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The Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815.

In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II.

A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products.

The country was a founding member of NATO and the EC (now the EU), and participated in the introduction of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 1999.

The Dutch language is a West Germanic language spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands and in the northern half of Belgium where it is often referred to by the dialect name Flemish.

In addition to the many dialects of the Dutch language many provinces and larger cities have their own accents, which are usually accompanied by a particular dialect making Dutch a very diverse language. Correct pronunciation of Dutch vocabulary typically gives most learners the greatest difficulty, making interactive conversation with a native speaker an essential part of learning this language.