About the Netherlands

The Netherlands is…A country that the Dutch created in the delta of three large rivers, flowing into the North Sea…Where two thirds of GDP are earned below sea level…Where there used to be a lake almost two million acres wide where Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is today…Where innovative and daring solutions for water control protect half of the country against the risk of being flooded. It earned Holland a worldwide reputation…We know water.

The Netherlands is…A country that was in need of more land for agriculture…Where land was reclaimed from the sea and kept dry: the famous 'polders'. A country supposedly too cold to grow certain vegetables and flowers…Where greenhouses were invented as a solution to this problem. Where Dutch farmers now produced 2.5 times more food per acre than EU farmers produce on average…We know food and flowers.

The Netherlands is…A country that is the gateway to Europe…Connecting nearly half a billion consumers in the European hinterland to the world's producers…thanks to the world-class Port of Rotterdam, the internationally praised Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, an extensive network of waterways, Europe's strongest road transport sector and an extensive network of rail links…We know logistics.

The Netherlands is…A country with an open and cooperative attitude…Whose residents have always felt the need to explore what lies beyond its borders…Where the world's first multinational corporation originated in the 17th century. A country where, today, 87% of people who are 15 years or older speak English.

Facts & Figures

• Form of government: Constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy
• Capital city: Amsterdam
• Seat of government: The Hague
• Composition of country: 12 provinces, overseas territories of Aruba, Curacao and St. Martin
• Geography: 41,528 square kilometres, 7,745 of which is water.
• Highest point is 321 metres above sea level; lowest point is 6.7 metres below sea level.
• Language: Dutch
• Monetary unit: Euro
• Population: 16.7 million (July 2011)
• GDP: 705 billion US dollars ((2010)
• Per capita income: 42,478 US dollars (2010)
• Export partners: Germany 24.3%, Belgium 11.1%, UK 8.4%, France 8.9%, Italy 5.2%, US 4.5% (2009)
• Import partners: Germany 19.1%, Belgium 10 %, US 8.4%, China 8 %, UK 6.4%, France 5% (2009)
• Dutch investments abroad: 851 billion US dollars (2009)
• Foreign direct investment in the Netherlands: 597 billion US dollars (2009)
• Command of foreign languages: English 87%, German 66% and French 25%.
  
  

Did you know?

• Holland has the highest broadband connectivity in Europe
• Holland has the fastest internet connections in Europe
• Some 84% of Dutch households have a PC, and 80% have access to the Internet
• The Netherlands has almost 1,000 museums; the highest museum density in the world
• Frisian is the second official language of the Netherlands
  
  

Worldwide ranking

• 1st in production and auctioning of cut flowers and flower bulbs
• 1st in number of broadband connections per 100 inhabitants
• 1st in density of road network
• 2nd largest exporter of agricultural products
• 2nd in Quality of Water Transportation
• 4th largest seaport
• 4th in Logistics performance index
• 5th in overall export of goods
• 5th in investment abroad
• 7th largest importer of goods
• 8th in foreign direct investment in the Netherlands
• 10th in export of commercial services
• 10th in import of commercial services
  
  

Related links

• Statistics Netherlands: www.cbs.nl
• Dutch national government: www.government.nl
• Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation: english.minlnv.nl
• Netherlands Tourism Bureau: www.holland.com
• Amsterdam: www.iamsterdam.com
• Rotterdam: www.rotterdam.info