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Netherlands Introduction 2011
https://theodora.com/wfb2011/netherlands/netherlands_introduction.html
SOURCE: 2011 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK AND OTHER SOURCES


















Netherlands Introduction 2011
SOURCE: 2011 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK AND OTHER SOURCES

Page last updated on January 12, 2011

Background:
The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU), and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. In October 2010, the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and the three smallest islands - Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba - became special municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands of Sint Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent countries forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands.


NOTE: The information regarding Netherlands on this page is re-published from the 2011 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Netherlands Introduction 2011 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Netherlands Introduction 2011 should be addressed to the CIA.






This page was last modified 09-Feb-11
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