The Netherlands Flag

The flag of Netherlands is one of the oldest flags in the world. It is a tricolor of red, white and blue. The colors appear in three horizontal bands of equal size with the colors of the bands from the top to bottom being red, white and blue. The flag proportions are 2:3. It was officially adopted in 1937. The flag was commonly referred to as the prince flag. It is now officially referred to as the Royal Standard of the Netherlands.

The Flag of the Netherlands is characterized by a horizontal band of a red, white, and blue stripe. The red, blue, and white the colors denote the heraldic colors of Prince William of Orange. The three colors were originally orange, blue, and white were borrowed from the prince’s Nassau coat of arms. The color orange was later replaced with red.

The first flag was designed by the Dutch people; a horizontal tricolor of orange, white, and blue. The flag design was created to show respect to Prince William. It was referred to as the Prinsevlag which meant the prince flag. The flag colors were later changed to red, blue and white following a Royal decree by Queen Wilhelmina on February 19, 1937.

In the 16th century, William 1 Prince of Orange hoisted a triband flag with orange, white and blue colors. The flag was introduced as a state banner in 1572. This was during the Dutch fight for independence from Spain. In the mid-17th century, the orange color was replaced with red. Red, white, and blue were formally declared as the official colors of the flag in 1796. The flag was endorsed by royal decree on February 19, 1937. During the French conquest of Netherlands in the 19^th century, the flag was banned for a while. The name “prince flag” was also prohibited. It was replaced by the French flag which was a vertical tricolor of blue, white, and red. However, the original flag of the kingdom of Netherlands was reestablished in 1813, after Netherlands regained its independence from the French and the prince of orange returned from exile.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Amsterdam
Languages	Dutch (official)
Ethnic Groups	Dutch 78.6%, EU 5.8%, Turkish 2.4%, Indonesian 2.2%, Moroccan 2.2%, Surinamese 2.1%, Bonairian, Saba Islander, Sint Eustatian 0.8%, other 5.9% (2014 est.)
Religion	Roman Catholic 28%, Protestant 19% (includes Dutch Reformed 9%, Protestant Church of The Netherlands, 7%, Calvinist 3%), other 11% (includes about 5% Muslim and fewer numbers of Hindu, Buddhist, Jehovah's Witness, and Orthodox), none 42% (2009 est.)
Government	Parliamentary constitutional monarchy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Independance	23 January 1579 (the northern provinces of the Low Countries conclude the Union of Utrecht breaking with Spain; on 26 July 1581 they formally declared their independence with an Act of Abjuration; however, it was not until 30 January 1648 and the Peace of Westphalia that Spain recognized this independence)
Area	41,543.00 km²
Water Area	7,650.00 km²
Land Area	33,893.00 km²
Population	17,016,967.00 An area known as the Randstad, anchored by the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague, and Utrecht, is the most densely populated region; the north tends to be less dense, though sizeable communities can be found throughout the entire country
Location	Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany
No. Bordering Countries	2
Bordering Countries	Belgium 478 km, Germany 575 km
GDP(PPP)	$871,000,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$50,800.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, mineral fuels, food and livestock.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Germany, China, and Belgium.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, and foodstuffs.
Climate	Temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters
Terrain	Mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast
Learn More	Netherlands

The Netherlands Flag

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