The Netherlands

HISTORY

Since the revolt of the sixteenth century, Holland is often confused with the Dutch nation, which is most important.

Holland, born late medieval county of the disintegration of the Carolingian Empire and the Norman invasions, was part of the Lorraine, annexed kingdom definitely the Germanic empire in 925. After passing, the late Middle Ages, at the hands of the Dukes of Burgundy and then to the Habsburgs, the county developed during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries a province of the Dutch republic. Under the Batavian Republic (1795-1810), the province of Holland, dismembered at first, forms a central department. Subdivided, the department gave its name to the kingdom up to Louis Bonaparte (1806-1810). The existence in the Netherlands of the Dutch provinces, a southern and a northern branch extends the department created by the French nation.

In the late ninth century, Count Gerulf, before last of the Counts of Holland, replaced on the banks of the North Sea last Norman chief authority for his. His successors sought to enlarge the territory. In fight against the dominance of the prince-bishops, the changed situation occurred with Dirk V (1061-1091), who had been the first to formally claim the title of Count of Holland. The decline of Utrecht was related to the decline in imperial influence in the twelfth century, symbolized by the decay function in the lower ducal Lorraine.

The county of Holland was actively involved in economic development of Europe in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Population growth was accompanied by a notable increase in agriculture, characterised by the transition from the stately Sunday. Rural emancipation was conditioned by the entry into operation of new-polder lands and land reclamation, and dried by a massive immigration movement to Eastern Europe.
On the other hand, depression of the XIV and XV, very hard in the field did not affect the Dutch economy and craft business. The cloth industry in decline in Brabant and Flanders, experiences a new splendour in the Netherlands. Maritime expansion was spectacular. From the fifteenth century, the Dutch replaced the Hanseatic trade and captured freight in the Baltic and the Atlantic, which were very fruitful.

Through social and political conflict that brought economic development was an increase county. This was supported by the noble and ennobled in the service of Prince, and the bourgeoisie, artisans, while the states (reunited for the first time in 1305) were dominated by the feudal nobility and the urban patricians. With the increasing dependence of the prince to States deepened the conflict between the haves and the central power. Each dynastic succession caused a crisis difficult. The States of Holland in 1362 and the States General in 1477 tried unsuccessfully to reverse the balance of power. Instead, the uprising of the Estates General of 1576 was decisive. But independence was born of revolt, but not the balance of power.

In the States of Holland, when in 1572 became the armed resistance, they revolted openly declared in default. To recognize unilaterally the taciturn William I, Prince of Orange, as stadholder of Philip II of Spain, held the idealistic fiction. It took the ban, the Silent for them, in turn, proclaimed in 1581 the deposition of Philip II. This reluctance shows the true nature of the uprising, which only opposed the centralizing policy of Philip II and not the monarchy. You justified by an appeal to tradition, although this refers to an idealized past in fact masked revolutionary political ambitions.

Since 1581, the States offered sovereignty to the highest bidder strictly defined and limited. Following two unfortunate experiences, one with the Duke of Anjou, and one with the Earl of Leicester, after the double rejection by France and England and the premature death of the Silent, finally resigned themselves to a vacancy unlimited sovereignty. States who were, after 1587, assumed the sovereignty without ever officially proclaimed a republic.

GEOGRAPHY IN HOLLAND


Holland is located between 50 º 45 'and 53 º 52' North latitude 3 º 21 'and longitude 7 º 13'de. The country is part of the great plain of north-western Europe. North and west, Netherlands borders the North Sea to the south with Belgium and East Germany. With its 41,526 km2, the Netherlands is a bit larger than Belgium and about nine times less than Germany.

The very name of the Netherlands, which also gives Netherlands (Nederland, in which nether end means low land country) indicates its particular geographical location. The highest point, the Vaalserberg, lies in the extreme southeast, to 321 meters above sea level. In the North and West there are many regions on lower level than sea level, in total more than a quarter of the country is in this situation. The lowest point is 6.70 meters under sea level and is in a polder (reclaimed land, drained and devoted to agriculture) near Rotterdam.

Although the official name of the nation is the Kingdom of the Netherlands and abroad, and particularly in Spanish-speaking countries, the country is better known by the name Holland. However, in reality this term refers only to the two provinces of the east coast, the South Holland and North Holland, which played an important role in Dutch history.

For a country situated on the sea, fishing and trade play an important role. Added to this is that the Netherlands is located in the common delta of three major European rivers (Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt). Therefore, the country had to orient its economy toward l widely abroad. Since the Middle Ages, the Netherlands has major seaport, which places the country in communication with a vast expanse of land that extends to much of western and central Europe. These external relations are of importance pit for trade and transport. Also, allows many agricultural and industrial enterprises to import raw materials, fuel and other items. Many of the products manufactured are exported to the world.

GOVERNMENT SYSTEM

The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. The head of state is Queen Beatrix. This together with the ministers represent the Crown. The official name is Kingdom of the Netherlands. The government has its sedentary in The Hague, but Amsterdam is the capital of the kingdom

-The Royal Family

The royal house is the House of Orange-Nassau, which is linked to the Netherlands from the sixteenth century. The founder of the dynasty is the Prince William of Orange (1533-1584). The current head of state is Queen Beatrix (born 1938) is married to Prince Claus of the Netherlands, Jonkheer van Amsberg (born 1926). This royal couple have three sons: Prince Willem-Alexander (born in 1967 and heir to the Crown with the title "Prince of Orange from 1980, are also the chief Johan Friso (1968) and Prince Constantine (1969). The Royalty is inherited by both male and female line, in order of birth.

-Ministerial Responsibility

Under the terms of the Constitution, the King is inviolable, the ministers are accountable to Parliament. When a bill, the State Council issued an opinion on the matter, after which the Parliament to approve the project. Once approved by the Queen and the sign makers, after which the force of law.

The Queen appoints ministers on the proposal of forming government. This usually tends to act as Chairman of the new government. Political parties forming the government, are divided among themselves the different ministries. Ministers together form the Council of Ministers, whose main task usually involves taking decisions about government policy. The government may appoint secretaries of state, which can become deputy. These secretaries of state assume political responsibility for the activities assigned to it, and they can be invited in the meetings of the Council of Ministers, where they have a consultative vote.

-Parliament

Parliament consists of two chambers. The First Chamber (Senate) has 75 members elected indirectly by members of the provincial states. The Second Chamber has 150 members, elected by direct vote for the Dutch electorate, that is, by all Dutch citizens over 18 years. Parliament is next to the King and the ministers the legislature, while the executive is formed by the Queen and ministers.

-The State Council

The State Council is the supreme advisory body, which must be heard with every bill. The Head of State, for the dignity of his office, is president of the Council, which also has a deputy chairman and 28 members at most. The appointments are for life, but when they turn 70 years old retire. The affairs is the responsibility of the vice presidency. The crown prince has a seat on the Council from 18. Board members are appointed by the Crown on the basis of their competence in the administrative field.

-The Judiciary

The judiciary is independent. All courts consist of judges who are appointed for life, but at age 70 retire. In the Netherlands there is no case law from the jury. The administrative court has been given to 62 district courts, 19 district courts, five courts of appeal and the Supreme Court appeal, the district courts and the district judge at first instance. They can then appeal against their sentences in a district court or an appellate respectively. Each appellate court has under its jurisdiction a number of district courts.

The Supreme Court is the highest court of the nation can. It consists of a president, six vice presidents and about 25 judges. All of these judges is authorized to annul the judgments of lower courts. Moreover, the facts are accepted as they have been verified by the judges. The Supreme Court's main task is to oversee the uniform application of law.

ECONOMY

Netherlands due to its geographical location in the heart of Western Europe, enjoys a favourable position. In a radius of 500 miles, home to about 360 million people. And in this area is concentrated the major European industries. The Dutch economy, which is largely oriented towards trade and transportation sectors, must necessarily go abroad. Its geographical location has also led to the Netherlands was a country eminently suitable for the establishment of industries. Many international companies have established major distribution centers in Europe in the Netherlands. Many production companies that depend on sea transport of large quantities of raw materials choose Holland to establish a headquarters. On the other hand, there are also many other factors that make it attractive for Dutch production companies: an excellent supply industry, its favourable climate for business and a labour market that has high-level personnel. No wonder, then, are established in the Netherlands many multinational companies and research laboratories.

POPULATION:

The population of the Netherlands was estimated to be 15,892,237 in July of 2000. In 2000, the nation's population growth rate was 0.57 percent. The birth rate was 12.12 births per 1,000 people. The fertility rate was 1.64 children born per woman, which is below the replacement level However, a large number of immigrants move to the Netherlands each year. The mortality rate is 8.72 deaths per 1,000 people. The infant mortality rate is 4.42 deaths per 1,000 live births. Those over the age of 65 make up 14 percent of the population, and this group is expected to double in size over the next 20 years. The average life expectancy for males in the Netherlands is 75.4 years and 81.28 years for females.
The majority of the people of the Netherlands are of Dutch ancestry (91 percent). The Dutch are primarily of Germanic and Gallo-Celtic origins. The remaining 9 percent of the population is split between people of Moroccan, Turkish, and Surinamese backgrounds.
Dutch is the official language of the nation, but English is also widely spoken. The population is highly educated and skilled. There is mandatory education through age 16 and the literacy rate is near 100 percent. The Netherlands has a relatively low rate of religious affiliation.
The majority of people live in urban areas Its average population density is 369 per square kilometre. The most densely populated area of the country is known as the Randstad and includes the coastal regions of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht.

CULTURE:

Holland's culture is varied and lively. Dutch people themselves take immense delight in their cultural heritage. Arts of every form flourish in Holland. When it comes to culture, the country is possibly most renowned for its painters who were amongst the greatest in the world. Holland's cultural life attained an international reputation during the 17th century, which is often referred to as the country's Golden Age. Well-known figures of the Golden Age include the great 17th-century Dutch artists Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, and Jan Steen. The 19th and 20th centuries witnessed the emergence of artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Pieter Cornelis Mondrian.
Holland has exceptional museums and a remarkable variety of classical and innovative music and theatre. the Netherlands has the highest museum density in the world. the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam,
In Holland, major international arts festivals are held every year. The Holland Festival, held in Amsterdam in June every year, is an internationally distinguished music festival. Holland culture is also famed for other reasons. It has produced many great philosophers, astronomers, writers and mathematicians.
Dutch architecture is also a distinguished feature. Holland has six monuments on the World Heritage List. Cheese is another important product that has become a hallmark of Dutch culture. Several orchestras are based in towns and cities throughout the country. The natives are keen on sport and fitness, music, social clubs and organized events. Above all, Holland is considered to be one of the most liberal countries in the world.



Bibliography:
wkipedia.com
historyofholland.com
www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3204.htm
rincondelvago.com