Factfile

Netherlands

Whodunit project

Comenius 2008 – 2010 This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.

This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made

of the information contained therein.

Základní škola Brno, Hroznová 1

General information

Country name

the Netherlands

also called Holland

Nederland in Dutch

Description

unitary state consisting of twelve provinces –

Drenthe,

Flevoland,

Friesland ,

Gelderland,

Groningen,

Limburg,

Nord-Brabant,

Nord-Holland,

Overijssel, Utrecht,

Zeeland and

Zuid Holland

Flag

flag of the Netherlands

combination of three colours – red, white and blue

orange was replaced by red because it was unsteady

Coat of arms

Anthem

Het Wilhelmus

www.nationalanthems.info/nl.htm

Country domain

.nl

Calling code

+31

Currency

Euro

1 EUR = approx. 25 CZK

Country web site

www.holland.com

Geography

Map

Area

41 526 km2

continent country

half the size of the Czech Republic

Capital

Amsterdam

890 km – distance from Brno

Nord-Holland province

760 000 inhabitants

web site – www.iamsterdam.com

seat of government – The Hague

top 3 attractions –

Rijksmuseum – national Dutch museum, collections of Dutch painters,

Rembrandt – The Night Watch

Van Gogh Museum – largest collection of Vincent Van Gogh’s

paintings

Anne Frank House – contribution to the knowledge of the Holocaust

Anne Frank’s hiding place during World War II

Interesting fact

Delta project – 1/5 of the Netherlands is below the sea level

system protecting the country from the floods

built in the second half of the 20th century

People and politics

Population

16 600 000

1. 5 times more people than in the Czech Republic

Nationalities

Dutch

many immigrants from Indonesia, Turkey and Maroco

Languages

official language – Dutch

2nd official language – Frisian spoken in the province of Friesland

Religion

largest religion is Christianity followed by Islam and Buddhism

Government

unitary parliamentary democracy, constitutional monarchy

parliament consists of two houses – House of Representatives and

Senate

head of government – Prime Minister who has got the majority in the

House of Representatives

Prime Minister 2008 -2010 Jan Peter Balkenende

Head of state

queen or king

2008-2010 Beatrix (since 1980)

Queen Beatrix visited the Czech Republic in 1994

European Union

co-founder of the EU in 1957

Culture, sport and other

Art

Rembrandt van Rijn – painter in the Dutch Golden Age

famous for his Night Watch, can be seen in the

Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

Vincent van Gogh – post-impressionist painter

paintings – The Potato Eaters or Sunflowers

Philosophy

Erasmus of Rotterdam – renaissance humanist

interested in Christian philosophy

John Amos Comenius – born in Moravia and died in Amsterdam

the father of modern education

‘The Teacher of the Nations’ for the Czechs

Sport

most popular sports – football, field hockey and volleyball

football – teams like Ajax Amsterdam and Feyenoord Rotterdam

Science

Christiaan Huygens – discovered Saturn’s moon Titan

Cuisine

geographical influence – fishing and farming

dairy products – cheese Gouda or Edam

traditional dish – stamppot with mashed potatoes with vegetables

Our partnership

City/town

Capelle aan den IJssel

895 km – distance from Brno

Zuid Holland province

65 000 inhabitants

6 times less people than in Brno

web site – www.capelleaandenijssel.nl

Partner school

Christelijke Scholengemeenschap Comenius College

general secondary school

3000 students

students aged 12-16

web site – www.comenius.nl

Project meetings

1st meeting – 24th – 27th January 2010

meeting of coordinators, headteachers and Czech students

programme – presentation of the Czech chapter, activities schedule,

meetings schedule, cultural visits etc.

2nd meeting – 24th – 28th June 2010

meeting of coordinators, teachers and students

programme – presentation of the final chapters, activities schedule,

closing the project, cultural visits etc.

Quiz

1. Find and label the Netherlands:

2. Colour the Dutch flag:

3. What is the capital of Holland? ___________________

4. Compare the population of the Netherlands and

the Czech Republic: a) the same

b) bigger in the Czech Republic

c) bigger in the Netherlands

5. Who is in the picture and what do you know about her?

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

6. Label the picture and who is the painter?

_______________________________________________

7. Can you name a Czech teacher and educator who died in the Netherlands?

_______________________________________________

8. The most popular sports in Holland are __________________, ___________________ and

___________________.

9. Write at least three things about our partner school:

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

10. Would you like to visit the Netherlands? YES x NO

THIS IS THE END!

You can find all the answers in this factfile, you have to fill in all the numbers.