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Small country, big power

The Netherlands is a relatively small country, with a total area of 41 526 km². The country borders the North Sea on one side, with a coastline of 451 km, and Germany and Belgium on the other. Three important rivers flow through the Netherlands - the Rhine, the Meuse and the Scheldt.

The Netherlands is the 24th most densely populated country in the world, with 17.74 million people currently living there. The country has no cities with a population of over 1 million, the largest being Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, but the government is based in The Hague.

Flat topography

The Netherlands is a lowland country. These lowlands have been formed mainly from sediments carried by rivers. The average altitude of the country is 10 meters above sea level. The highest point is 322.5 meters above sea level. When the lake between Rotterdam and Gouda was drained in 1841, the present-day polder was created - with the lowest point in the Netherlands being at 6.76 meters below sea level. Interestingly, the western side of the Netherlands is subject to a downward movement, with the area dropping 10 cm every 100 years.

Holland or the Netherlands?

In October 2019, the Dutch authorities decided to drop the English-language term 'Holland' in favor of the name 'The Netherlands', and the implementation of the change started at the beginning of 2020. This change is internal to Dutch institutions, universities, offices and embassies, and does not involve an appeal to other countries to apply a similar change to their languages.

More interesting facts about the Netherlands

The bicycle is a means of transport that the Netherlands are famous for. The Dutch have three times as many bicycles as cars, and there are around 35 000 km of cycle paths in the country. On average, a Dutch bicycle travels 1,000 km in a year, with youths cranking out 2,000 km a year.

The Netherlands is the world's largest exporter of Tulips. In 2017, the country exported $2 billion worth of tulips. Tulips, however, are not native to the Netherlands but were imported from Turkey in the 16th century. Tulip bulbs grow very well in Dutch soil.

In the Netherlands, wooden windmills were used to drain water from the land. These were used for 600 years. Nowadays, flood protection is ensured through other methods, but there are still over 1,000 traditional windmills in function. The Dutch are also turning their attention to developing renewable energy sources to power their country.

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