The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland [ˈneːdərlɑnt] (listen)), informally Holland,[12][13][14] is a country located in Northwestern Europe with overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.[15][16][17] The Netherlands consists of twelve provinces; it borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, with a North Sea coastline to the north and west. It shares maritime borders with the United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium in t