THE NETHERLANDS
The Netherlands or Holland?
The kingdom of ‘The Netherlands’, also known as ‘Holland’, is a delta country in Western Europe where almost 17 million people speak the ‘Dutch’ language. More than one million people live in the capital of Holland called ‘Amsterdam’.
A fun fact: There are more than 18 million bicycles in Holland (more bikes than people) and some 35,000 km of bicycle lanes. Indeed: the Dutch are the world’s cycling leaders.
Official name: Kingdom of the Netherlands
Form of government: Constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy
Head of state: His Majesty King Willem-Alexander, King of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau
Seat of government: The Hague
Administrative structure: Twelve provinces and the overseas territories of Aruba, Curacao and St. Martin. The overseas islands of Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius, all three of which are situated in the Caribbean, are ‘special municipalities of the Netherlands’
Surface area: 33,800 km2
Location: Western Europe, by the North Sea, bordering Belgium and Germany
Number of inhabitants: 16,915,195 (April 2015)
Number of inhabitants per km2: 500 (April 2015)
Monetary unit: Euro
Languages: Dutch, Frisian
Amsterdam. The capital of the Netherlands
Dutch expertise
Holland is often associated with wooden shoes, tulips and windmills but offers a lot more than these historic icons. The Dutch are active worldwide in providing creative and sustainable solutions for global challenges related to water, food, energy, health, environment, and security.
For example, the Netherlands is the undisputed world leader in water management. It is home to the world’s ten best engineering firms for water projects. In the field of food security, Holland is the world’s 2nd largest exporter of agricultural products, after the US. Holland is also an attractive business location, situated well for logistics, with excellent infrastructure and with an internationally-oriented population.
The Dutch Mindset
It is not an easy task to combine high population density with an above average level of tolerance and respect throughout society. However, the Dutch have managed, over centuries of growth and development, to find a balance herein. As a result, the Dutch constantly strive to create this balance in all aspects of daily life: from transport and housing; to work and leisure activities. The Dutch take pride in their rich cultural heritage but also have one of the most progressive and liberal societies in the world. The typical Dutch mindset can best be summed up as: open, creative/innovative, entrepreneurial, resourceful, and international.
