In terms of surface area, the Netherlands is a small country, but has a large variety of regional dialects. The dialects are by no means a simplification of the Standard Dutch, but just like Standard Dutch they are a variety of Dutch. Considering these dialects, one can say the Netherlands is a multilingual country.

The official language in the Netherlands is Dutch. Apart from that we see Fries as the second official language, spoken in the northern province of Friesland (Fryslân). Apart from Dutch, also Papiamento and English are recognized as official languages in Bonaire, St-Eustasius and Saba. Moreover, four other languages are recognized in the Netherlands as regional or non-0territorial languages (Limburgs, Lowlands Saxon, Yiddish and Sinti-Romanes). This way the cultural heritage of the Netherlands is fostered via European agreements.