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Netherlands
The Netherlands (abreviation 'NL') (also commonly called Holland
in English; i.e. in reference to the two provinces of that name
in the west of the Netherlands; in Dutch Noord-Holland (North-Holland)
and Zuid-Holland (South-Holland)) is a Benelux country in Western
Europe, facing onto the North Sea and the United Kingdom and
bordered on land by Germany and Belgium. The people, language,
and culture of the Netherlands are referred to as "Dutch".
Regions
The Netherlands is administratively divided into 12 provinces
(provincies). The western part (Holland) is the most industrialized
and about half of the population lives in and around this area.
It consists of
-
North-Holland
-
South-Holland
-
Utrecht
-
Flevoland, the newest province (IJsselmeerpolders;
created from the formerly Southern Sea)
The Randstad is a collective name for the urban areas of North-Holland,
South-Holland and Utrecht (province) - Almere in Flevoland
is often included.
The northern Netherlands is the least densely populated
region:
-
Friesland
-
Groningen
-
Drenthe
N.B. The West Frisian Islands (Waddeneilanden in Dutch), five
inhabited islands off the north coast, lie in three provinces
(North-Holland, Friesland, Groningen).
The eastern provinces are
The southern Netherlands have a distinct cultural identity
because the population is (or was) largely Catholic. The three
provinces are
-
North-Brabant - central southern area bordering
Belgium
-
Limburg - southern province bordering Belgium
and Germany
-
Zeeland -consists of islands, and a coastal
area bordering Belgium.
Cities
The Netherlands has many cities and towns of interest to travelers.
Below is a list of the most notable (because of population size,
status as provincial capital, or historical reasons)
- Amsterdam - Capital city of the Netherlands
with impressive architecture, lovely canals ("grachten")
that criss-cross the city (a bit like a spiderweb) and great
shopping. There is something for every traveler's taste here,
whether you prefer culture and history, serious partying,
or just the relaxing charm of an old European city.
- Alkmaar - This city, north of Amsterdam
in the so-called 'West-Frisian region', preserves the 17th-century
pattern of canals and narrow streets, and has many historic
buildings. Inland is a historic agricultural landscape, with
17th century polders: one (De Beemster) is a UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
- Almere - Country's newest and fastest
growing city. It is expected to become the fifth largest city
in a few years time. Founded in 1981 and built below sea-level
on the polderland in the province of Flevoland.
- Assen - Capital of the province of
Drenthe
- Arnhem - Capital of the province of
Gelderland
- Breda - historic city in south of
Netherlands, with beautiful historic buildings but also pretty
modern architecture.
- Delft - Historic city between The
Hague and Rotterdam. It's a beautiful, unspoiled town with
traditional architecture, canals, bikes, and the world famous
blue and white ceramics.
Eindhoven - This city has grown from a little village in 1232
to one of the largest cities in the Netherlands with over
210,000 inhabitants in 2005. Much of its growth is due to
Philips and DAF Trucks. In 1891, brothers Gerard and Anton
Philips founded a small light bulb factory that would grow
into one of the largest electronics firms in the world. Nowadays
Eindhoven is a mix of old industrial factories and modern
architecture. Its slogan nowadays is 'Leading in Technology'
and 'Brainport of the Netherlands'.
- Groningen - Capital of the province
of Groningen. One of the older cities in the North of the
Netherlands: Groningen was founded around 1100 and has a rich
history, which can clearly be told from the old medieval buildings
in the downtown area. Groningen won the award of 'best city
center' in the category of 'large cities' for 2006.
Haarlem - Historic city and capital of the province of North-Holland.
Haarlem is the center of a flower-growing district and the
export point for flower bulbs. The famous Keukenhof gardens
is nearby.
- The Hague/'s-Gravenhage (Den Haag)
- Seat of the Dutch government, place of residence of the
Queen, Juridical Capital of the World due to the seat of the
International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court,
Peace Palace and some other International Institutions. Also
capital of the province of South-Holland and the third largest
city of the country. The Hague offers great architecture,
some of it picturesque, such as the medieval government complex
of the Binnenhof, some grand and stately, like the mansions
on Lange Voorhout. The museums in the city rank among the
best in the country.
- 's-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch)- Historic
city and capital of the province of North-Brabant.
Leiden - Known for the oldest university in the country, the
birthplace of Rembrandt and for it's beautiful, old city center
which is the second biggest after Amsterdam and a plethora
of pubs.
- Leeuwarden - Capital of the province
of Friesland and home of CHN University.
- Lelystad - Capital of the country's
newest province: Flevoland, a part of the Noordoostpolder
in the IJsselmeer, created on the bottom of the formerly Zuiderzee
('Southern Sea').
Maastricht - Historic city in the very south of the country
and capital of the province of Limburg. Great shopping areas
and many pubs in the city centre. Said to be one of the most
beautiful cities in the Netherlands. Maastricht, however,
is quite different in style and architecture than traditional
Dutch cities. Most 'Burgundic' city, founded by the Romains
and second eldest city of the country. Nowadays it hosts a
large amount of European and international institutions.
- Middelburg - Capital of the province
of Zeeland
- Nijmegen - Oldest city of the Netherlands
(dates back to Roman times; said to be founded in the year
6 after Christ), known internationally for its '4 Day Marches'
(120-200 km's) including '7day Summer-festivities', it's often
left-wing politics, and it's large student population.
Rotterdam - The city was known for having the world's largest
harbor, but lost the title in 2004 to Shanghai. Still it is
the countries second largest city. It may feel difficult to
get in touch with the heart of Rotterdam; its natural center
was bombed away during WW2 in 1940, forcing the city to renew
itself completely. The result is a lot of modern architecture.
- Utrecht - Capital of the province
of Utrecht. Utrecht is a central Dutch city with a long history.
With 290,000 inhabitants it's the fourth largest city in the
Netherlands. The history of the city goes back to 47 AD when
the Roman emperor Claudius ordered his general Corbulo to
build a defense line along the river Rhine whitch was the
northern most border of the empire.
- Zutphen - Ancient medieval city in
the central-eastern part of the country, very well preserved
center. The city was voted as having the best city center
of The Netherlands in the category of small cities in 2006.
Together with some other cities it formed in the past the
union of 'Hanzesteden' (Hanze-cities).
- Zwolle - Capital of the province of
Overijssel.
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