Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands
conventional short form: Netherlands
local long form: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
local short form: Nederland
Government type:
constitutional monarchy
Capital:
name: Amsterdam
geographic coordinates: 52 23 N, 4 54 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
note: The Hague (seat of government)
Administrative divisions:
12 provinces (provincies, singular - provincie); Drenthe,
Flevoland, Friesland (Fryslan), Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg,
Noord-Brabant (North Brabant), Noord-Holland (North Holland),
Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland (South Holland)
Dependent areas:
Aruba, Netherlands Antilles
Independence:
23 January 1579 (the northern provinces of the Low Countries
conclude the Union of Utrecht breaking with Spain; on 26 July 1581
they formally declared their independence with an Act of Abjuration;
however, it was not until 30 January 1648 and the Peace of
Westphalia that Spain recognized this independence)
National holiday:
Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 and accession
to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April
Constitution:
adopted 1815; amended many times, most recently in 2002
Legal system:
civil law system incorporating French penal theory; constitution
does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal