The Netherlands, also known as Holland, is a country located in northwestern Europe. It has a parliamentary constitutional monarchy where the monarch holds a ceremonial status as head of the state and the prime minister functions as head of government. The executive powers are conferred upon a council of ministers.
With 12 provinces and 388 municipalities, the country also has 22 water districts governed by an executive board that holds authority in matters of water management.
The Netherlands was one of the founding members of the European integration. It was one among the nations, the others being Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg and West Germany, that jointly established the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). In 1957 the same six countries signed the Treaty of Rome that eventually laid the foundations of the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). The Netherlands has also been crucial in paving way for the formation of the EU by signing the 1992 Maastricht Treaty.
It has been a Euro area member since 1 January 1999 and uses the currency euro. There are 26 members of the European Parliament from the Netherlands. The Netherlands also communicates with the EU institutions through its permanent representation in Brussels.
You might be surprised to know that the Netherlands also includes 6 overseas territories in the Caribbean which are not part of the EU.
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