Information about the NetherlandsThe Netherlands is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba in the Caribbean.
The Netherlands is often called Holland however North and South Holland are merely two of its twelve provinces. The word Dutch is used to refer to the people, the language, and anything indigenous to the Netherlands.
The Netherlands is famous for being low-lying. About 27% of its area and 60% of its population is located below sea level. Many areas have been gained through land reclamation and preserved through an elaborate systems of polders and dikes. Most of the country is very flat, with the exception of foothills of the Ardennes in the far south–east and several low-hill ranges in the central parts created by ice-age glaciers.
The Netherlands is a densely populated country. It is popular for its traditional windmills, tulips, cheese, clogs (wooden shoes), delftware and gouda pottery, for its bicycles, and in addition, traditional values and civil virtues such as its classic social tolerance.
Major cities include Amsterdam, Rotterdam, 's-Gravenhage (The Hague), Utrecht, Eindhoven, Tilburg, Groningen, Almere, Breda, Nijmegen, Apeldoorn, Enschede, Haarlem, Arnhem, E Zaanstad, 's-Hertogenbosch, Amersfoort, Haarlemmermeer and Maastricht |
