Welcome to Holland
23 Dec 2008
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.
Facts and Figures
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