20 fun facts about the Netherlands

 

1. Netherlands literally means low country. Only half of the country is higher than one meter whilst 27% is actually below sea level. Its highest point is only 321 meters.

2. Netherlands and Holland are not synonymous. Holland is largely the western coastal region of the Netherlands, encompassing Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Haarlem, Leiden and The Hague. When the Netherlands became a country, Holland was one of the provinces that joined the new country. The Netherlands is often referred to as Holland but it is important to be aware that Holland and the Netherlands are not two names for the same country.

3. The flag of the Netherlands is a horizontal tricolor of red, white, and blue. The Netherlands flag was officially adopted on February 19, 1937. At one time this tricolor flag was orange, white and blue, as those were the livery colors of William of Orange, a Dutch prince.

Around 1800, the colors of the National flag changes from orange-white-blue to red-white-blue. Red was supposed to be a clearer color. Other people claim that the color orange was too expensive. 

Nederlandse vlag

4. The Netherlands borders Belgium and Germany.

5. The Netherlands also includes islands in the Caribbean named Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba.

6. Indonesia was a Dutch colony until 1949. Jakarta was then called “Batavia”, after the Latin name for the Netherlands. The Dutch language is still spoken by a minority of Indonesians.

7. Besides the Netherlands, Dutch is the official language of Aruba, Belgium, Curacao, Sint Maarten and Suriname.

8. The Dutch national anthem, Wilhelmus, is the oldest in the world. It was written and first used in 1568, although it was only officially adopted in 1932. 

9. In the English language, the people of the Netherlands are called “the Dutch” (de Nederlanders) and their language is called “Dutch” (Nederlands). The word Dutch comes from the old Dutch word Dietsch and the German word Deutsch. 

Fietsen in Amsterdam

10. New York used to be named New Amsterdam as it was a Dutch colony. Australia was named New Holland and New Zealand was named after the Dutch province Zeeland by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman.

11. Tulips are commonly associated with the Netherlands even though they originated from the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). Originally from Turkey, tulips were brought to Europe during the 16th century and introduced to Holland. If you want to see tulips, visit the Netherlands between April 25 – May 5 during the peak blooming period. It varies a little from year to year.

12. Wooden shoes or clogs (klompen) have been popular in the Netherlands for about 700 years as industrial footwear worn by farmers, fishermen, factory workers, artisans and others to protect their feet from injury and keep them dry.

13. The Netherlands is home to eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Schokland, the D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station, Wadden Sea, the Defense Line of Amsterdam, the Beemster Polder, the Rietveld Schröder House, the Mills of Kinderdijk, and the canals of Amsterdam. 

Kinderdijk

The mills of Kinderdijk 

14. One of the most popular snacks in the Netherlands is french fries (frites/patat) dipped in mayonnaise.

15. The Dutch love to play football. Although the Netherlands has never won the World Cup, they have been runners-up in 1974, 1978 and 2010. The Netherlands won the UEFA European Championship in 1988.

16. Dutch people do not like spending money. They will be your friend for life if you give them something for free. This might explain the great success of McDonalds and IKEA in the Netherlands.

17. Dutch people love licorice (drop). Dutch drop comes in a variety of different flavors and genres. There are four primary types of drop: soft & sweet, soft & salty, hard & sweet and hard & salty.

18. Famous Dutch companies include Philips, Akzo Nobel, ASML, Booking.Com, Heineken, Randstad as well as the banks ING and ABN-AMRO.

19. The Netherlands has spawned many world-class painters, such as Rembrandt, Jan Vermeer, Jan Steen, Vincent van Gogh or Piet Mondriaan.

De Nachtwacht

Rembrandt van Rijn – Night Watch – Rijksmuseum 

20. With 487 inhabitants per square kilometer, the Netherlands has the highest population density of any European country with more than 1 million inhabitants.

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