Netherlands Introduction

Netherlands is a small country on the North Sea in northwestern Europe. It is bordered by

Belgium and Germany. The Netherlands is often called Holland, but this name officially
refers only to the western part of the country.

The people of the Netherlands call themselves Nederlanders. They are also known as the
Dutch.

A Short Background

The Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a
separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I but suffered a brutal
invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II.

A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural

products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EC, and participated in the
introduction of the euro in 1999.

Netherlands Geography, Climate, and Weather

Geography
Netherlands, also known unofficially as Holland, constitutional monarchy of northwestern
Europe, bordered on the north and west by the North Sea, on the east by Germany, and on the
south by Belgium.
With Belgium and Luxembourg, the Netherlands forms the Low, or Benelux, Countries. The
Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, islands in the Caribbean, are part of the Netherlands.
The European portion of the Netherlands has a total area of 41,526 sq km (16,033 sq mi), of
which 33,939 sq km (13,104 sq mi) is land surface. The country's capital and largest city is
Amsterdam.

The Netherlands, as its name suggests, is a low-lying country. About half of the country's
landmass lies below sea level. This amount would increase should the polar ice caps melt and
slowly raise the level of the sea due to global warming.
Much of the western part, situated below sea level, is covered with clay and peat soils
interspersed with canals, rivers, and arms of the sea. Farther to the east the land lies slightly
above sea level and is flat to gently rolling. The elevation rarely exceeds 50 m (160 ft). Most
of the land is devoted to agriculture; only small areas of forest and heath remain.

Netherlands Geography and Facts

Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany

Geographic coordinates: 52 30 N, 5 45 E
Map references: Europe

Area:
total: 41,532 sq km
land: 33,889 sq km
water: 7,643 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Land boundaries:
total: 1,027 km
border countries: Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km

Coastline: 451 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters

Terrain: mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Prins Alexanderpolder -7 m
highest point: Vaalserberg 321 m

Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 25%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 25%
forests and woodland: 8%
other: 39% (1996 est.)

Irrigated land: 6,000 sq km (1996 est.)

Natural hazards: the extensive system of dikes and dams protects nearly one-half of the total
area from being flooded

Environment - current issues: water pollution in the form of heavy metals, organic
compounds, and nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates; air pollution from vehicles and
refining activities; acid rain
Climate
The Netherlands shares the temperate maritime climate common to much of northern and
western Europe. The average temperature range in Vlissingen in the coastal region is 1� to
5� C (34� to 41� F) in January and 14� to 21� C (57� to 69� F) in July.
In De Bilt, in the densely populated central region of the country, the average range is -1� to
4� C (31� to 40� F) in January and 13� to 22� C (55� to 72� F) in July.

Annual precipitation averages 690 mm (27 in) in Vlissingen and 770 mm (30 in) in De Bilt.
Cloudless days are uncommon, as is prolonged frost. Because the Netherlands has few natural
barriers, such as high mountains, the climate varies little from region to region.

Netherlands History and Culture

History
Historical accounts of the Netherlands date from the 1st century BC, when Roman forces led
by Julius Caesar conquered most of the present area of the country.
At the time the region was inhabited by Frisians, a Germanic tribe that lived in the north, and
by other Germanic and minor Celtic tribes.

Culture
The Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus had wide influence in the 16th century, and the
country's cultural life as a whole achieved an international reputation in the 17th century,
which is often called its Golden Age.
Among the influential Dutch figures of that time were the jurist Hugo Grotius, the scientists
Christiaan Huygens and Anton van Leeuwenhoek.

Netherlands Life
People
According to a 1998 estimate, the Netherlands has a population of 15,731,112. The overall
population density is 379 persons per sq km (981 per sq mi), making the Netherlands one of
the most densely populated countries in the world. The nation is heavily urbanized, with about
89 percent of the population living in urban areas.
The largest cities are Amsterdam (population, 1998 preliminary, 717,304), the country's
capital; Rotterdam (590,436), one of the world's leading seaports; The Hague (441,561), the
nation's seat of government; and Utrecht (232,983), a manufacturing hub.

Sixteen other cities had between 100,000 and 200,000 inhabitants in the mid-1990s. Many of
these cities are concentrated in the western provinces of Noord-Holland (North Holland),
Zuid-Holland (South Holland), and Utrecht, comprising the large urban region called
Randstad.
Language
The official language of the Netherlands is Dutch, which is spoken throughout the country.
In the province of Friesland, however, a large percentage of the population speaks another
Germanic language, Frisian, as its first language.

Religion
Roman Catholics constitute about 33 percent and Protestants 23 percent of the Dutch
population. About 3 percent are adherents of Islam, and the country also has a small Jewish
community.
About 39 percent of the people do not belong to a religious body. The Roman Catholics are
concentrated in the southern part of the country.

The Protestants are divided among several denominations, the largest being the Dutch
Reformed church.
The Netherlands has no official religion, but the Reformed church has had a close association
with the Dutch state since the founding of the Dutch Republic. All the country's monarchs
have been members of the Reformed church.

Netherlands Cuisine and Food

Dutch cuisine
Dutch cuisine is shaped by the practice of fishing and farming, including the cultivation of the soil for
raising crops and the raising of domesticated animals, and the history of the Netherlands.

History

A still life by Pieter Claesz (1627)

Historically Dutch cuisine was closely related to northern French cuisine, which is still visible
in traditional Dutch restaurants and the Southern regional cuisine. In the course of the 15th
century haute cuisine began to emerge, largely limited to the aristocracy, but from the 17th
century onward these kind of dishes became available to the wealthy citizens as well, often
consisting of a rich variety of fruits, cheeses, meat, wine, and nuts.
The national cuisine however became greatly impoverished at the turn of the 19th century,
when there was great poverty in the Netherlands. As mass education became available, a great
number of girls were sent to a new school type, the Huishoudschool (housekeeping school),
where young women were trained to become domestic servants and where lessons in cooking
cheap and simple meals were a major part of the curriculum, often based on more traditional
Dutch dishes, a process which has been slowly turned.

Regional cuisines
Modern culinary writers distinguish between three general regional forms of Dutch cuisine.

Northeastern cuisine

A metworst from Groningen.

A small Edam cheese

A Zeeuwse bolus with butter

Waterzooi, a stew.

Limburgish vlaai

The regions in the north and east of the Netherlands, roughly the provinces of Groningen,
Friesland, Drenthe, Overijssel and Gelderland north of the great rivers make up north eastern
Dutch cuisine.

The region is the least populated area of the Netherlands; and, historically, the least developed
part. The late (18th century) introduction of large scale agriculture means that the cuisine is
generally known for its many kinds of meats. The relative lack of farms allowed for an
abundance of game and husbandry, though dishes near the coastal regions of Friesland,
Groningen and the parts of Overijssel bordering the IJselmeer also include a large amount of
fish.

The various dried sausages, belonging to the metworst-family of Dutch sausages, are found
throughout the region and are highly prized for their often very strong taste. Most towns and
various villages have their own variety of this sausage. The region also produces the
traditional smoked sausages, of which (Gelderse) rookworst is the most renowned. These
sausages traditionally have been smoked over wood chips, and are served after they' ve been
boiled in hot water. The sausage contains a lot of fat and is very juicy. Larger sausages are
often eaten alongside stamppot, hutspot or zuurkool; whereas smaller ones are often eaten as a
street food.

The provinces are also home to many kind of pastries and cookies. In contrast to southern
Dutch cuisine, which tend to be soft and moist, the northeastern pastries generally are of a
hard texture and heavily spiced with ginger or contain small bits of meat. Various kinds of
Kruidkoek (such as Groninger koek), Fryske dúmkes and small savoury pancakes (including
spekdikken) can be considered typical.

In terms of alcoholic beverages the region is renowned for its many bitters (such as
Beerenburg) and other high-proof liquor rather than beer, which (apart from Jenever) is
typical for the rest of the country.

Western cuisine

The provinces of North Holland, South Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht and the Gelderlandic region
of Betuwe are the parts of the Netherlands which make up the region in which western Dutch
cuisine is found. The area is known for its many dairy products, which includes prominent
cheeses such as Gouda, Leyden (spiced cheese with caramin, cumin or cloves), Edam
(traditionally in small spheres) as well as Leerdammer and Beemster, while the adjacent
Zaanstreek in North Holland is known for its mayonaise and mustards.

Zeeland and South Holland produce a lot of butter, which contains a larger amount of milkfat
than most other European butter varieties. A by-product of the butter-making process,
buttermilk, is also considered typical for this region.

Sea food such as herring (eaten raw), mussels, eels, oysters and shrimps are widely available
and typical for the region. Kibbeling, once a local delicacy consisting of small chunks of
battered white fish, has become a national fast food.

Pastries in this area tend to be quite doughy, and often contain large amounts of sugar; either
caramelised, powdered or crystalised. The oliebol (in its modern form) and Zeeuwse bolus are
good examples. Cookies are also produced in great number and tend to contain a lot of butter
as well as a filling of some kind, mostly almond.

The traditional alcoholic beverages of this region are beer (strong pale lager) and Jenever, a
high proof juniper-flavored spirit. A noted exception within the traditional Dutch alcoholic
landscape, Advocaat, a rich and creamy liqueur made from eggs, sugar and brandy, is also
native to this region.

Southern Cuisine

Southern Dutch cuisine constitutes the cuisine of the Dutch provinces of North-Brabant and
Limburg and the Flemish Region in Belgium. It is renowned for its many rich pastries, soups,
stews and vegetable dishes and is often called Burgundian which is a Dutch idiom invoking
the rich Burgundian court which ruled the Low Countries in the Middle Ages renowned for its
splendor and great feasts.

It is the only Dutch culinary region which developed a haute cuisine and it forms the base of
most traditional Dutch restaurants including typical main courses served such as Biefstuk,
Varkenshaas, Ossenhaas, these are premium cuts of meat, generally pork or beef,
accompanied by a wide variety of sauces and potatoes which have been double fried in the
traditional Dutch (or Belgian) manner.

Stews, such as Waterzooi or Hachee, a stew of onions, beef and a thick gravy, contain a lot of
flavour and require hours to prepare. Vegetable soups are made from richly flavored stock or
bouillon and typically contain small meatballs alongside a wide variety of different
vegetables. Asparagus and witlo(o)f are highly prized and traditionally eaten with cheese
and/or ham.

Pastries are abundant, often which rich fillings of cream, custard or fruits. Cakes, such as the
Vlaai from Limburg and the Moorkop and Bossche Bol from Brabant, are typical pastries.
Savoury pastries also occur, with the worstenbroodje (a roll with a sausage of ground beef)
being the most popular.

The traditional alcoholic beverage of the region is beer. There are many local brands, ranging
from Trappist to Kriek. Beer, like wine in French cuisine, is also used in cooking; often in
stews.

Foods
Dutch agriculture roughly consists of five sectors: tillage-based, greenhouse-based, and fruit
agriculture, animal husbandry and fishery.

 Tillage-based crops include potatoes, kale, beetroot, green beans, carrots, celeriac, onions,
all kind of cabbages, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, endive, spinach, Belgian endive, asparagus
and lettuce. Recently some initiatives have been started to encourage interest in such
"forgotten" vegetables as common purslane, medlars, parsnips, and black salsify

 Greenhouses are used to produce tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and sweet peppers

 Fruits include apples, pears, cherries, berries, and plums

 The Dutch keep cows both for milk and for their meat, chickens for their eggs and for meat,
pigs for their meat and sheep for their wool and meat. Goat are increasingly kept for cheese
production. Traditionally horse meat was a common dish (steak and sausage) but is less
popular today

 The fishery sector lands cod, herring, plaice, sole, mackerel, eels, tuna, salmon, trout,
oysters, mussels, shrimp, and sardines. The Dutch are famous for their smoked eel and
soused herring, which is eaten raw

Netherlands Natural resources

Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land

Definition: This entry lists a country's mineral, petroleum, hydropower, and other resources
of commercial importance.
REFERENCE

 http://www.1uptravel.com/international/europe/netherlands/topography.html
