Editing Netherlands

{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
| native_name            = Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
| common_name            = Netherlands
| image_flag             = Flag of the Netherlands.png
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of the Netherlands.png
| national_motto         = Je maintiendrai
| national_anthem        = Wilhelmus
| capital                = [[Amsterdam]]
| largest_city           = capital
| official_languages     = [[Dutch language|Dutch]]
| languages_type         = Recognised regional languages
| languages              = [[Frisian language|Frisian]]; [[Low Saxon]]; [[Limburgish]]
| demonym                = Dutch
| government_type        = Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
| leader_title1          = Monarch
| leader_name1           = 
| leader_title2          = Prime Minister
| leader_name2           = 
| legislature            = States General
| upper_house            = Senate
| lower_house            = House of Representatives
| sovereignty_type       = Independence
| established_event1     = Act of Abjuration
| established_date1      = 1581
| established_event2     = Congress of Vienna
| established_date2      = 1815
| currency               = Euro (EUR)
| time_zone              = CET
| utc_offset             = +1
| calling_code           = +31
| cctld                  = .nl
}}

'''The Netherlands''' (Dutch: ''Nederland'') is a country in Western Europe. It borders [[Germany]] to the east, [[Belgium]] to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest. Its capital is [[Amsterdam]], while the seat of government is located in [[The Hague]]. The country is characterized by low-lying terrain, extensive river systems, and a long maritime tradition.

== History ==

=== Medieval and early modern period ===
The territory that now forms the Netherlands consisted of various feudal counties and duchies during the Middle Ages. In the 15th and 16th centuries, these territories came under Habsburg rule.

In 1581, the northern provinces declared independence from Spanish authority through the Act of Abjuration. This led to the formation of the Dutch Republic. During the 17th century, often referred to as the Dutch Golden Age, the Republic became a major maritime, commercial, and financial power.

=== Kingdom and 19th-century development ===
In 1815, following the Congress of Vienna, the Kingdom of the Netherlands was established as a constitutional monarchy. During the 19th century, the country underwent industrialization, infrastructure expansion, and gradual political reform. Constitutional revisions in 1848 strengthened parliamentary governance and limited royal authority.

=== 20th century ===
The Netherlands remained neutral during the First World War but was occupied by Germany during the Second World War between 1940 and 1945. After liberation, the country focused on reconstruction and economic recovery.

During the post-war decades, the Netherlands developed into a modern welfare state with a diversified economy. Urbanization increased, and the Randstad region became the country’s primary economic center.

=== Middenvader Era influence (1946–1959) ===
During the [[Middenvader Era]], Dutch territory served as a central location for industrial and familial restructuring. The [[Schroeter family]] maintained significant industrial presence in both the Netherlands and Germany. Internal disputes surrounding [[Schroeter Traktoren]] contributed to broader structural divisions that culminated in the [[Middenvader Commissie]] processes of 1949 and 1959.

The dissolution of Schroeter Traktoren in 1959 marked the end of large-scale centralized Schroeter heavy industry within the Netherlands. In contrast, smaller enterprises such as [[Schroeter Romeo]] in [[Vriendendam]] continued operations and represented industrial continuity into later decades.

=== Formation of De Vrienden (1970s) ===
In the mid-1970s, the Netherlands became the setting for the formation of [[De Vrienden]], a group consisting of:

# [[Angelo Noord]]
# [[Martin Paap]]
# [[Imro van Hetten]]
# [[Eef Hoos]]
# [[Lourens Schroeter]]

The initial association began in 1974 when Angelo Noord and Martin Paap became acquainted in the Netherlands. By 1976, the group was fully formed. Their long-term association later became foundational to the five principal families: the [[Noord family]], [[Paap family]], [[Van Hetten family]], [[Hoos family]], and [[Schroeter family]].

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, interactions among these families influenced social, industrial, and political developments within regions such as [[Rotterdam]] and [[Vriendendam]].

=== Conflict and external influence (2017–2019) ===
Between 2017 and 2019, investigations initiated by Angelo Noord into developments in the [[Rotterdam-Zuid (faction)]] led to contact with [[Takistan]] and figures associated with [[Khalid bin Thani]]. This period involved armed confrontations and cross-border activity before concluding with a neutrality agreement in late 2019.

=== Air Fiji Flight 27 (2014) ===
On 13 March 2014, [[Air Fiji Flight 27]] departed from [[Vriendendam Airport]] in the Netherlands and was later shot down over [[Tanoa]] by units of the [[Tanoa Einsatzgruppen]]. All 214 occupants were killed.

Among the victims were the wife and children of [[Mark Hugerinus Paap]], a Dutch citizen born in [[Rotterdam]]. The incident later became a catalyst for the formation of the [[Fish Collective]] and contributed to events culminating in the collapse of the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen in 2024.

=== Vriendendam ===
[[Vriendendam]] is a city and municipality in the Dutch province of [[Gelderland]]. The city had about 50,000 residents as of 1 January 2023.

The settlement traces its origin to 1944, when several ''vaders'' of an SS armored division active during the [[Battle of Arnhem]] built fortifications and a small group of houses north of Arnhem. After the war, the houses remained intact and were used by other ''vaders'' involved in post-war rebuilding, after which the settlement expanded in the following decades.

Until 2006, Vriendendam fell under the municipality of Arnhem. After rapid growth from the 1980s onward, the city became a separate municipality and held its first municipal election on 7 March 2006. The municipal council has 31 seats, and the local [[Vriendenpartij]] has been the largest party since 2006.

In 2016, the [[Milieuramp van 2016]] occurred after a leak from a large diesel storage tank north of the city. The safety region evacuated the [[Vriendendam Racetrack]] and an adjacent shopping center. After soil cleanup, the area was reopened several weeks later. In the present day, Vriendendam is known for the racetrack and multiple factories.

== See also ==
* [[De Vrienden]]
* [[Vriendendam]]
* [[Noord family]]
* [[Paap family]]
* [[Van Hetten family]]
* [[Hoos family]]
* [[Schroeter family]]
* [[Middenvader Era]]
* [[Air Fiji Flight 27]]

[[Category:Countries]]
[[Category:Europe]]
[[Category:Netherlands]]
[[Category:Western Europe]]
[[Category:Constitutional monarchies]]
[[Category:De Vrienden]]
[[Category:Vriend Era]]
[[Category:Locations]]

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