Filed under Europe and more precisely Western Europe, the Netherlands is a sovereign state. Treaties and official documents call it Kingdom of the Netherlands. Government sits in Amsterdam.
It covers 41,850 km², which ranks it 136th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Denmark and just ahead of Switzerland. Put next to a country most people can picture, it is almost exactly the same size as Switzerland.
The population is about 18.0 million, placing it 72nd of 250 by population — between Ecuador above it and Cambodia below. Among the 8 entries in Western Europe it ranks 3rd by area and 3rd by population.
The lie of the land
Plotted on a globe it falls at 52.5° north, 5.8° east, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 5,844 km from the equator, in what geographers would call temperate latitudes.
2 countries share a land border with it: Belgium and Germany. The largest of them by area is Germany, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 95.4 million people.
With both a coast and land borders, it has the trade options a landlocked country does not.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
The people of the Netherlands
Density comes out at around 430 people per square kilometre, which makes it densely populated. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
People from the Netherlands are called Dutch.
Dutch is the only official language. It shares that with Aruba, Belgium, the Caribbean Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and Suriname.
Against Europe as a whole it is the 10th most populous of 53 entries, and it accounts for 9.4% of everyone living in Western Europe.
Useful reference details
Money there is the Euro (€, EUR). Another 37 entries use the same currency — Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria and Croatia among them — so exchange rates move for reasons that have nothing to do with the Netherlands.
Websites there use the .nl domain. The international dialling code is +31. Its ISO codes are nl and NLD, which is what most databases and flag files use.
If a quiz asks for the capital of the Netherlands, the answer is Amsterdam.
As a sovereign state it is among the 193 UN members listed here. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Netherlands shares borders with 2 countries:
Fun facts about Netherlands
- It is 72nd of 250 by population, with about 18.0 million residents.
- In land area it is almost exactly the same size as Switzerland.
- Within Western Europe it is the 3rd largest of 8.
- Population density works out at roughly 430 people per square kilometre.
- Its capital city is Amsterdam.
- Websites based there use the .nl domain.
Netherlands — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of the Netherlands?
- The capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam.
- Which countries border the Netherlands?
- The Netherlands borders 2 countries: Belgium and Germany. Germany is the largest of them by area.
- What language is spoken in the Netherlands?
- The official language of the Netherlands is Dutch. It is also official in 6 other entries on this list.
- How big is the Netherlands?
- The Netherlands covers 41,850 km², ranking 136th of 250 by land area. That makes it almost exactly the same size as Switzerland.
- Is the Netherlands a country?
- Yes. The Netherlands is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- What is the population of the Netherlands?
- The Netherlands has a population of about 18.0 million, which makes it the 72nd most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Ecuador sits just above it and Cambodia just below.
- Where is the Netherlands located?
- The Netherlands is in Western Europe, part of Europe. Its reference coordinates are 52.5° north and 5.8° east, roughly 5,844 km from the equator in temperate latitudes.
- What currency does the Netherlands use?
- The Netherlands uses the Euro, written € (currency code EUR). It is shared with 37 other entries.
