The minimum you must know

The Netherlands is sometimes called Holland. It's a densely populated constitutional monarchy (meaning a kingdom shares power with an elected unitary government) comprised of so called constituent countries in northwestern Europe and the Caribbean, including Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. The Netherlands were a founding member of the European Union, and are consequently a member of the NATO security alliance. Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten are autonomous but rely upon the European government for their foreign policies and European Union membership, which bestow upon them the best security and trade treatment of any Caribbean islands.

The Netherlands literally means "lower country." Dutch (or "Nederlands") is the official language, and the entire country is fluent in English as a second one. The Netherlands in Europe borders Belgium and Germany. It's therefore central located between the United Kingdom, France and Denmark.

Tourists are drawn to Amsterdam for its historic beauty and its reputation for permissive nightlife. Sex work is legal and regulated in the Netherlands, and Amsterdam’s De Wallen is a well-known red-light area that attracts international visitors. 

In Dutch, the very common word die can mean “that/those,” and in English text it can be visually confused with the verb “die.” This is a classic example of a cross-language word frequency issue that can inadvertently incite, even though it does not imply hostile intent by Dutch speakers. 

Internationally, the Netherlands participates in a range of defense and peace-and-security activities through NATO and other missions abroad.