INFORMATION ABOUT THE NETHERLANDS

 

DID YOU KNOW?

  • netherlands> The Netherlands and Holland are the same place?
  • > One-quarter of Holland is below sealevel?
  • > The International Court of Justice (at the Peace Palace) and the International Criminal Court are both in The Hague?
  • > Holland still has around a thousand old-fashioned working windmills? 
  • > Holland is the third biggest exporter of agricultural produce,
  • trailing only the US and France, even though only 3% of the Dutch population works in the agriculture sector?
  • > Holland has no less than 15,000 km of cycle paths?
  • > Flevoland, the twelfth province, was reclaimed from the Zuider Zee in 1986?
  • > The Dutch are the tallest people in Europe? 
  • > Amsterdam is built entirely on piles?
  • > Holland always has a coalition government, so it is a land of compromise?
  • > Every Dutch person has a bike and there are twice as many bikes as cars?
  • > The Van Gogh collections in the Van Gogh Museum and the Kröller-Müller Museum are the largest in the world?
  • > Holland has the highest concentration of museums in the world, with 42 in Amsterdam alone? 
  • > Holland was one of the six founding members of the European Community? 
  • > The former island of Schokland, the fortifications around Amsterdam, the windmills of Kinderdijk-Elshout, Willemstad (in the Netherlands Antilles) and the Rietveld-Schröderhuis are all on UNESCO's World Heritage List? 
  • > The highest point in Holland is 323 metres above sea level, and is referred to as a 'mountain'? 
  • > Amsterdam is the capital, but the government is in The Hague? 
  • > Most Dutch people speak a foreign language as well as Dutch?
  • > Rotterdam is the second largest port in the world?
  • > Holland is 6.7 metres below sea level at its lowest point?
  • > Amsterdam has 1,281 bridges?
  • > Prince Willem-Alexander, the heir to the Dutch throne, takes personal interest in water management?
  • > When you arrive at Schiphol Airport, you are four metres below sealevel? 
  • > Holland has more than 4,400 km of navigable rivers, canals and lakes?

 

WATER (How Holland lives with water)

For anyone interested in the subject of water, a visit to Holland will be attractive. Holland is a country of water. As the French put it: 'God created the world, but the Dutch made Holland'. A quarter of Holland is below sea level. Tourists arriving at Schiphol Airport are more than four meters below sea level. The many canals, lakes, dykes, bridges and polders give the Netherlands its special character. The country is an extensive network of waterways, all sorts of accommodation on and near the water, many maritieme museums, picturesque old towns and many attractions and events on the water. 

 

WEATHER

Lots of tourists visit Holland in summer. No doubt this is the best time of the year to sit by the canals or take a bike trip through the country. Spring is a good time to visit too, as the bulb flowers are in full bloom in this season. April is the best month for daffodils, May for tulips. The Keukenhof flower exhibition is a wonderful place to visit during spring. 

Rain is spread pretty evenly over the year, so there is not much point in trying to avoid the Dutch drizzle. If it gets cold enough during wintertime for the canals and waterways to freeze over, the Dutch enjoy skating on the canals and flood plains.

 

RELIGION

Freedom of religion and religious beliefs is a fundamental right in Holland. This means that people are free to worship as they choose, either individually or in groups, provided they remain within the boundaries imposed by the law and respect others (for example with regard to noise levels, health hazards and disturbances of the peace). In Holland, church and state are separate. The government does not interfere in the internal affairs of organizations that profess religious or philosophical beliefs, and the latter do not interfere with matters of state. There are approximately 400 mosques and prayer centers in Holland (245 Turkish, 130 Moroccan and 25 Surinamese). Islamic burial grounds have also been established in many places.

 

ECONOMY

The Dutch economy is one of the strongest in the world, and it is the sixth biggest within the European Union. The sectors contributing the most are services (50%), industry (36%), government (9%), agriculture and fisheries (3%) and mining (2%). The Dutch economy and business community have a strong international focus, and over half of the country's Gross National Product comes from international trade.