The Netherlands, general information
| Note that some of the information (gas prices!) can be outdated since we made this page after visiting the country for the last time! | |
| Official name | Koninkrijk der Nederlanden or Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Area | 41,526 km², of which 7,643 km² water |
| Number of inhabitants | 16.4 million (July 2005) |
| Population density | 484 people per square kilometer, but in the west of the country (called Randstad) the density is much higher than in other parts of the country |
| Capital | Amsterdam, although the government resides at The Hague |
| Monetary unit | The Euro since 2002. (1 € = $ 1.24; 1 Dollar = € 0.7; Rate in Jan. 2009) |
| Fuel prices | Gas: € 1.40; Diesel: € 1.00; LPG: € 0.50 (October 2004, but prices vary much because of changes in the price of oil) |
| License plate of cars | NL |
| Telephone country prefix | 31 |
| Internet country code | .nl |
| Time difference | GMT+1; summertime start on the last sunday in March and ends on the last sunday in October. |
| Road network | The road network is 116,500 km long, and quite good |
| Prices in general | Being Dutch it is difficult to judge about the prices in our country. But since the Euro has taken over from our former currency (the Dutch guilder), everybody seems to think that everything has become more expensive. We know that prices in restaurants and hotels have increased over the last few years. It is normal to pay between € 4 and € 8 for a coffee and a beer. |
| The best in Koninkrijk der Nederlanden or Kingdom of the Netherlands | What we miss most in Holland are the mountains, our country is too flat. But we like woods and nice towns and we have some of that in the areas Drenthe and the national park the Veluwe. And there are many nice towns like Leiden or Haarlem, to mention just a few, but there are surely much more. |
The Netherlands, on the coast of the North Sea, is part of the great plain of north and western Europe. Holland is low and flat except in Limburg in the southeast, where some hills rise up to 322 meter. About half of the country's area is below sea level, making the famous Dutch dikes a requisite for the use of much of the land. Reclamation of land from the sea through dikes has continued through recent times.
More information at insidecountryinfo.com.
More information at insidecountryinfo.com.
More than 16 million people live in the Netherlands (July 2005), 40% of them in the cities. The average density is 484 people per square kilometer but in a city like The Hague it is over 5,000 people per km².
More information at insidecountryinfo.com.
More information at insidecountryinfo.com.
The official language in the Netherlands is Dutch, but in the provence Friesland Fries is also officially recognised.
On ethnologue.com you find more information about the languages and dialects in the Netherlands.
On ethnologue.com you find more information about the languages and dialects in the Netherlands.
Since 1815 Holland is a constitutional monarchy with queen Beatrix as its present head of state.
We have decided not to write a detailed history anymore, since we would have to cite other sources that are often on the internet already. Instead a few links with more information about the history of the Netherlands:
We have decided not to write a detailed history anymore, since we would have to cite other sources that are often on the internet already. Instead a few links with more information about the history of the Netherlands:
Holland has a mild, maritime climate. The summers are generally warm with changeable periods, but excessively hot weather is rare. The winters can be fairly cold with the possibility of some snow. Rainfall is prevalent all year.
On bbc.co.uk more information about the climate and weather of Holland.
On bbc.co.uk more information about the climate and weather of Holland.
Holland is just a small country and very populated, but still there is enough space for animals and fauna.
More information about Nature conservation in the Netherlands can be found on www9.minlnv.nl.
Amsterdam
Rotterdam
Groningen
Maastricht
More information about Nature conservation in the Netherlands can be found on www9.minlnv.nl.
© Teije and Elisabeth 2000 - 2012
Travel through Europe and Africa
with Elisabeth and Teije