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The Kingdom of the Netherlands currently consists of the three constituent parts: the mainland European Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. Prior to 1975, Suriname (formerly known as Dutch Guiana) was also part of the kingdom. Before 1954, the "Kingdom of the Netherlands" referred to the Netherlands and its colonial possessions. Before 1830 (formally, 1839) the United Kingdom of the Netherlands also included Belgium.In principle, the kingdom has a limited central government which is responsible for a limited range of affairs as specified by the Statute of the Kingdom of the Netherlands , from 1954 with later amendments. In practice, this government overlaps to a large extent with the government of the Netherlands. The head of state of the kingdom is the monarch, who is also the monarch of the separate constituent parts -- Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and her legitimate heirs. The monarch heads the executive branch (regering) of the kingdom and each part individually. The monarch is represented by governors in the Netherland Antilles and Aruba. The affairs of the kingdom include:
- Defence
- Foreign affairsForeign affairs is the name referring to the government department in many states which conducts foreign relations, foreign policy, diplomacy, and international representation. They may deal with such issues as international trade and foreign aid. In the
- CitizenshipCitizenship is membership in a political community (originally a city but now a state), and carries with it rights to political participation; a person having such membership is a citizen . It is largely coterminous with nationality, although it is possib
- ExtraditionExtradition is a formal process by which a criminal suspect held by one government is handed over to another government for trial or, if the suspect has already been tried and found guilty, to serve his or her sentence. Extradition treaties The consensus
Other affairs are delegated to the national governments. The statute ended the colonial relationship between the Netherlands on the one side and the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname on the other side. On November 25, 1975Events January January 1 Watergate scandal: John N. Mitchell, H. Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman are found guilty of the Watergate cover-up and are sentenced to 30 months to 8 years in jail on February 21 January 5 The Tasman Bridge in Tasmania, Australia, i Suriname became independent of the Kingdom. In 19861986 is a common year starting on Wednesday. Events January January 1 Spain and Portugal enter the European Community January 1 Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands and is separated from the Netherlands Antilles. January 9 After losing a pa Aruba obtained a separate status within the kingdom by leaving the Netherlands Antilles.
Each of the constituent parts has its own document describing the foundation of its government:
- the Constitution of the NetherlandsThe constitution of the Netherlands dates back to 1815. The full text can be found at. Chapters # Basic rights # Government # Parliament # Advisory institutions # Law and government # Administration of justice # Lower government # Revision of the constitu -- the grondwet. Although the title refers to the kingdom, the document applies only to the Netherlands.
- the Constitution of Aruba is the staatsregeling of Aruba.
- the Constitution of the Netherlands Antilles is the staatsregeling of the Netherlands Antilles.
The cabinetAlternate meanings in cabinet (disambiguation A Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers . In some countries, particularly those council of the kingdom consists of the ministerA minister is a politician who heads a government ministry or department (e. education, finance, health, state, war etc. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet, usually led by a prime minister or president. The term "minister" comes from a Latin words of the Netherlands and for each of the two other parts a minister plenipotentiary.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands has a single seat at the United Nations and is a member of the European Union. However Antilles and Aruba are not considered part of the EU, but rather have a special relationship with it. Since citizenship is handled by the kingdom, and not distinguished for the three countries, citizens from all three countries are also EU citizens.
The highest point is Mount Scenery (862 m) on the small island of Saba, Netherlands Antilles.
