The Netherlands was a major colonial power from the 17th century. The VOC (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie — Dutch East India Company, 1602-1799) was the first multinational corporation and dominated trade from Asia to Africa. Dutch colonies included what is now Indonesia (Nederlands-Indië), Suriname, the Caribbean islands (the Dutch Antilles — now Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba), South Africa (where Dutch settlers became Afrikaners), and parts of North America (Nieuw-Amsterdam, now New York).
The colonial legacy in language: Indonesian Dutch (Indische Nederlands) influenced Dutch vocabulary. Words like amok (from Malay), bamboe, rijsttafel (rice table — an Indonesian multi-dish meal developed under colonialism), mokka, and many others entered Dutch from colonial languages. Surinamese Dutch and Antillean Dutch are distinct varieties. Papiamentu (spoken in Curaçao and Bonaire) and Sranantongo (Surinamese creole) both have Dutch elements.
Colonial history is a topic of ongoing reckoning in the Netherlands. The Dutch government formally apologised for slavery in 2022. Museums like the Rijksmuseum and Tropenmuseum are actively reconsidering how colonial-era collections are displayed. Words like slavernij (slavery), koloniaal verleden (colonial past), herstel (reparations/restoration), and historisch onrecht (historical injustice) are increasingly common in Dutch public discourse. Understanding this history is important for understanding contemporary Dutch society and its diversity.