Netherlands Passport

【 Country Name 】 The Kingdom of the Netherlands (het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden).

【 Area 】 The local area is 41528 square kilometers.

【 Population 】 The local population is 18.03 million people (Statistics Netherlands, October 2024).

[Nationality] 72.9% of the local population is Dutch, and immigrants of Türkiye, Morocco, Suriname, etc. are major ethnic minorities.

The official language is Dutch, and Frisian is spoken in the province of Friesland. Dutch, English, Spanish, and Papiamento are commonly used in overseas territories.

[Religion] Among local residents aged 15 and above, 18.2% believe in Catholicism, 13.2% believe in Protestantism, and 57.2% have no religious beliefs.

Amsterdam, the capital, has a population of 931000.

The Hague, with a population of 566000, is the location of the government.

[Head of State] King Willem Alexander ascended to the throne on April 30, 2013.

[Important Festival] King's Day (also known as National Day, which is the birthday of the current King William Alexander): April 27th; Liberation Day (Allied Liberation of the Netherlands Day during World War II): May 5th.

【 Natural Geography 】 Located in the northwest of Europe. It borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the west and north. The coastline is 1075 kilometers long. 24% of the area is below sea level, and one-third of the area is only 1 meter above sea level. Since the 13th century, land reclamation has been underway, increasing the land area by approximately 6000 square kilometers. It belongs to the oceanic temperate broad-leaved forest climate. The average temperature in coastal areas is 16 ℃ in summer and 3 ℃ in winter; The temperature in inland areas is 17 ℃ in summer and 2 ℃ in winter. The annual average precipitation is 797 millimeters.

Before the 16th century, it was in a state of feudal separatism for a long time. The 80 year long war against Spanish rule broke out in 1568. In 1581, the seven northern provinces established the Dutch Republic (officially known as the United Provinces of the Netherlands). After the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, Spain officially recognized the independence of the Netherlands. In the 17th century, it was a maritime colonial power with highly developed economy, culture, art, technology, and other aspects, known as the "golden age" of the Netherlands. After the 18th century, the Dutch colonial system gradually disintegrated and the country's power gradually declined. In 1795, the French army invaded. In 1814, it broke away from France and established the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815. The 1848 Constitution officially established a constitutional monarchy. Maintain neutrality during the First World War. In the early stages of World War II, neutrality was declared, and in May 1940, it was invaded by German forces. Members of the royal family and cabinet went into exile in Britain and established an exile government. After the war, he abandoned his neutral policy and joined NATO and the European Community (EU).

The Constitution was promulgated on March 29, 1814 and revised in 1848. The Netherlands is a hereditary constitutional monarchy, with legislative power belonging to the king and parliament, and executive power belonging to the king and cabinet. The Privy Council is the highest consultative body of state, chaired by the King himself, and other members appointed by the King.

The parliament is composed of one and two houses. The term of office for members of both houses is 4 years, but elections are not held simultaneously.

The Senate has no legislative power, but has the power to approve or veto bills. 75 members of parliament are indirectly elected by the provincial council. The current session of the First Chamber will be elected on May 30, 2023 and sworn in on June 13. Jan Anthonie Bruijn (Liberal Democratic Party) was re elected as Speaker of the House.

The main responsibility of the Second Chamber (House of Representatives) is to legislate and supervise the Cabinet's governance. The legislative power is reflected in the fact that the two houses can independently propose bills, approve or reject cabinet proposals, and amend bills. The supervisory power is reflected in the budget approval power, independent investigation power, and inquiry power of the Second Court. 150 members of parliament are elected through direct universal suffrage based on proportional representation. The current Second House will be elected on November 22, 2023 and sworn in on December 6. Current Speaker Martin Bosma (Liberal Party).

The allocation of seats in both houses is as follows: