Colors and the Meaning of the Netherlands Flag
The Dutch flag consists of three horizontal stripes, from top to bottom. The colors of these strips are red, white and blue respectively. It is similar to the flag of Luxembourg. It is one of the flags used for a long time. The colors of the flag are based on the dynasty colors of the Prince William of Orange, who had fought for Dutch independence.
History of the Netherlands Flag
The Dutch flag was adopted on 19 February 1937. The flag was called the prince’s flag, and in fact, it was orange, white and blue, one of the dynasty colors of the Prince of Orange, who ruled the independence struggle against Spanish rule in 1568. The flag was used up to nine lanes before. The independence of the Netherlands was accepted by Spain in 1648. The orange-white-blue flag first appeared in the 1570s.
At the beginning of the 17th century, the red was replaced by an orange strip, but the reason for the replacement was not clear. According to one theory, when viewed from a distance, it looked better than red orange. Red, white and blue were officially declared as flag colors in 1796. The flag was banned shortly at the beginning of the 19th century after France occupied the Netherlands. The Netherlands became independent again in 1813 and the flag was re-used.
The Dutch flag was influenced by the design of the Russian Flag during the Russian tsar Peter the Great, who came to observe the country’s maritime industry at the beginning of the 17th century. On his return to Russia, he founded his own maritime shipping industry and designed the white, blue, and red flag to honor the Netherlands and later became the flag of Russia.
After that, the Russian flag was the inspiration for designing the flag of many Slavs with these colors, which are the colors of Panislavism.
Neighboring Countries of Netherlands
Most of its territory is in Western Europe. In addition, the Netherlands has three islands in the Caribbean. It is also neighbor to the North Sea in the north and the west, Belgium in the south and Germany in the east.
Main Characteristics of Netherlands
The Netherlands, which has a large part of its territory in Western Europe, also has three islands in the Caribbean. The majority of the territory of the country is below sea level, so it has taken the name of Netherlands, which means the low country in English.
The Netherlands is one of the Benelux countries together with Belgium and Luxembourg. Rotterdam, the Netherlands, is one of the largest ports in Europe.
It is a European country ruled by the Dutch constitutional monarchy. Population density is high. The country is especially known for its cheeses, windmills, bikes, tulips, cows called Holstein and social rights. Gay marriage in the Netherlands is legal.
The Netherlands is a member of the European Union, NATO, and OECD. It is also one of the rare states that have signed the Kyoto Convention, an important protocol to combat climate change. The country hosts the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court and Europol.
| Country | Netherlands |
| Code | NL (NLD) |
| Calling Code | 31 |
| Capital City | Amsterdam |
| Currency | euro (EUR) |
| Emoji Symbol | 🇳🇱 |
| Highest Point | Vaalserberg (322 m) |
| Internet TLD | .nl |
| Population(2017) | 17,035,938 |
| Total Area | 41,528 km2 |