I try often, to look at my country as a foreigner. To see how many things do have changed. And it is even better to use an old guide of 1997 to reflect these times. Picked up in the local library.
I will start with some quotes, and afterwards my own opinion and remarks on this issue: "The Netherlands is that part of the "Kingdom of the Netherlands" that is situated in Europe. In the north and west it is flanked by the North Sea, to the east by Germany and to the south by Belgium. The furthest distance from north to south is 300 kilometers, and from west to east 200 kilometres. With an area of 41,526 square kilometers, the Netherlands is slightly larger than Belgium, while Germany is nearly nine times in size".
We rather forget that the Netherlands is more than the part in Europe. Because also the quarrel about the money, the Dutch Antilles do cost the Netherlands. Mostly generated by right-wing-politicians, who want to get rid of the Antilles, and see most of the citizens of this part of the Kingdom as criminals. They often loose all their senses in their rhetorical speeches.
"The landscape is mainly flat, with hilly areas in the south (where I live) and the east. The name "The Netherlands" refers to the lowest level of the country. The highest point is the Vaalserberg, in the south-east (where the Dutch, German and Belgian borders meet), which is 321 meters above sea-level (for the complete Kingdom of the Netherlands it is the Mount Scenery on the Island Saba (Dutch Antilles). Many areas of the country, are below sea-level. The lowest point (near Rotterdam) is about 6,7 meters below sea-level."
Dutch (which you can see/read on my other blog:
http://reizigerinlimburg.blogspot.com/) is the language of more than 21 million Dutch and Flemish (and an unknown number of South-African) people. It is thus a middle-ranking language. About the 30th most-widely spoken in the world. Dutch is one of the eleven official languages of the European Union, and also spoken in the Dutch Antilles & Aruba and in the former Dutch colony of Suriname, where it is the language of the government and education. I don’t know, if this has already been changed…
Antillean, Aruban and Surinam literature has been written in Dutch. Historical links prove that Dutch is still used in Indonesia by lawyers, the army ánd historicians who need it to consult sources. 17th Century-Dutch provided the basis for the "Afrikaans", which is spoken in South-Africa (the most hated word in South-Africa is also a Dutch word: "apartheid").
The Dutch language is taught at almost 250 universities around the world.
Religion is not a big issue in our country, but still tells a lot about us! The Reformation of the Protestant Church in Europe (in the 16th century) splitted the Netherlands into a Katholic and Protestant part.
The influence of the several churches in the Netherlands, has been on the decline since the 50’s. The traditions of following the religion of one’s parents has been disappeared.
Though the majority of Dutch people are no longer members of a church, the various religions still exert a strong influence on society.
I think that the fear of the Islam is also part of our secularisation, which don’t tie the Dutch together. The number of Muslims and Hindus in the Netherlands has been increasing as the result of immigration from countries as Morocco, Turkey, Indonesia and Suriname.
Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Constitution of 1848.
Many aspect of Dutch society are traditionally organised along religious or ideological lines. Trade-unions, schools, political parties and organisations of all kinds, belong to one or another major group (catholic, protestant, socialist and liberal). This "compartmentalisation" of society, has created many political and social organisations which have largely the same goals, but are different in their ideological approach.
Growing secularisation in the Netherlands has contributed towards increased open-minded attitudes, making mergers and coöperation between kindred organisations possible. But unfortunately there has been a change in the nineties. We forgot to pick up foreigners in this compartmentalisation.
The last part deals about our queen. According to the Constitution (1848), the sovereign is inviolable and should stand above the political parties. This means that the ministers are accountable to parliament and the Queen’s power within the government is therefore limited. A bill that has been passed by parliament has gain force of law, upon being signed by the Queen and the minister or ministers responsible.
And there is a lot more to tell. E.g.: about Dutch painters (Karel Appel, Rembrandt, Vincent van Gogh), Dutch music (Golden Earring, Tiesto (dance), Herman Brood), Dutch habits (cheese, the influences of conservative thinking in our country, coffee-culture, markets, trading-spirit, flowers), gay-capital Amsterdam, Dutch design, Dutch literature (Cees Nooteboom, Harry Mulisch, Gerard Reve, Jan Wolkers) and many other themes……
