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain in the European Union; they might secede from the United Kingdom in the future.