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The Netherlands have ties with a number of countries around the world for different reasons.
BELGIUM is a country that combines two languages and different cultures into one: Flemish and French. The Flemish part is the western part of Belgium and the French part is the eastern part. At one time Belgium was part of the Netherlands, but it became independent in 1830.
Flemish is not very different from Dutch, in fact we can understand one another just fine. It's much like UK English and American English: same language, but different use of words.
A funny fact is that for years there was a radio show host in the Netherlands - Wim T. Schippers - who pleaded to re-combine the two countries into one called the Republic of BelNedium. Although he was a comedian, he was quite serious about this. He also pleaded to get rid of the difference between you (popular) and You (as in Thee) just as in the English language.
SURINAM, a country in the north of South-America, was part of the Dutch Kingdom until 1975 when it became independent. This caused a large number of its people to leave the country and settle in the Netherlands. This in turn created tensions in some of the big cities because of ghetto-ization. The ties between Surinam and the Netherlands were never completely severed, if only because of family ties, and has always been part of the "local" news in some way.
The official language is still Dutch, but with the many ethnic groups tracing back to Africa, India, Indonesia, China and Native Americans, English is taking over as a second language.
The same goes for the NETHERLANDS ANTILLES: Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatias and St. Martin. These Caribbean islands are a popular travel destination, as some Americans no doubt will know. All islands except Aruba are still part of the Dutch Kingdom and are governed by an appointed governor.
Again, Dutch is the official language, but a lot of people speak English, Spanish and a mixture of the three languages called Papiamento.
INDONESIA was part of the Dutch colonial past until 1949 when it became independent. Back then it was called the Netherlands Indies and was considered valuable because of its spices.
The independence caused a group of Indonesians to move to the Netherlands, which now constitutes one of the many immigrant groups that have integrated into the Dutch culture. Other major groups are: Moroccan, Turk and as mentioned Surinam.
When I came to the US my taste for Chinese food was mostly influenced by the Indonesian cuisine as a lot of "Chinese" restaurants in the Netherlands combine Chinese and Indonesian cuisine. I was surprised not to be able to find Sateh, Loempia or Pisang Goreng, but I have started to appreciate Chow Mein and other good stuff.
The early European settlers in SOUTH AFRICA around 1650 were mostly Dutch and were called Boers (Boer is Dutch for farmer). Their language Afrikaans was mostly derived from Dutch. In fact the infamous word Apartheid means the same in Dutch. With some difficulty we can understand one another, but the languages have grown apart quite a bit.
South Africa became more English influenced from the early 1800s and English is an important language these days, although most native Africans speak their own language (e.g. Zulu).
The link with the New World (AMERICA) was short-lived. Only for a brief moment in history could the New World be considered Dutch. Peter Stuyvesant (not a cigarette brand then) was the governor when New Netherland was surrendered to the British in 1664.
A few things about New York, which was called Nieuw (New) Amsterdam then, still remind us of its Dutch heritage. Brooklyn comes from the small town of Breukelen. Wall street gets its name from the Dutch word for berth or dock. The Bowery was named for mr. Stuyvesant's farm.
Although never a Dutch colony, the Netherlands and JAPAN have had a long lasting and exclusive trading relationship, which started 400 years ago when the Empire was sealed off to the outside world. The Dutch managed to set up a trade with Japan that was mutually beneficial. The city of Nagasaki has a permanent display of Dutch life in those days called Nagasaki Holland Village.
Although he only landed on the small island off the coast of AUSTRALIA, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman - for whom Tasmania was named - was basically the first European to set foot on the Australian continent.
Interestingly, the relationships with parts of the world stem from the Dutch being a seagoing and trading nation back in the 1600s and 1700s. Also, interestingly, we lost some of these colonies to the British, whom we rivaled for dominance over the seas.
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