Netherlands by Marina Miller

Interesting to know

mcmiller0215 — 2017-02-14 04:03:45 UTC

Wooden shoes or clogs or "Klompen" have been popular in the Netherlands for about 700 years as industrial footwear worn by farmers, fishermen, factory workers, artisans and others to protect their feet from injury and keep them dry.

National Coat of Arms

mcmiller0215 — 2017-02-14 04:03:45 UTC

Government

mcmiller0215 — 2017-02-14 04:03:45 UTC

The government of the Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy.

King's Day (for 2014, the holiday will be on 26 April; thereafter it will fall on the King's Birthday of 27 April (1967))

civil law system based on the French system; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General

Chief of state: King WILLEM-ALEXANDER (since 30 April 2013)

Head of government: Prime Minister Mark RUTTE (since 14 October 2010)

Queen Beatrix announced that her son Willem-Alexander, age 45, would succeed her to the throne. On April 30, 2013, he became the first king the Netherlands has had in 123 years. The last king was his great-great-grandfather, William III, in 1890.

Flag

mcmiller0215 — 2017-02-14 04:03:45 UTC

The colors were those of WILLIAM I, Prince of Orange; originally the upper band was orange, but because it tended to fade to red over time, the red shade was eventually made the permanent color; the banner is perhaps the oldest tricolor in continuous use

Basic Geography

mcmiller0215 — 2017-02-14 04:03:45 UTC

The total area of the Netherlands is about 16,033 sq mi. It is located in Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany

It is one of the flattest countries, with the highest point on continental Netherlands being Vaalserberg at only 1059 ft.

Capital

mcmiller0215 — 2017-02-14 04:03:45 UTC

Amsterdam is the Netherlands capital with about 1 million of the population living here.

Currency

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Euro

What you might not know...

mcmiller0215 — 2017-02-14 04:03:45 UTC

The Dutch are the tallest in the world with an average height of 6'1" for men and 5' 6" for women. Some believe its the combined result of DNA and dairy.

History

mcmiller0215 — 2017-02-14 04:03:45 UTC

The Netherlands name actually came from the roots "nether", meaning low-lying, and "lands" meaning region or country.

The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU) and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. In October 2010, the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and the three smallest islands - Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba - became special municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands of Sint Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent countries forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

ybrasheva — 2017-02-14 04:03:45 UTC

Environment

mcmiller0215 — 2017-02-14 04:03:45 UTC

The Netherlands has water pollution in the form of heavy metals, organic compounds, and nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates; air pollution from vehicles and refining activities; acid rain

Queen Beatrix

mcmiller0215 — 2017-02-14 04:03:45 UTC

Queen Beatrix abdicated on April 30, 2013, which is Queen's Day or Koninginnedag, a national holiday in the Netherlands.

At age 75, Queen Beatrix was the oldest reigning monarch of the Netherlands.

She also is quite adorable and has an extremely luxurious hat collection in my opinion. (See attachment)

Point of Interest

ybrasheva — 2017-02-14 04:03:45 UTC

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Point of Interest

mcmiller0215 — 2017-02-14 04:03:46 UTC

Keukenhof is the most beautiful spring garden in the world. More than seven million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths fill over 32 hectares with color and fragrance. Also known as the Garden of Europe, it is the world's second largest flower garden following Dubai Miracle Garden.

Point of Interest

mcmiller0215 — 2017-02-14 04:03:46 UTC

Interesting to know

ybrasheva — 2017-02-14 04:03:46 UTC

The Netherlands has more than 2,485 mi. of navigable canals, rivers, and lakes.

ybrasheva — 2017-02-14 04:03:46 UTC

National Anthem

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Ehtinicity in the Netherlands

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Dutch 80.7%, EU 5%, Indonesian 2.4%, Turkish 2.2%, Surinamese 2%, Moroccan 2%, Caribbean 0.8%, other 4.8%

Religions

mcmiller0215 — 2017-02-14 04:03:46 UTC

Christian (Roman Catholic 28%, Protestant 19%) , other 11% (includes about 5% Muslim and lesser numbers of Hindu, Buddhist, Jehovah's Witness, and Orthodox), none 42%

Climate

mcmiller0215 — 2017-02-14 04:03:46 UTC

The weather is temperate, marine, with cool summers and mild winters.

Population

mcmiller0215 — 2017-02-14 04:03:46 UTC

Almost 17 million people live in the Netherlands

Major Cities

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1. Amsterdam

2. The Hague

3. Rotterdam

4. Utrecht

5. Eindhoven

Languages

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Dutch is the official language.

Map of the Netherlands

mcmiller0215 — 2017-02-14 04:03:46 UTC