Information about Netherlands

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 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.

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.

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:

•Ministry of foreign affairs, a concise history of the Netherlands
•Wikipedia.org, a brief history of the Netherlands until 2004

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.

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.