The Dutch language (or Nederlands, pronounced [‘næðer’lands] in Dutch) is a West Germanic language closely related in its roots with German and English. Dutch is the official and foremost language of the Netherlands, a nation of 16.7 million people of whom 96 percent speak Dutch as their mother tongue and approximately 4 million people as a second language. Dutch is spoken also in the Northern part of Belgium, where it is often called Flemish. Writing system: Latin (Dutch alphabet) Official language in: Aruba, Belgium, Curaçao, Netherlands, Sint Maarten, Suriname, Benelux, European Union, Union of South American Nations