India 360: Indo-Netherlands Relation

UPSCPORTAL presents the second article of the India 360 series.

This section is on Indo-Netherlands relations. Here the audio gives an overview of the Netherland economy, culture, geography and ties with India.

Please click on the below to listen to the audio file.

The main points of the Discussion are as under-

• Discussion by Ms. Vineeta Menon and Mr. Pradip Kumar.
• Netherlands is also called Dutch and Holland.
• Kingdom of Netherland comprise of- 3 islands in Caribbean, and the land in the Northwestern part of Europe.
• Netherland has Germany and Belgium as its neighbours, and has the North sea in the North.
• It is a low-lying country, with 20% of the land lying below the sea level.
• Since the society is well developed, people have devised several ways to keep the water from invading the lands. Use of Dykes and Windmills is common.
• Netherlands is one of the former colonial powers. The Dutch East India Company was very active in its colonial expeditions.
• Netherland has a multi-cultural society, marked by a large number of nationalities.
• Netherland has a vibrant heritage of art, culture and music.
• The North Sea Festival, Europe’s largest Jazz meet is organized in Netherland every year.
• Orange is the color of the Netherland Monarchy, thus, Netherland sports team wear the orange attire, as a symbol of pride.
• Football and Hockey are two popular sports in Netherland.
• Indians constitute the second largest diaspora in Netherlands, after the UK.
• There are two types of Indians found in Netherlands- the Surinami Indians, and the First Generation Indians. Apart from these two groups, a large number of skilled Indians are settled in the country.
• Economy-wise, about 60% of the land in Netherlands is cultivated. Agriculture and horticulture are widely practiced.
• Netherland is the largest flower exporting country in the world.
• The Political system of Netherland is a Constitutional Monarchy, with a Parliamentary system of government.
• the Capital of Netherlands is Amsterdam, which has the oldest stock exchange of the world.
• Hague is another prominent city of Netherlands. It is known as the Legal capital of the world. It is also the seat of 5 international courts.
• Netherlands is one of the founding members of the International Organizations like- European Union, NATO, WTO.
• Netherland is also the headquarter of the Organization for Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
• Political relations between India and Netherland are cordial and peaceful. there are frequent high level visits of various government dignitaries.
• Netherland is also home to several big MNCs like- Phillips, Uniliver, Shell and ING.
• Indian Ambassador to Netherland- Mr. Rajesh Nandan Prasad- mentions that the relations between the two countries are highly cordial. However, there is more potential of development in the trade and economic relations.
• the bilateral trade between the two countries stands at around 6 Billion Euros, with India having a trade surplus with Netherland.
• Netherland is also the 6th largest investor in india.
• The Gandhi Center, at Hague, is a prominent center for various cultural programmes. It undertakes programmes in Kathak and Yoga.

More Updates coming soon.

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