Welcome to Holland
May 27, 2010
The Dutch have an urban, cosmopolitan lifestyle, but they live in cities built on a human scale. The cities offer a nice mix of traditional and modern architecture. There is plenty to see, whether you're strolling through town, making a boat trip on the canals or lakes, lazing on the beach or walking in the woods and dunes.
Geography
- Surface area 41,528 square kilometers
One quarter of which is below sea level - Lowest altitude 6.76 metres below sea level (near Rotterdam)
- Highest altitude 323 metres (near Maastricht)
- Climate moderate maritime climate
Government
- Official name Kingdom of the Netherlands
Commonly referred to as Holland or the Netherlands - Form of government Constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliament
- Head of state The hereditary monarch (Queen Beatrix of Orange-Nassau)
- Capital city Amsterdam
- Seat of government The Hague
Population
- Total population 16,410,046 (March 2008)
Holland is the third most crowded country in the world - Ethic composition Of the current population
18% are of recent foreign descent - Religion 52% identify themselves as Christian
40% claim no affiliation, 8% belong to other religions - National language Dutch; Frisian is spoken as a second language
by some 400,000 people living in the northern province of Friesland
Economy
- Currency 1 Euro=1.58 US Dollar (July 2008)
- Gross domestic product (GDP) 534.3 billion Euros (2006)
- Per capital GDP 30,174 Euros (2006)
Average prices
- A cup of coffee/tea in a café 2.00 Euros
- A cheese sandwich 2.50 Euros
- Dinner in a typical student restaurant 10 Euros
- A cinema ticket 7.50 Euros
- A text message on your mobile phone from 0.07 Euros