History & Politics

The Netherlands means “low lands” and the name of the country is officially Kingdom of The Netherlands, not Holland. Holland is only 1 of 12 provinces in the Netherlands. In the 17th century, the country was a Republic called Holland, which was also during the time of the Dutch East and West India Trading Companies. However, in 1813, the country became a constitutional monarchy with a parliament and the official name became The Netherlands. Although the capital of the country is Amsterdam, the government is in another city, Den Haag (The Hague). This is where most of the country’s history occurred, which is in Holland. So Holland is the more historic name and has stuck ever since.

Belgium became independent in 1830; it was part of The Netherlands before that. The current Queen’s husband who has since passed was from Germany and their son, the crowned prince, is married to a princess from Argentina. What an intermixed family! But I guess if you’re royal you have to marry someone from another country since your options are limited.

Currently, Belgium is in a political crisis. Flanders wants to separate itself from Wallonia, but Wallonia doesn’t want to separate itself from Flanders. The language barrier makes it hard, as well as economic differences. About 170 days ago, there were elections for the new parliament, but they haven’t been able to form that new parliament yet or reach accordance. That is where the King comes in, playing a key role in unifying the country.