Netherlands

The Low Countries were long ruled by others, passing through the Burgundians to the Habsburgs and the crown of Spain. In the sixteenth century the Dutch rose in revolt against Spanish rule, led by William of Orange, in a long struggle that gave birth to the independent Dutch Republic. The seventeenth century became the Dutch Golden Age, when this small republic grew into a global trading and naval power, founded one of the first great trading companies, and produced masters such as Rembrandt and Vermeer.

The Netherlands is one of the flattest countries in the world, a delta where the Rhine and other great rivers meet the North Sea. A large part of the land lies below sea level, protected by dikes and drained by pumps, and much of it, the famous polders, was reclaimed from the sea and lakes over centuries. This watery, human-shaped landscape, threaded with canals and dotted with windmills, is the defining feature of the country.

The flag of the Netherlands is a simple horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. It is one of the oldest tricolours in the world, dating in essence to the Dutch revolt against Spain, when the colours of the Prince of Orange were flown, and it later influenced the design of flags around the world, including that of Russia. The clean three-band pattern has become a familiar emblem of the nation.

The Netherlands was historically divided between a Protestant, largely Calvinist tradition and a Catholic one, a split that long shaped its politics and society. Today, however, it is among the most secular countries in the world, with a large and growing share of people reporting no religion at all. The country has long had a reputation for tolerance, including of religious minorities, which once made it a refuge for the persecuted of Europe.

Dutch cuisine is hearty and unpretentious, shaped by farming and the sea. The country is famous for its cheeses, above all Gouda and Edam, exported around the world, and for raw herring, traditionally eaten held by the tail. Hearty dishes like stamppot, mashed potato with vegetables, suit the cool climate, and the Dutch are known for sweet treats such as the syrup-filled stroopwafel. A long trading history also brought spices and Indonesian influences to the table.

Despite its tiny size, the Netherlands is an agricultural giant, one of the largest exporters of food and agricultural products in the world by value, second only to the United States. This remarkable feat rests on extraordinarily intensive and high-technology farming, vast greenhouses, and world-leading expertise. The country is the global centre of the flower trade, especially tulips, and a major exporter of dairy, vegetables, and seeds, turning a small, crowded land into an agricultural powerhouse.

The Dutch revolt and the founding of the republic, followed by the Golden Age of the seventeenth century, when the Netherlands led the world in trade, finance, science, and art, are the heart of the national story. The country pioneered global commerce and stock markets, and its tradition of tolerance drew thinkers and refugees. In the twentieth century it endured occupation during the Second World War before helping to found what became the European Union.

The Netherlands has a population of around 18 million people, packed into a small area to make it one of the most densely populated countries in Europe. The Dutch are known for a famously tall, well-educated, and outward-looking society, and most live in a ring of closely linked cities in the west, including Amsterdam, the capital, along with Rotterdam, with its great port, and The Hague, the seat of government and of international courts. Immigration has made the country increasingly diverse.