The Netherlands (i/ˈnɛðərləndz/; Dutch: Nederland [ˈneːdərˌlɑnt] ( listen); Frisian: Nederlân) is the main constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a densely populated country located in Western Europe with three island territories in the Caribbean. The European part of the Netherlands borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, sharing maritime borders with Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

The three largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. Amsterdam is the country's capital, while The Hague holds the Dutch seat of parliament and government. The port of Rotterdam is the world's largest port outside East-Asia, and the largest port in Europe.

The name Holland is used informally to refer to the whole of the country of the Netherlands.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands

The Netherlands in its entirety is often referred to by the much older designation "Holland" (meaning holt land, or wood land), though this refers only to North and South Holland, two of the nation's twelve provinces, formerly a single province and earlier the County of Holland. This originally Frankish county emerged from the dissolved Frisian Kingdom and was – after the decline of Duchy of Brabant and County of Flanders – economically and politically the most important county in the Low Countries region. Because of this importance, and the emphasis on Holland during the formation of the Dutch Republic, the Eighty Years' War and later the Anglo-Dutch Wars in the 16th, 17th and 18th century, Holland served as a pars pro toto for the entire country, and is nowadays considered either incorrect, informal, or on occasion opprobrious, depending on the context, but is widely used when referring to the national football team.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands

The European area of the Netherlands lies between latitudes 50° and 54° N, and longitudes 3° and 8° E.
The Netherlands is geographically a very low and flat country, with about 26% of its area and 21% of its population located below sea level, and only about 50% of its land exceeding one metre above sea level.The country is for the most part flat, with the exception of foothills in the far southeast, up to a height of no more than 321 metres, and some low hill ranges in the central parts.

Most of the areas below sea level are man-made, caused by peat extraction or achieved through land reclamation. Since the late 16th century, large polder areas are preserved through elaborate drainage systems that include dikes, canals and pumping stations. Nearly 17% of the country's land area is reclaimed from the sea and from lakes.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands

The Netherlands has been a constitutional monarchy since 1815 and a parliamentary democracy since 1848. The Netherlands is described as a consociational state. Dutch politics and governance are characterised by an effort to achieve broad consensus on important issues, within both the political community and society as a whole. In 2010, The Economist ranked the Netherlands as the 10th most democratic country in the world. The monarch is the head of state, at present King Willem-Alexander.

Constitutionally, the position is equipped with limited powers. By law, the king (the title queen has no constitutional significance) has the right to be periodically briefed and consulted on government affairs. Depending on the personalities and relationships of the king and the ministers, the king might have influence beyond the power granted by the constitution.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands

The Netherlands is divided into twelve provinces, each under a Commissioner of the King (Commissaris van de Koning), except for Limburg province where the position is named Governor (Gouverneur). All provinces are divided into municipalities (gemeenten), of which there are 388 (2017).

The country is also subdivided into 24 water districts, governed by a water board (waterschap or hoogheemraadschap), each having authority in matters concerning water management.[89] The creation of water boards actually pre-dates that of the nation itself, the first appearing in 1196. The Dutch water boards are among the oldest democratic entities in the world still in existence. Direct elections of the water boards take place every 4 years.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands

The Netherlands has a developed economy and has been playing a special role in the European economy for many centuries. Since the 16th century, shipping, fishing, agriculture, trade, and banking have been leading sectors of the Dutch economy. The Netherlands has a high level of economic freedom. The Netherlands is one of the top countries in the Global Enabling Trade Report (3rd in 2014).

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands

The Netherlands had an estimated population of 17,093,000 as of January 2017. It is the most populous country in Europe by size, except for very small city countries like Monaco, Vatican City, etc. and the 63rd most populous country in the world. Between 1900 and 1950, the country's population almost doubled from 5.1 to 10 million. From 1950 to 2000, the population further increased, to 15.9 million, though this represented a lower rate of population growth. The estimated growth rate in 2013 is 0.44%.

The fertility rate in the Netherlands is 1.78 children per woman (2013 est.), which is high compared with many other European countries, but below the rate of 2.1 children per woman required for natural population replacement. Life expectancy is high in the Netherlands: 83.21 years for newborn girls and 78.93 for boys (2013 est). The country has a migration rate of 1.99 migrants per 1,000 inhabitants per year.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands

The Netherlands has had many well-known painters. The 17th century, in which the Dutch Republic was prosperous, was the age of the "Dutch Masters", such as Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, Jan Steen, Jacob van Ruisdael and many others. Famous Dutch painters of the 19th and 20th century were Vincent van Gogh and Piet Mondriaan. M. C. Escher is a well-known graphics artist. Willem de Kooning was born and trained in Rotterdam, although he is considered to have reached acclaim as an American artist.

The Netherlands is the country of philosophers Erasmus of Rotterdam and Spinoza. All of Descartes' major work was done in the Netherlands. The Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens (1629–1695) discovered Saturn's moon Titan, argued that light travelled as waves, invented the pendulum clock and was the first physicist to use mathematical formulae. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was the first to observe and describe single-celled organisms with a microscope.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands