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Netherlands
For many people 'the Netherlands' conjures up images of tulips, cheese and windmills. These associations are not exactly wrong; tulip bulbs and cheese are indeed two important Dutch export products, and you will still see many windmills that have been preserved. And besides these symbols, The Netherlands has much more to offer.
The word Netherlands means the Low Lands - a good name for a country where 60% of the people live below sea level! The Netherlands is a flat country which is criss-crossed with many rivers and canals, but has very few hills. Much of the land is so low that huge walls called dykes are used to hold the sea back.
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General Information
Official name
The Kingdom of the Netherlands
Geographic Location
Western Europe bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany
Capital and largest city
Amsterdam
750 000 inhabitants
Area
41 528 sq km
Population
16.5 Million
Time Zone
GMT + 1
Currency
Euro
Official language
Dutch (Most Dutch speak pretty good English and many of them speak German and french)
Neighbouring countries
Germany, Belgium
Highest point
Vaalserberg (322 m)
Lowest point
Zuidplaspolder (-7 m)
Longest river
Rhine
Landing place
Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Groningen
Ethnic groups
Dutch 80.9%,
Germans 2.4%,
Indonesians 2.4%,
Surinamese 2%,
others 12.3%
Religion
Roman Catholic 31%, Protestant 22%,
Muslim 4%, other 4%,
no religion 39%