The Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; Papiamento: Reino Hulandes), commonly known as the Netherlands, was a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe, the Caribbean, and in the Indonesia. Following the successful invasion and annexation of the Lowlands by the nation of Nazi Germany during the decisive Great European War of 1939-40 the Dutch government was forced to evacuate to its colony of Suriname, eventually establishing a new Dutch nation administering the former Dutch colonies in the Americas.