The language used in the Netherlands is Dutch, where along with Frisian, it is the official language. Similarly, it's one of the three official languages of Belgium (along with French and German) where it is called Flemish. Dutch likewise enjoys official-language status in Suriname, a South American country colonized by the Netherlands in the 17th century.
Islands in the Netherlands Antilles, including Sint Maarten, Curaçao, Sint Eustatius, and Bonaire, use Dutch as their language of administration. Worldwide, 29 million people speak Dutch; 24 million are native speakers. Part of the West Germanic language group, Dutch is closely related to German and English.
