The Netherlands is a country
in Western Europe. The country, located on the North Sea, shares
its borders with Germany and Belgium. The country's capital
is Amsterdam, The Hague is the seat of Government. The country
is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, a form of Government
where power is shared by the Queen, the Ministers and the Parliament.
With the Treaty of Utrecht in 1579 Dutch
provinces united together with the aim of expelling the Spaniards.
In 1581 a 'Plakkaat of Verlatinghe " or ‘Act of Abjuration’
was published which stated that Philip II, King of Spain, Naples,
Sicily and Portugal and Ruler of the Netherlands, as ruler of
the Netherlands was removed from Office. In practice this was
a declaration of independence.
Today there are 16,515,057 people (2009)
living in the Netherlands,. Religiously 29% claim to belong
to the Roman Catholic Church, 9% to the Dutch Reformed Church,
6% to the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, 4% to the Reformed
Protestantism, 4% to Islam, and finally, there are 42% not belonging
to any religion.
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