The Netherlands Empire was formed at the beginning of the XVII century. Its appearance was made possible as a result of numerous trade, research, as well as colonial expeditions. Once upon a time, it included various territories located around the world. Throughout the history of its existence, this empire has made many enemies, and the British Empire has become the main one. Unfortunately, the entire list of colonies in the Netherlands cannot be placed in one small article, but read on about the largest and most significant ones.
Overseas possessions on the African continent
One of the most famous and important outposts in the west of the mainland was the so-called Slave Coast, which was once located on the territories of such modern states as Nigeria, Ghana, Togo and Benin. These lands were owned by the Dutch West Indies Company. This trading post supplied slaves to plantation colonies located in America. The Dutch managed to gain a foothold on the Slave coast by creating their post in 1660 in Offre. A little later, trade was moved to Widou, but because of the unrest that had begun, it had to continue in Yakima, where the Dutch erected Fort Zealand. In 1760, they had to leave the last of the trading posts located in the area.
Among the African colonies of the Netherlands was Dutch Guinea (now the territory of Ghana), which was also called the Gold Coast. It consisted of several forts and trading posts, where in 1637-1871 slave trade flourished. It was led basically by the same West Indies company. The climate of these lands was not suitable for Europeans, since most of them soon died of yellow fever, malaria and other exotic diseases. At the beginning of the XIX century, the slave trade was stopped, which negatively affected the economy of the colony. They tried to establish plantations here, but they turned out to be unprofitable. In April 1871, the Dutch and British signed the Sumatran Treaty, according to which the Gold Coast was transferred to the ownership of Great Britain, which paid 47 thousand guilders for it. Thus, they lost their last possessions on the African continent.
Colonies of the Netherlands in America
It is interesting that among the overseas territories that belonged to the Dutch, there was once a modern New York, whose name originally sounded like New Amsterdam. Its founder is Willem Verhulst, one of the directors of the West Indies company. It was he who, in 1625, chose Manhattan Island to bookmark this settlement, which was purchased from the Indian leader of the Manahatta tribe for 60 guilders (equivalent to today's 500-700 US dollars). This settlement officially became a city in 1653, i.e. 27 years after its foundation. Dutch rule here ended in 1674 after the signing of the Westminster Treaty, according to which New York passed to the British.
Colonies of the Netherlands were not only in North, but also in South America. Dutch Brazil occupied a fairly large territory, located along the northern coast of the continent. Since 1624, taking advantage of the fact that Portugal was occupied by the Spaniards, the West Indies Company began to gradually capture the northeast of Brazil. The capital of these lands was the city of Mauritsstad (now Risifi). It was here that the headquarters of this Dutch company began to be located. After the Portuguese state was restored in 1640, it immediately began to recapture previously lost possessions. At the beginning of 1654, the Dutch had to leave Brazil.
Colonies in the Far East
In 1590, the Portuguese visited an island located off the coast of China. They called it Formosa (modern Taiwan). After 36 years, the Dutch first appeared on this earth, led by Jan Kun, and then the Spaniards, who made an attempt to take possession of it. However, the East India Company managed to expel competitors from the island and make it theirs. In 1661, refugees from China began to arrive here, who remained faithful to the Ming dynasty that had been overthrown by then. They were led by rebellious Admiral Zheng Chenggong. The Dutch had to capitulate and leave the island forever.
In addition to Formosa, the Netherlands empire in China had several more strong points: Amoy, Macau, Canton and Hainan. The Dutch also had a trading port of Dejima, which is an artificial island located in the Japanese bay of Nagasaki.
Colonies of the Netherlands in Asia
Here were the so-called Dutch India. This concept included three different colonies at once:
- Land directly on the Hindustan Peninsula. These are Surat, Bengal, Malabar and Coromandel shores. They have been subordinate to the Dutch since 1605. Their capital was the city of Cochin, located on the Malabar coast. The first trading post was located in Chinsuran. Various spices, opium and salt were traded here. These now former colonies of the Netherlands were freed back in 1825.
- East Indies, and now Indonesia. She was considered the best of all the colonies of the Netherlands. In the second half of the 20th century, as a result of the struggle for independence, Indonesia finally gained freedom.
- Netherlands Antilles (West Indies).
Interesting facts about the Dutch in Australia
The island of Tasmania, located near the Australian mainland, was discovered by Abel Tasman. The Dutchman named it the Van Diemen Land in honor of the governor of the East Indies, who sent him on an expedition. Many colonies of the Netherlands eventually came under British jurisdiction. So it happened with this island. In 1803, the British organized a penal colony here.
A land called New Holland (Australia) was never developed. The fact is that the Dutch sailors, having studied the coastal part, did not find anything interesting from the point of view of commercial benefits. They arrived either from the north or west side of the mainland, where the lands were barren and swampy. In July 1629, the Batavia ship, owned by the East India Company, crashed at the cliffs of Hautman. Surviving sailors built a small fort here, which became the first European building on Australian soil. Subsequently, colonies were still organized here, but by the British.
Conclusion
This huge colonial empire in different periods of its history either lost land, or acquired new ones. She was forced to cede many territories to Great Britain. After World War II, the Antilles colony was disbanded, and today only Curacao, Aruba and Sint Maarten remain Dutch. In addition to them, still under the jurisdiction of the Netherlands there are three more located in the Caribbean. These are Sint Eustatius, Saba and Bonaire.