Netherlands GeneralThe Netherlands is a a country in western Europe on the North Sea. The Netherlands borders with Germany and Belgium. The climate is temperate. The Netherlands is a kingdom and the official name is "Kingdom of the Netherlands". It consist of the Netherlands and six islands in the Caribbean Sea: Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles. TopographyThe land is flat and low-lying except in the far south where rolling hills are found. Main rivers are the Maas (from Belgium), the Rijn (from Germany) and the Schelde (from Belgium). In the north and the southwest, the country has many islands, most of them below sea level (about 30%). The country is vulnerable to sea and river flooding. There are many bridges for traffic in north-south directions and often the term "above or below the large rivers" can be heard. ClimateThe climate is a temperate, sea climate in most of the country except the far east and the far south where winters are colder and summers hotter. In the summer often periods with rain and strong winds are followed by very dry and hot periods. These extremes are probably caused by global warming. Population, languages and religionThe 16.100.000 inhabitants live in an area of about 42.000 square kilometers. The language spoken is Dutch; most of the population has a working knowledge of English. In the larger cities also Turkish, Moroccan, Chinese and Papiamento can be heard in some areas. In the far north and the far south dialects like Frisian and Limburgs are used. The Netherlands is one of the worlds most densely populated countries. Planners and architects are often studying the way in which the Dutch manages the country limited land resources. The population is split into Catholics and Protestants since the 16th century. The border between them runs roughly diagonally across the country from the southwest to the northeast. The part to the north was is mainly Protestant and the part to the south mainly Catholic. The Protestant community is divided into many smaller denominations ranging from extreme to liberal. Since the 1960ties many Muslims from Morocco and Turkey have come to the Netherlands and there are now more then 1 million Muslims living in the country. There is freedom of religion and church and state are separated but many Dutch inhabitants have abandoned relation altogether. The Dutch language is used by over 22 million people in the Netherlands and Belgium and is the official language for government and in education. Capital and main citiesThe capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam and its major port is Rotterdam. Important cities are Utrecht, Groningen, Den Haag, Eindhoven, Nijmegen en Maastricht. Customs, travel documents and goods transferHealth care and hygieneHealth care does not meet the West-European standards and it is advised to take a supply of medicines with you when you plan to stay longer. Currency, mains and InternetThe national currency is the Euro. Public transportation The main international airport - Schiphol - is located about 10 kilometers south of Amsterdam. Other airports are at Rotterdam, Groningen, Eindhoven en Maastricht. Private transportation Roads are usually in good condition, but highways are very crowded especially in the western part. Traffic queues are part of daily live. Hotels and hostelsThere are about 2,3 thousand hotels in the Netherlands. They range from low budget hotels to very luxureous. Also many youth hostels, pensions, b&b's and campings can be found all over the country. Consult the Europe Travel Guides for a detailed listing of all accommodation for a city.
|