The Netherlands, sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Netherlands or Holland, is one of the four countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which lies in Northwest Europe on the North Sea. It borders Germany in the east and Belgium in the south. With an area of 41,526 km², approximately 17.181 million inhabitants live. With a population density of 408 inhabitants per km², the Netherlands ranks 15th in the world.
Almost half of these residents include the Randstad conurbation, which consists of four large agglomerations - Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht. The official capital is Amsterdam. However, most of the functions of the capital are fulfilled by The Hague, which is the seat of the Dutch king, parliament and government. The Hague also houses the International Court of Justice.
At present, the Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. The constitutional law of 1815 introduced the bicameral parliament system and to this day the Dutch legislative power (Staten-Generaal van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden) consists of the lower (literally Second: Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal) and the upper house
The Netherlands has a high quality of life, ranking sixth in the global human development index. It is known for its relatively liberal attitude towards psychoactive drugs, prostitution, euthanasia and homosexuality. The Dutch painting tradition is well-known and dates back to the Middle Ages.
The port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe. The most famous tourist attractions are the numerous windmills and urban water canals, the so-called grachten, for example in Amsterdam.
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