Neth ‧ er ‧ lands, the /ˈneðələndz $ -ðər-/ BrE AmE
a country in northwest Europe which is a member of the EU (=European Union) . Population: 16,645,313 (2008). The capital is Amsterdam, but the government is based in The Hague. Most of the country is flat and large parts of it are below sea level. The size of the Netherlands has been increased by draining (↑ drain ) land that was formerly under the sea and building a system of ↑ dyke s to keep the sea back. British and American people often call the country Holland, but this is not officially correct because Holland is only one part of the Netherlands. When people think of the Netherlands, they often think of ↑ windmill s , which used to be very common there, of ↑ tulip s, which are grown in large quantities to be sold, and of ↑ clog s (=wooden shoes) which many people used to wear. The country is also known for its less strict attitude towards drugs, especially ↑ cannabis . People from the Netherlands are called Dutch.