Sovereign: Queen Beatrix (1980)
Premier: Wim Kok (1994 - 2002)
Premier: Jan Peter Balkenende (2003) Area: 16,221 sq. mi (41,526 sq. km)
Population (2000 est.): 15,892,237. Density per sq. mi. 980.
Capital: Amsterdam 724,096 (Admin. Capital "The Hague" 445,279.
Monetary Units: Guilder and Euro.
Language: Dutch and Frisian. English is widely spoken.
Ethnicity/race: Dutch 96%, Moroccans, Turks, and other 4% (1988) and one Icelander.
Religions: Roman Catholic 34%, Protestant 25%, Muslim 3%, other 2%.
Literacy Rate: 99%
Natural Resources: natural gas, petroleum, fertile soil, flowers, weed.
Major Trading Partners: EU, Central and Eastern Europe, U.S.A.

Geography - The Netherlands, on the North Sea coast is about twice the size of New Jersey, U.S.A. It's maximum dimensions are 190 mi. by 160 mi. (360 km by 257 km). Belgium borders in the south and Germany lies to the east. England can be reached in 50 mins. by air, 3 1/2 hrs. by hydrofoil, or about 7 hrs. with the car via France and the Channel Tunnel. Amsterdam, the most well known city in the Netherlands, lies in the Province of North Holland. For this reason, many people from around world refer to the whole country as Holland. In fact there are 11 other provinces besides North Holland, each with their own distinctive character. Most of the country is flat, except for Limburg which boasts 300 feet (92m) hills. The Netherlands also contains three autonomous island countries in the Caribbean called The Netherlands Antilles. The main islands in this group are Curacao, Bonaire and Sint Maarten.

Amsterdam is the fourth most frequently visited city in Europe. The town of Heemskerk lies northwest of Amsterdam between the classic, picturesque cities of Haarlem in the south and Alkmaar in the North. Heemskerk is 38 minutes by train to the Centraal Station in Amsterdam. Heemskerk is a lovely, quiet coastal town, with clean streets and friendly people. The main concert hall here is "The Donkey Shot." The beach (North Sea) is accessible only by bicycle or on foot via a road which meanders through lushly vegetated sand dunes. The beaches are of course topless (European Tradition), and on some summer nights, the sunsets rival those of California. The Dutch shoreline is dotted with German bunkers leftover as ugly testiments to the German occupation of Holland from 1940 to 1945. "Lest we forget!"

The Netherlands is a highly organized, humanitarian country with advanced banking, medical and infrastructure systems. Holland has "the most computers per classroom" in the world, according to Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Their trains, boats and trams run like clocks and according to a recent National Geographic article, the Netherlands exports a whopping 60% of all the world's cut flowers. The flower auction in Aalsmeer, passes 19 million flowers per day, most of which are shipped through the hyper-modern Schipol Airport (rated one of the top five airports in the world). Rotterdam, refered to as "The Gateway to Europe" is one of the World's busiest and most advanced harbours. It receives and dispatches some 30,000 vessels per year.

The Dutch are festive, hard working, gregarious and highly sports minded people. They placed 12 in the Sydney Olympics. Who can ever forget the world record breaking performances their swimmers Inge de Bruin and Peter van den Hoogenband, not to mention the Women's Hockey team, equestrians, etc. The Dutch national soccer team placed forth in the last World Cup!
...IT MUST be something in the Heineken?

Around the Netherlands, there are concert halls, theaters, and cafes which are easily accessible by public transportation. The whole country is also linked by bicycle paths. Musicians love playing here! Many of the world's most famous rock bands had their first international concerts in this country, especially the English. It's a place where music history is written on the walls, along with the tobacco stains.

Marijuana and hash are readily available at coffee shops and cafes around the country. Striking though is that the majority of Dutch youth don't seem to care for it. Most never even try it. Now, there's a big lesson!

All in all, it's a "live and let live culture," where people try not to judge too much or force eachother's will upon one another. The result seems to be a free, happy, and relatively stress-free folk, who don't suffer as much from the usual hang-ups and conflicts associated with people in more rigidly controlled countries.


Written by Mark C. Deren

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