Netherlands

The Netherlands — often called Holland, after its two most famous provinces — is a small, flat, and densely populated country in northwestern Europe, bordered by Germany, Belgium, and the North Sea. It is famous worldwide for its extraordinary feat of water management: approximately a quarter of the country lies below sea level, and the Dutch have spent centuries building an elaborate system of dikes, polders, and pumping stations to keep the sea at bay. Without these engineering marvels, much of the Netherlands would be permanently flooded.

The Netherlands has been one of the world's most important trading nations for over 400 years. Amsterdam, the capital, was the centre of global trade in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age — a period of extraordinary prosperity, artistic achievement, and global exploration. The Netherlands gave the world great painters like Rembrandt and Vermeer, and Dutch merchants established trading posts across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Today, Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe and one of the busiest in the world.

With a population of around 18 million people, the Netherlands is one of the world's most progressive and open societies. It was the first country to legalise same-sex marriage in 2001. The Dutch are famous for their love of cycling — there are more bicycles than people in the Netherlands — and for tulips, windmills, Dutch cheese (gouda and edam), and the orange-loving football passion that makes their national team one of the most celebrated and stylish in the world.