THE NETHERLAND

• RED :Strength & courage

• WHITE :Honesty & peace

• BLUE :Loyalty & truth

Coat of armsMotto : 'I will uphold'

CAPITAL AmsterdamOFFICIAL LANGUAGE Dutch , Frisian

GOVERNMENT Unitary parliamentary democracy under constitutional monarchy

MONARCH Willem-AlexanderPRIME MINISTER Mark RutteLEGISLATURE States generalUPPER HOUSE SenateLOWER HOUSE House of representativeNATIONAL DAY 27th April , King's dayTOTAL AREA 41,543 km2

TOTAL POPULATION 2014 16,856,620

GDP 2014 est. $717.146 billionCURRENCY EURO (EUR)

WELCOME TO NETHERLANDS

Dutch Government• Constitutional monarchy since 1815

• Parliamentary democracy since 1848

• Described as a consociational state.

• 10th most democratic country in the world.

• The monarch is the Head of state : King Willem-Alexander

• Head of the cabinet : Mark Rutte

• Seat of government : The Hague

Prince Willem-alexander and his wife Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Beatrix

Prime Minister of Netherlands Mark Rutte

The Netherlands• One of the most densely populated in the world.

• Average of 188 people per square mile.

• The Netherlands' 3 largest cities are AMSTERDAM , ROTTERDAM , THE HAGUE.

• The landscape is mainly flat and strewn with rivers, lakes and canals.

Provinces• Divided into 12 province

• Each under a Commissioner of the King (Commissaris van de Koning).

• The twelve province are :-

- Drenthe , Flevoland , Friesland ,Gelderland,

Groningen , Limburg , North Brabant , North

Holland , Overijssel , South Holland , Utrecht , Zeeland.

Ethnic Division• Dutch 80.7%

• EU 5%

• Indonesian 2.4%

• Turkish 2.2%,

• Surinamese 2%

• Moroccan 2%

The Language• It is the Dutch and Frisian.

• Many people in Belgium , Suriname , Indonesia and also Aruba speaks dutch.

• In the north of Netherland is the province of Friesland and people here speak Frisian which is the mix of English and Scandinavian language

Religion

Currency - Euro (€)

Geography & Climate of

Netherlands

Location• Lying mainly in Western Europe

• On the coastline of North Sea

• Borders with Belgium from the South and Germany from the East and Northeast.

• Sharing maritime borders with Belgium, the United Kingdom and Germany

• Area of Netherlands :- 41,5543 km2

• A large part of the Netherlands is covered with :- - Water : 7,643 sq km - Land : 33,883 sq km.

• The name of country is from the word 'neder' which means low because most of the part of the country are located below sea level.

• Very low and flat country.

• 26% of its area.

• 21% of its population located below sea level .

• About 50% of its land exceeding one metre above sea level.

• Most of the areas below sea level are man-made.

• Nearly 17% of the country's land area is reclaimed from the sea and from lakes.

• The higher lands with minor hills in the east and south.

• An extensive range of seawalls and coastal dunes protect the Netherlands from the sea

• The former, including the reclaimed polders and river deltas, make up about half of its surface area and are less than 1 metre (3.3 ft) above sea level, much of it actually below sea level. .

• Levees and dikes along the rivers protect against river flooding.

A polder at 5.53 metres below sea level.

DELTA WORKS• An ambitious flood defence system was

conceived and deployed.

• Designed to protect the estuaries of the rivers Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt.

• The design of the Maeslant Barrier is such that it allows passage of vessels under normal conditions, and can be closed when water levels rise above 3 m above NAP

Maeslant Barrier, Rotterdam

Dutch delta works in Zeeland

VIDEO• The dutch and their delta)

http://youtu.be/lcBHIztx2Gw

• Holland's Barriers to The Seahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUqrBV4SiqQ

•Largest river : Maas , Rhine

• Biggest lake : IJSSELMEER

- Largest lakes in western Europe

- It is shallow artificial lake of 1100 km²

- Central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland.

Ijsselmeer lakes

• Biggest island in Netherlands :-

-Texel island

-In province of North Holland

-The largest & most populated of the Frisian island in Waaden sea.

CLIMATE• Maritime climate

• Cool summers and moderate winters

• Daytime temperatures :-

- In winter from 2°C to 6°C

- In summer from 17°C to 20°C .

• Rainfall is distributed throughout the year with a dryer period from April to September.

• Required clothing :

- Lightweights with rainwear for summer.

- Waterproof and warmer clothing for

winter.

- An umbrella and a sweater are

necessary almost any time of year.

ECONOMY OF NETHERLANDS

• Most developed country in the world

• One of the world’s top 5 biggest exporters.

• 18th largest economy in 2012.

• World's second largest exporter of agricultural products

• Industries - electronic, chemical industry , automobile industries ( trucks cars part) shipping , agriculture , holticultural.

• Dutch major companies are - PHILIPS , HEINEKEN , UNILEVER, SHELL ,

• Netherlands unemployment rate was 6.8% in 2013.

MAJOR EXPORT

• Mineral fuels including oil.• Machinery.• Electronic equipment.• Organic chemicals.• Plastics.• Optical, technical and medical apparatus.• Pharmaceutical products.• Vehicles excluding trains and streetcars.• Iron and steel.• Live trees, plants, bulbs, roots and cut flower.

MAIN IMPORT• Fuel • Machinery • Food • Live animals • Pharmaceuticals • Electronics

Main agricultural product• Meat• Dairy products • Eggs• Horticultural products • Fruit • Vegetables. • Cheese • Potatoes

TOURISM IN NETHERLANDS

Best time to visit Netherlands

• Tourist season : April to Sept Tulips April

• Peak tourist season : April to Sept.

AMSTERDAM• Located in the west-central part of the country,

• Capital of Netherlands

• The largest city in the Netherlands.

• One of the most romantic and beautiful cities in

Europe.

• Popular because of its lovely canals that criss-

cross the city, its impressive architecture.

The Beautiful Canals of Amsterdam

Dam Square

Royal Palace

Rijksmuseum - National museum dedicated to arts and history in Amsterdam

Anna Frank's house

Coffee Shop - anyone over 18 can buy marihuana (weed) and hash, and

smoke it right there.

VIDEO• Jacob van Campen, architect van het Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4UZiyiQ32k

• Amsterdam travel guide- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G-lqrzTv-U

• Anne Frank's house- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJd1S5mghTI

• Amsterdam's Canal - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahFUGL-ZslE

• Rijksmuseum- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfNOG-geORI

• Dam square- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnC-bSggMh4

ROTTERDAM• 2nd largest city.• One of the world's busiest ports.• Largest port in Europe • The second largest port in the world• 10th place on the New York Times

list of '52 Places to Go in 2014' • It has an impressive skyline, modern

architecture and museum.

Cubic Houses of Rotterdam

Splashtours

Euromast

Erasmus bridge

A spido boat tour is a fantastic way to see the Europort in Rotterdam.

VIDEO• Splashtours

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNI9TY7YFdY• Erasmus bridge - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IqRJRt0POE• The cubic houses

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hec0xd3foB0• Euromast tower

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH7PDRP3EXQ

THE HAGUE (DEN HAAG)

• Situated between Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

• The 3rd largest city • The Hague is the seat of many administrative

government offices, including the Parliament. • It is also the seat of the court of the United

Nations.• Two of three official palace of Dutch Royal

family also located here.

Hofvijver and the buildings of the Dutch parliament

International Court of Justice(Peace Palace)

Great Hall of Justice during a proccess.

Huis ten Bosch - Royal palace

Noordeinde Palace

The Mauritshuis - art museum

The museum houses the Royal Cabinet of Paintings which consists of 841 objects, primarily Dutch Golden Age

painting.

Keukenhof - South Holland• The world's largest flower garden

• In 2013 it was visited by 849 000 people.

• 80% were foreign tourists.

• Only open for several weeks during the spring.

• Receives the highest amount of visitors of all

Dutch attractions on a weekly basis.

The windmill is one of the best

known icons of Holland.

There are over one thousand

windmills in Holland. Find out

where you can discover the

windmills...

Mills of Schiedam • These

windmills are the tallest in the world.

Zaanse Schans • Most popular tourist attractions in North

Holland, it has a collection of historic houses and windmills .

• Town of traditional Dutch crafts and architecture, with six windmills, a wooden shoe workshop, a cheese farm.

Giethoorn • Known as “the Venice of Holland” or the

'Venice of the North'• No cars or roads• Travel by water or on foot over the lovely

wooden bridges.

VIDEO• Zaanse Schans. One of Holland's top tourist destinations

-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAZ9UCt7Lfk

• Giethoorn - Venice of Hollandhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eTCI62FTEU

• HOLLAND: Keukenhof - world's largest flower garden - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86L419oLjss

• Feel Zaanse Schans Windmills- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rlRbo8qk4Q

• Dutch windmill, Schiedam- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCt7D5hV32U

TRADITION

• There is a tradition of learning foreign languages in the Netherlands

- 89% of the total population have good knowledge of English

- 70% of German

- 29% of French

- 5% of Spanish

Traditional Costume in The Netherlands

• Dutch people wear the same sort of clothes that other people in Europe wear.

• Each area of The Netherlands had its own costume, so that there are actually many traditional Dutch costumes.

• Most well known part of the traditional Dutch costume is the wooden clogs.

• Only very rich people could afford leather shoes, and so ordinary people wore shoes made of wood.

• Wooden clogs made today are sold to tourists as a souvenier .

• Traditional costume for women consisted of :-- Long skirt - Blouse with an apron and - Perhaps a shawl or shoulder decorations

• Men's basic traditional costume :-- Wide woollen pants .- Silver buttons on the front square flap.-They would wear a shirt, jacket and a cap.

ART• Dutch Golden Age painting was among

the most acclaimed in the world at the

time, during the seventeenth century.

• Famous Dutch painters of the 19th and

were Vincent van Gogh.

LITERATURE• In the Dutch Golden Age,

literature flourished.

• Joost van den Vondel was a Dutch writer and playwright.

• He is considered the most prominent Dutch poet and playwright of the 17th century.

• John the Baptist, has been called the greatest Dutch epic

Festivals• King's day is the national holiday in

Netherlands.• Celebrated on 27th April every year .• King willem-alexander birthday.• People will wear orange clothes. • They will be able to buy or sell anything

without tax

Aalsmeer Flower Auction• Largest flower auction in the world

• Flowers from all over the world are traded on a daily basis.

• Auction is set up as a Dutch auction.

• Bidders get only a few seconds to bid on the flowers before they are shipped off to the new owner's business.

TULIP FESTIVAL• Created to introduce you to the tulip

fields in the Noordoostpolder.

• Activities - walks, cycling routes, tulip garden shows, mosaic pathways, photography competitions, blossom routes and many more fun activities.

• Tulip season - Mid-March to the end of May

Huge Easter Fires • One of the famous festival is the Huge Easter Fires or

The feast of Sint Maarten on the evening of November 11.

• When children go door to door with paper lanterns and candles, and sing songs in return for a treat.

• This day is celebrated in some parts of Groningen, North Holland and the southern part of Limburg and to a lesser extent in South Holland and Zeeland.

• Its beginning when the dark period before Christmas and the long days of winter.

VIDEO• King's day

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL90C_ABfeY

• Flora Holland Flower Auction-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av6VFmMckyw

• Tulip festival- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWjd8dFPx48

SPORT• Football is the most popular sport in the

Netherlands.

• The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) is the largest sports federation in the country.

• One of the founding members of FIFA in 1904.

• Hup, Holland, Hup” is a Dutch football cheer.- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JclgB4_k2g#t=21

• Won three Olympic bronze medals in 1908, 1912 and 1920.

VOLLEYBALL• The third most participated team sport in

the country.

• The Dutch Volleyball Federation is with 128,693 players (in 2005) the 9th largest sports association.

• Women's national team was winning the European Championship in 1995 .

Field Hockey • The Royal Dutch Hockey Federation 5th

largest sports federation.

• Netherlands women's national field hockey team is the most successful team in World Cup history.

• Won the title six times.

• The Dutch male hockey team has won the world cup three times.

• National sport is speedskating. • It is common for Dutch children to learn

how to skate at an early age. • In the history of the world championships

the champion of the 10 km has always been a Dutchman.

Dutch Cuisine

Stroopwafel - Two thin layers of batter with a sticky syrup filling in the

middle.

Patat - the Dutch word for frites, chips or french fries

Bitterballen

Beschuit met muisjes - when people come to

visit a new-born baby they will bring this .

Hollandse Nieuwe Haring -Raw herring fish is typically served with chopped onions,

and can be eaten with or without brea

THE INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE DUTCH

• The first country to legalise same sex

marriages in 2001.

• The Dutch are the tallest in the world

with an average height of 184 cm for men

and 170 cm for women.

• The Schiphol Airport is actually 4.5 m

below sea level.

• 75% of the world's flower bulb production comes from Netherlands

• It has more than 4,000 km of navigable canals, rivers and lakes

• Parental leave for both full-time working mothers and fathers, is up to 57 days and can be taken at any time until the child is 8 years old.

Netherlands is the largest exporter of cheese in the world .

Gouda cheese market

It is the bicycle capital of the world with more than 18 million in the country.

That's more than 1 bicycle per person.

Orange is the official colour of Netherlands because of the House of Orange,

who led the Dutch revolt against Spain and later became the Dutch royal family.

VIDEO• Holland Travel Video Guide)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7cjlMDhMV4

CULTURAL HINTS• A handshake is common as greetng and at departure.

• Eye contact is important.

• Pointing index finger to the forehead indicates a person is crazy or foolish.

• Touching and contact are not common.

• Be polite to all service personnel .

-The Dutch culture emphasizes that everyone is equal, and no citizen is obliged to be another person’s servant. Never treat anyone Dutch in a patronizing way.

• Wave if greeting someone from a distance. It is considered impolite to shout a greeting.

• The Dutch speak directly and use a lot of eye contact. To a foreigner, them may appear abrupt, but it is just their manner of communicating

• Stand when a woman enters the room.

TABOOS• Don’t call the Netherlands “Holland” .

- This term specifically refers to only two of the 12 provinces that make up the country.

• Avoid standing with your hands in your pockets, or leaving your left hand in your pocket while shaking hands

- This is considered impolite.

• Don't touch or backslapping other in public.

- The Dutch are rather reserved and will avoid expansive gestures such as hugging and backslapping.

• Avoid getting involved in a political discussion if you aren’t well informed.- Be informed on recent political events, both in your own country and in the Netherlands, since the Dutch like discussing politics.

• "13" and "Friday." - They think that "13" symbol of bad luck.- "Friday" a symbol of disaster.

5 Key Topics to Use in Conversation

• Your home country or city and points of interest related to them.

• Travel experiences and what you enjoy about travelling

• The Dutch culture, art, history, architecture, and nature

• Sports of all kinds – keeping in mind that American soccer is referred to as football

• Politics – if you know what you’re talking about

5 Key Topics or Gestures to Avoid in Conversation

• Boasting of any kind about your income and possessions.

• Asking personal questions, family and business are usually kept separate.

• Any criticism of the Dutch Royal Family.

• Legalized prostitution and marijuana in the Netherlands.

• Don’t talk to someone while chewing gum as this is considered rude.