did the netherlands ever colonize anyone or be colonized themselves?

Question

has the netherlands ever been colonized or have they ever colonized?????

Answer 1

Indonesia, Suriname and 6 islands or part thereof in the Caribbeans, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, St Maarten, St Eustacius and Saba, have been colonies for a long time, the six islands are still part of the kingdom of the Netherlands.

See this map to see which areas have been Dutch colonies at one time:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/NetherlandsEmpire.png
Note the many little dots, a lot of the 'colonies' were just trade posts rather than to occupy the country.

In the time what is now the Netherlands were part of other countries there where no Colonies. Countries just expanded or split, often through marriage of the king or at the time of his death.
Netherlands have been occupied by France (Napoleon,) and Germany, (Hitler) but neither has been seen as being a colony.

Answer 2

The Dutch were big-time, but in a much nicer way. They did not send huge armies like the later imperialist powers did, and the State was not intimately involved. The Dutch were primarily involved for trade, not imperial expansionism.

Private individuals invested in numerous enterprises, in an attempt to get a return on investment from global trade. New Amsterdam was an example of this. It was a "company," not a colony or nation of it's own. It was later named "New York" when the Imperial British came on the scene.

European Imperialists (and their armed forces) took over much of the Dutch companies' holdings. The Dutch retained their hold on the Dutch East Indies, some islands in the Caribbean, and that was about it.

Most all influential American leaders have had some lines of Dutch Ancestry, in politics, industry, or technology.

Answer 3

The Dutch had colonies in parts of what is now the United States. Peter Stuyvesant famously 'purchased' what is now Manhattan from natives for a paltry amount of trinkets. They also colonized parts of Central America and Africa.

I wouldn't say Holland was ever anyone's colony, but the Dutch were occupied by one outsider or another at times.

Answer 4

Yes and yes, although with certain if's and but's

The Netherlands were probably first colonized by the Batavians, a Germanic tribe

Later by the Roman Empire (the southern half, not the northern half)


Dutch "colonies" and/or trading posts included;

In the Americas;

Parts of what is now New York City, New York State, Connecticut, Delaware. (Nieuw Nederland and Nieuw Amsterdam)

Suriname

Guyana

Brazil

Chile

Dutch Antilles (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, St-Maarten, etc)

Virgin Islands

Tobago


Various African territories... Suid Afrikaans or the (white) South African language is still very close to Dutch as are many of the names of South African cities...


Asia;

Indonesia

Formosa (Taiwan)

Malacca (now West-Malaysia)

Deshima (Artificial island of Japan near Nagasaki)

Australia (Nieuw Holland)

Ceylon (Sri Lanka)


the list goes on...

Here's a map with former Dutch territories

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:DutchEmpire.png

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_empire

..

Answer 5

They colonized New York - look at names like the Catskills, Harlem, Stuyvesant. I don't know if this counts as colonization, but the Dutch were ruled by Spain for quite a while before winning thier independence - UPN!

Answer 6

The only way that humans will ever leave earth to live elsewhere is by terraforming another planet in our solar system (mars is the only suitable candidate). Humans will most likely never reach another star, because even the closest is lightyears away, which would take us literally forever to travel... If we can form an atmosphere around mars, then it is possible. If not, then humans will never live off of earth. The logistics of living without an atmosphere are too complicated - carrying oxygen everywhere you go, having to be extremely cautious with every movement so you dont tear your suit and expose yourself to the vaccuum of space, staying out of the 200 degree sun (and the minus 180 degree shade)...

Answer 7

Most or all of what is now Indonesia, I think.

And weren't the Dutch the first Europeans in what is now New York? But was that even a colony in the strict sense?

Answer 8

i agree with willeke and Vicent. I remember some history back in highschool.

Answer 9

Oh, gosh, yes, all over the place.

Answer 10

South Africa, I think.