Neth·er·lands (n    r-lndz) Often called Hol·land (h lnd) A country of northwest Europe on the North Sea. Inhabited by Germanic tribes during Roman times, the region passed to the Franks (4th-8th century), the Holy Roman Empire (10th century), the dukes of Burgundy (14th-15th century), and then to the house of Hapsburg. The northern part of the region formed the Union of Utrecht in 1579 and achieved its independence as the United Provinces in 1648 after the Thirty Years' War. In the 17th century the country enjoyed great commercial prosperity and expanded its territories in the East and West Indies and elsewhere. The kingdom of the Netherlands, proclaimed at the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815), included Belgium until 1830. Amsterdam is the constitutional capital and the largest city; The Hague is the seat of government. Population: 16,600,000. Neth er·land ish (-l nd sh) adj. |   |
Netherlands [ˈnɛðələndz]
n (functioning as singular or plural)
the
1. (Placename) Also called Holland a kingdom in NW Europe, on the North Sea: declared independence from Spain in 1581 as the United Provinces; became a major maritime and commercial power in the 17th century, gaining many overseas possessions; a member of the European Union. It is mostly flat and low-lying, with about 40 per cent of the land being below sea level, much of it on polders protected by dykes. Official language: Dutch. Religion: Christian majority, Protestant and Roman Catholic, large nonreligious minority. Currency: euro. Capital: Amsterdam, with the seat of government at The Hague. Pop.: 15 968 000 (2001 est.). Area: 41 526 sq. km (16 033 sq. miles) Dutch name Nederland
2. (Placename) the kingdom of the Netherlands together with the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium, esp as ruled by Spain and Austria before 1581; the Low Countries
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  Netherlands - a constitutional monarchy in western Europe on the North Sea; half the country lies below sea levelCommon Market, EC, EEC, European Community, European Economic Community, European Union, EU, Europe - an international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members; "he tried to take Britain into the Europen Union" NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization - an international organization created in 1949 by the North Atlantic Treaty for purposes of collective security Benelux - a customs union comprising Belgium and Netherlands and Luxembourg Amsterdam, capital of The Netherlands, Dutch capital - an industrial center and the nominal capital of the Netherlands; center of the diamond-cutting industry; seat of an important stock exchange; known for its canals and art museum Apeldoorn - a city of east central Netherlands; a popular tourist center and site of the summer residence of the Dutch royal family Arnhem - a city in the central Netherlands on the lower Rhine River; site of a battle in 1944 during World War II 's Gravenhage, Den Haag, The Hague - the site of the royal residence and the de facto capital in the western part of the Netherlands; seat of the International Court of Justice Eindhoven - city in southeastern Netherlands noted for electrical industry Nijmegen - an industrial city in the eastern Netherlands Rotterdam - the 2nd largest city in the Netherlands; located in the western Netherlands near the North Sea Leiden, Leyden - a city in the western Netherlands; residence of the Pilgrim Fathers for 11 years before they sailed for America in 1620 Utrecht - a city in the central Netherlands Friesland - one of the northernmost provinces of the Netherlands Frisian Islands - a chain of islands in the North Sea off the coast of northwestern Europe extending from the IJsselmeer to Jutland Europe - the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use `Europe' to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles Hoek van Holland, Hook of Holland - a cape on the southwestern coast of the Netherlands near Rotterdam IJssel, IJssel river - a river in the central Netherlands flowing north to the IJsselmeer IJsselmeer - a shallow lake in northwestern Netherlands created in 1932 by building a dam across the entrance to the Zuider Zee Meuse, Meuse River - a European river; flows into the North Sea Rhein, Rhine River, Rhine - a major European river carrying more traffic than any other river in the world; flows into the North Sea |
Translations
Netherlands
pl the Netherlands → die Niederlande pl
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