Netherlands (Concert of Europe)

The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland), officially the Republic of the United Netherlands (Dutch: Republiek der Verenigde Nederlanden), is a sovereign state of, but its colonial empire extends to the and. The metropolitan area of the country borders with to its east, the  to its north,  to its east and  to its south.

Historically a republic, then a monarchy, then a republic again, the Netherlands' long and troubled history begins in the 16th century, when the provinces that would form the country revolted against and seceded from the Habsburg empire. Since then, the Netherlands have always been, with varied outcomes, at the forefront of European politics: the Orange-Nassau monarchy was overthrown by an alliance of republicans, socialists and even right wing parties during the, because of the monarchist government's fervent neutralist stance.

Despite being a relatively small nation, the Netherlands have always been a commercial and naval powerhouse. The nation's colonial empire is made up of the colony of and the two colonial federations of the  and the : the latter is truly the crown jewel of the Dutch empire, as it is not only the largest Dutch colonial possession, but also the most profitable, as it is used for production and trade of spices, precious metal, and other valuable resources.