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Netherlands
The 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 EC (now the EU), and participated in the introduction of
the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 1999.
Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between
Belgium and Germany
Area:
total: 41,532 sq km
land: 33,889 sq km
water: 7,643 sq km
Land boundaries:
total: 1,027 km
border countries: Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km
Climate: temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters
Terrain: mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders);
some hills in southeast
Natural Resources: natural gas, petroleum, arable land |
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