The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence
from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring
and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a
20-year French occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In
1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained
neutral in World War I, but suffered invasion and occupation by Germany in
World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large
exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO
and the EEC (now the EU), and participated in the introduction of the euro in
1999. In October 2010, the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and the
three smallest islands - Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba - became special
municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands
of Sint Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent
countries forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
(Source: The World Factbook 2009. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2009)
For more information about Netherlands:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
