using nominal methods inh 2007,2007 and 2008
rank/measurement..........................rank/measure..................rank/measure
10/46,774.......................................9/46,041........................11/46,389
| Netherlands
Nederland
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| Motto: "Je maintiendrai" (French) "Ik zal handhaven" (Dutch) "I will uphold"[nb 1] | ||||||
| Anthem: "Wilhelmus" (Dutch) "'William" | ||||||
Location of the European Netherlands (dark green)
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Location of the Dutch special municipalities (green)
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| Capital and largest city | Amsterdam[nb 2] 52°22′N 4°53′E | |||||
| Official languages | Dutch | |||||
| Recognised regional languages | ||||||
| Ethnic groups(2008[3]) |
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| Demonym | Dutch | |||||
| Government | Unitary parliamentarydemocracy underconstitutional monarchy | |||||
| - | Monarch | Willem-Alexander | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Mark Rutte | ||||
| Legislature | States-General | |||||
| - | Upper house | Senate | ||||
| - | Lower house | House of Representatives | ||||
| Independence from the Spanish Empire | ||||||
| - | Declared | 26 July 1581 | ||||
| - | Recognised | 30 January 1648 | ||||
| - | Kingdom of the Netherlands | 16 March 1815 | ||||
| - | Formation of constituent country | 15 December 1954 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 41,543 km2 (134th) 16,039 sq mi | ||||
| - | Water (%) | 18.41 | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | 2014 estimate | 16,819,595[4] (63rd) | ||||
| - | Density | 405.2/km2 (24th) 1,049.4/sq mi | ||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2013 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $696.308 billion[5] (23rd) | ||||
| - | Per capita | $41,447 (12th) | ||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2013 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $800.535 billion[5] (18th) | ||||
| - | Per capita | $47,651 (14th) | ||||
| Gini (2011) | 25.8[6] low · 111th | |||||
| HDI (2012) |  0.921[7]very high · 4th | |||||
| Currency | ||||||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1)[nb 5] AST (UTC-4) | |||||
| - | Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) AST (UTC-4) | ||||
| Date format | dd-mm-yyyy | |||||
| Drives on the | right | |||||
| Calling code | ||||||
| ISO 3166 code | NL
The Netherlands is a geographically low-lying country, with about 20% of its area and 21% of its population located below sea level, and 50% of its land lying less than one metre above sea level. This distinct feature contributes to the country's name: in Dutch (Nederland), English, and in many other European languages, its name literally means "Low Land" or "Low Countries." Most of the areas below sea level are man-made, caused by centuries of extensive and poorly controlled peat extraction, lowering the surface by several metres. Even in flooded areas peat extraction continued through turf dredging. From the late 16th century land reclamation started and largepolder areas are now preserved through elaborate drainage systems with dikes, canals and pumping stations. Much of the Netherlands is formed by the estuary of three important European rivers, which together with their distributaries form the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. Most of the country is very flat, with the exception of foothills in the far south-east and several low hill ranges in the central parts.
The Netherlands was one of the first countries to have an elected parliament, and the country is a founding member of the EU, G-10,NATO, OECD, WTO and a part of the trilateral Benelux economic union. The Netherlands had the tenth-highest per capita income in the world in 2011. The country is host to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and five international courts: thePermanent Court of Arbitration, the International Court of Justice, theInternational Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, theInternational Criminal Court and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The first four are situated in The Hague, as is the EU's criminal intelligence agency Europol and judicial co-operation agency Eurojust. This has led to the city being dubbed "the world's legal capital". The Netherlands has a market-based mixed economy, ranking 17th of 177 countries according to the Index of Economic Freedom. In May 2011, the Netherlands was ranked as the "happiest" country according to results published by the OECD.
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| Internet TLD | .nl[nb 7] | |||||
