Netherlands: Flag and Facts
The flag of the Netherlands stacks bright red, white, and cobalt blue in three even horizontal bands, red on top.
- Official name
- Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Capital
- Amsterdam
- Region
- Western Europe
- Population
- 18 million (2025)
- Languages
- Dutch
- Currency
- Euro
- Area
- 41,850 km² (16,158 sq mi)
- People
- Dutch
- Calling code
- +31
- Highest point
- Mount Scenery (on the island of Saba in the Caribbean, now…) 862 m
- Independence
- 26 July 1581
- National symbols
- lion, daisy
About Netherlands
Here's the twist: the top band started out orange, the color of William I, Prince of Orange. The orange dye kept fading to red, so the Dutch eventually made red official. Orange never left, though. It is still listed as the national color, and the lion and the daisy serve as national symbols.
Dutch provinces broke away from Spain in 1581 and spent the 17th century as a leading sea and trading power with colonies around the globe. After 18 years under French control, independence returned in 1813, and Belgium split off in 1830. Much of the country is low coastal land and polders reclaimed from the water, and Zuidplaspolder dips 7 meters under the sea. The highest point is far away on Saba, a Caribbean island, where Mount Scenery reaches 862 meters. The Netherlands helped found NATO and the EEC and adopted the euro in 1999.
Did you know?
- King's Day on 27 April celebrates the birthday of King Willem-Alexander.
- The Dutch national anthem is "Het Wilhelmus," or The William.
- The Netherlands covers a bit under twice the area of New Jersey.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about Netherlands
Which city is the Dutch capital?
Amsterdam, with roughly 1.2 million residents. Rotterdam follows at around 1 million.
Why is orange a Dutch color if it is not on the flag?
Orange comes from William I, Prince of Orange. The flag's top band was once orange, but the dye faded to red, so red became permanent.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.