Netherlands
by Alexis McKinney
Date joined the EU
The Netherlands joined the EU in 1952, they were also a founder of the EU.
Flag
The colors of the flag were from William l, Prince of Orange who led the Dutch Revolt against Spanish sovereignty.
History
The Netherlands belonged to Spain until 1578, the Dutch Revolt lasted until 1648 (was from 1566-1648). After the Dutch Revolt the Netherlands were no longer apart of Spain.
Location
The Netherlands is located in Western Europe, between Belgium and Germany, bordering the North Sea.
Geography
The Netherlands is flat, it's also 25% below sea level (lots of flooding) with low rolling hills and lots of canals. The Netherlands is about 2 times the state of New Jersey.
Capital and Major cities
The capital of the Netheralnds is Amsterdam. 4 major cities (besides Amsterdam) are Rutterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, and Eindhoven.
Tourism
What attracts people to the Netherlands is that there are over 600 museums in the Netherlands, and the winter season is very beautiful. Another attraction is the beautiful variety of flowers that are there.
Government Type
The Netherlands government type is Constitutional Monarchy. The chief of state is Queen Beatrix. Their judicial branch of government has a Supreme Court.
Currency Type
The Currency Type is the EURO. Prior to that they used gilder (from 1680-2002).
3 Intresting Facts
A 2007 UNICEF report on child wellbeing in rich country ranked Netherlands as the best country for children to live.
Netherlands means "low country" in Dutch.
The Netherlands has the highest population density of any European country with over 1 million inhabitants.