Dutch people

The Dutch (Dutch:  Nederlanders ), occasionally referred to as Netherlanders, a term that is cognate to the Dutch word for Dutch people, "Nederlanders" are a Germanicethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Curaçao, Argentina, Brazil, Canada,Australia,South Africa,New Zealand, and the United States.

In the Middle Ages, the Low Countries were situated around the border of France and the Holy Roman Empire, forming a part of their respective peripheries, and the various territories of which they consisted had de facto become virtually autonomous by the 13th century. Under the Habsburgs, the Netherlands were organised into a single administrative unit, and in the 16th and 17th centuries the Northern Netherlands gained independence from Spain as the Dutch Republic. The high degree of urbanization characteristic of Dutch society was attained at a relatively early date. During the Republic the first series of large scale Dutch migrations outside of Europe took place.