Netherlands is a beautiful country, with plenty of flat landscapes, mild weather, canals, beautiful fields of tulips, windmills and cycling routes. With 412.1 inhabitants per km 2 (estimate / year 2018), it is also known as the Netherlands, its official name. The country is not among the most chosen by Brazilians for travel. So today you will know everything about the Netherlands and be enchanted.
All about Holland: where the country is
The Netherlands, or the Netherlands as it has been officially called since 2019, is located in Western Europe and borders Belgium and Germany.
Low altitude country
It is a low-lying country, and much of the population lives in areas below sea level. Because of this, the Dutch had to learn to tame water from an early age, building dykes and optimizing natural resources, even an entire province was made artificially, pushing water.
Flevoland was made between the 50s and 60s, and officially established as a province in 1986.
Brief history of the Netherlands
If you want to know everything about the Netherlands, you should know a little about the country’s history.
In the 1st century BC, Holland was inhabited by Germans. Between the 4th and 8th centuries, much of the territory was conquered by the Franks and, a while later, passed it to the hands of the House of Burgundy and the Austrian Habsburgs.
In 1579, the seven northern Dutch provinces became the Republic of the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands. The 17th century is considered the “golden age” of the Netherlands. In this period, they become a great maritime and colonial power.
Among other achievements, the paintings of “Old Masters” appeared, including Rembrandt and Vermeer. His works, along with those of artists like Mondrian and Van Gogh, are currently being exhibited in museums in the Netherlands and the world.
Apex and decline
In the 17th century, the Dutch became a maritime and commercial power, with settlements and colonies all over the world.
The decline of the Netherlands happened with the gradual loss of technological superiority, as well as the wars with Spain, France and England in the 17th and 18th centuries.
French domination
Holland spends a time of French domination, with the name of Batava Republic, and later, as Kingdom of Holland, ruled by Luís Bonaparte. And finally, it is annexed by France.
After Napoleon’s defeat in 1815, Holland and Belgium became the “United Kingdom of the Netherlands” under King Willem I. The Belgians withdrew from the union in 1830 to form their own kingdom.
World Wars
Holland was neutral in the First World War, but was invaded and occupied by Germany in the Second World War.
present
During the 20th century, a large part of the Dutch colonies gained independence. In 2010, the Kingdom of the Netherlands came to be formed by four countries: Holland, Aruba, St. Maarten and Curaçao.
Capital of the Netherlands
The capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam, a city with approximately 825 thousand inhabitants (2019 estimate).
The whole country has around 17.3 million inhabitants (2018 estimate), which may not be much in absolute numbers, but due to the small area, it makes Holland a very densely populated country, being one of the most populous in the country. Europe.
Where is Amsterdam
The city of Amsterdam is located in the province of North Holland, on the west side of the country.
The seat of government is not in Amsterdam
A curiosity of the country is that although the capital is Amsterdam, the seat of the government is in The Hague. The advantage is that anyone who wants to check out the Binnenhof, the Dutch parliament building, does not need to dispute space with the thousands of tourists that Amsterdam always receives.
Language of Holland
The official language is Dutch. However, a good part of the population also communicates in English. So, if you are just going to do tourism in the country and know how to speak English, don’t worry, as the general population speaks the language.
If you are going to live in the country, we recommend that you learn Dutch. It is also interesting to note that, as in Brazil, the accent and certain expressions also change from region to region.
Holland Culture
As we have seen, the official language is Dutch (Dutch), but almost the entire population speaks English and welcomes tourists very well. Holland is known for its beautiful tulips, windmills, the famous colorful wooden clogs, the delicious cheeses (Gouda and Edam) and the various bicycles.
Bicycles and public transport
At all train stations and around the city, there are huge bicycle parking lots and there is a government control that the bikes have circulation and are not abandoned. Every month, bicycles are inspected and those that have been abandoned are removed to free up space.
If you’re on the road, you can also rent bikes and experience what it’s like to be a Dutch citizen. Take advantage that the country is extremely flat and easy to locate.
Displacement is also efficient through public transport, which is clean, safe and quality.
The country of freedom and tolerance
The Netherlands is also known for freedom and tolerance. The country is very liberal about drugs, homosexuality, abortion and prostitution. In the capital Amsterdam, there is the Red Light District, where call girls stand in store windows waiting for customers, who are served right there (with the curtains closed, of course!).
Every country has a climate of extreme security, respect and a lot of freedom. People dress as they want, eat on the streets, walk and are free.
Everything about the Netherlands: other relevant cultural and social data
- Population (ethnic groups): Dutch 96%, Indonesians, Guyanese and another 4%;
- Religion: Christianity 54% (Catholics 33%, Dutch Reformist Church 14%, Calvinists 7%), Islam 4.1%, Hinduism 0.5%, without affiliation 39%, others 2.4%;
- Life expectancy at birth: 82 years (Pnud 2017);
- Illiteracy rate: 0.85% (reference: year 2017).
All about the Netherlands: currency and economy
The official currency of the Netherlands is the euro (since 2002) and the per capita income (GDP per capita) in the country is USD 55 thousand (reference: year 2018).
The country’s economy is one of the largest in the euro zone, known for its stable industrial relations, moderate inflation and unemployment. Check out the main data of the economy in the Netherlands:
- Agricultural products: beet, potatoes, cereals, vegetables and fruits;
- Livestock: cattle, pigs and poultry;
- Mining: natural gas and oil;
- Industry: food, chemical, petrochemical and machinery.
Netherlands map and divisions
The Netherlands is divided into 12 provinces, including the artificial province of Flevoland.
Provinces and capitals
Each province has its respective capital, which will not necessarily be the largest city in the region. See the names of the provinces and their respective capitals:
- Noord-Holland – Haarlem;
- Zuid-Holland – Den Haag;
- Noord-Brabant – Den Bosch;
- Limburg – Maastricht;
- Flevoland – Lelystad;
- Gelderland – Arnhem;
- Utrecht – Utrecht;
- Groningen – Groningen;
- Friesland – Leeuwarden;
- Zeeland – Middelburg;
- Drenthe – Assen;
- Overijssel – Zwolle.
Holland cities: bigger, better and more expensive
Biggest cities
- Amsterdam;
- Rotterdam;
- Hague;
- Utrecht;
- Eindhoven.
Cities with better quality of life
- Amsterdam;
- Hague;
- Rotterdam;
- Utrecht;
- Eindhoven.
Most expensive cities
Among the most expensive cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Haarlem and The Hague, large cities and / or close to the capital.
Netherlands Climate
The Dutch climate is classified as moderate maritime, with the four seasons well defined. But don’t expect three summer months with cracking heat, or a white, snowy winter.
In general, the seasons are much milder compared to other European countries. Summer is not so hot and winter is not so cold. It has average temperatures between 3º (in winter: between December and February) and 20º (in summer: in June and July).
The greatest constant in all seasons is rain. A good raincoat or waterproof jacket will be your best friends. Galoshes are optional.
Netherlands flag
It is seen that the flag of Holland is not the most creative. Consisting of 3 horizontal stripes of the same size: red (at the top), white (in the middle) and blue (at the bottom). It is the oldest tricolor flag in use.
Why orange is the official color of Holland
If the flag of Holland does not have the color orange, the question comes to mind: why is orange the official color of the country?
This is the official color of the royal family, Oranje-Nassau (you can see it by its name, right? Oranje … orange). Because of this, it ended up being adopted as the color of Holland. So much so that on King’s Day, the entire country dresses in orange and takes to the streets to celebrate King Willem-Alexander’s birthday, and this is simply the country’s feast of the year.
The Netherlands is different from the “Kingdom of the Netherlands”
The Netherlands is the territory in Europe, the main constituent of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which also contains Aruba, Curaçao and Sint-Maarten.
So it goes like this: The Netherlands is the Dutch territory in Europe which, together with Aruba, Curaçao and Sint-Maarten form the group known as “Kingdom of the Netherlands”.