The Netherlands is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba in the Caribbean. The Netherlands is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy, located in Western Europe. It is bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east.

The Netherlands is often called Holland. This is formally incorrect as North and South Holland in the western Netherlands are only two of the country's twelve provinces. As a matter of fact, many Dutch people colloquially use Holland as a synecdoche, being well aware of the widespread use of this name.

The Netherlands has an international outlook; among other affiliations the country is a founding member of the European Union (EU), NATO, and the OECD. Along with Belgium and Luxembourg, the Netherlands is a member nation of the Benelux economic union. The country is host to five international courts: the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Court and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. All of these courts (except the Special Tribunal for Lebanon), as well as the EU's criminal intelligence agency (Europol), are situated in The Hague, which has led to the city being referred to as "the world's legal capital."

Inhabitants: 16,408,557
Area: 41,526 km2
Capital: Amsterdam (1,468,122)
Languages: Dutch
Religion: Christian
GDP per capita: $35,078
Government: Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy
Climate: Moderate maritime