Kingdom of the Netherlands
| Dutch Union | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom of the Netherlands | |
| Koninkrijk der Nederlanden | |
| Capital | The Hague |
| Largest City | Amsterdam |
| Government Type | Federal unitary state |
| Languages | Dutch (official) Various creoles Others |
| Currency | Guilder |
The Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden, Malay: Kekaisaran Belanda, Sinhala: නෙදර්ලන්ත අධිරාජ්යය), also known simply as the Netherlands, Dutch Union, or Batavosphere, is a multinational sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territories in Europe, Oceania, Asia, and Africa, and the Caribbean. Most of its land area is in Oceania and Asia, while most of its population is in Western Europe.
The three predominant constituent countries of the Kingdom are the European Netherlands, New Batavia, and Zeylan. They are de jure equal partners, with other islands and territories acting as special districts or dependencies of one of these countries. With economic and political power centered in Europe, efforts have been made to equalize the power of each constituent member. The Prime Minister of the Netherlands serves as the Chairman of the Council of Ministers with the other countries represented by de facto junior Minister Plenipotentiaries.
History
Dutch colonial era
Genesis of the Dutch Union
Government and Politics
System of governance
The administrative system of the Dutch Union is blend of federal and confederal methods of governance. Constituent countries have their own parliaments and limited powers, yet all have a common foreign policy and military. Despite structures like the Raad der Staaten, which consists of the elected leaders of the three constituent countries, the European Netherlands in effect has absolute control over the military and foreign affairs of all constituent countries.