Netherlands: Things you didn't know about this curious little country

People around the world are confused. What is this country, The Netherlands? Is it the same as Holland? The Low Countries? And why are its people and language called 'Dutch'? Just to set things straight once and for all, here's a photo gallery with things you probably didn't know about the curious and small Northern European country.

The Netherlands is a country in the northwest of continental Europe. It borders Germany and Belgium. The Dutch coastline is on the North Sea, not far from the UK. In fact, a ferry from The Netherlands to England can take as little as 6.5 hours.

So what's up with its other name, Holland? Well, between 1588 and 1795 the country was known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. Its provinces were Groningen, Frisia, Overijssel, Guelders, Utrecht, Zeeland, and... Holland. Now, the latter has become shorthand for the entire country.

And how about the word 'Dutch,' used by English speakers? Well, that word stems from the old English 'thiod,' which meant 'people' or 'nation,' as Dictionary.com explains. While it used to be a description for both the German and the Netherlandish peoples (leading the Germans to call their country 'Deutschland'), the English language has kept the word 'Dutch' to describe the people of The Netherlands.

Image: Helena Jankovičová Kováčová / Pixabay

The Dutch have rescued a lot of their land from the water. The country's lowest point is in 'Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel' and lies 6.76 meters below sea level.

Picture: Sander Weeteling / Unsplash

Fear of drowning has never ruined a Dutchman's life. According to the World Happiness Report of 2022, the Netherlands is the fifth happiest country in the world. It maintained its position from the 2021 ranking.

Image: StockSnap / Pixabay

As Amsterdam is situated on wet ground, its older houses are built on typical wooden post foundations. These long beams or, basically, whole trees, were 13 to 20 meters (50-65 ft) thick. Arranged in pairs, they were drilled into the ground so that, along with the firmer sediment layer of sand, they could support the building on top of it.

Despite the ingenious solution of the poles, older canal houses in Amsterdam have at times sunken to the side a bit. Centuries on top of moor and clay can do that to a foundation!

However, one odd characteristic of the facades is actually intentional. Older houses in Amsterdam were built to incline a little towards the street, so as to enable movers to haul furniture and other objects into the homes through a window. The stairs of older Amsterdam homes are usually too narrow to fit any big objects.

Picture: Nastya Dulhiier / Unsplash

With an average height of 182.5 centimeters (5'9 ft) in men and 168.7 (5'5 ft)in women, they are the tallest people on the planet. This fact was once again confirmed by a study in the medical journal The Lancet in 2019.

Image: Alp Duran / Unsplash

According to expatica.com, as many as one in eight Dutch babies are born at home. This is one of the highest rates of home births in highly developed countries. In the UK, for example, home births account for just 2% of all births per year.

The Netherlands made history on April 1, 2001, when the civil marriage of four homosexual couples (three male and one female ) took place in the City Hall of Amsterdam. The Netherlands became the first country to legally recognize a same-sex union.

The highest point above sea level is located in the tri-border area, where the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany converge at the same point. This location is a whopping 323 meters (1,059 ft) above sea level.

Photo: Tania Van den Berghen / Pixabay

In the Netherlands, there are 17.1 million inhabitants, while there are 23 million bicycles. This means that a Dutchman has, on average, more than 1 bicycle.

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Elderly Dutch people are still cycling even in their 80s. And an average Dutchman rides about 1,000 km (621 miles) a year by bicycle. Of course, this is made easier by the fact that The Netherlands is completely flat.

Holland is the best country to live in if you like a multicultural society. More than 3 million residents are of foreign origin, which is nearly one in five people. Rotterdam and Amsterdam are the cities where this multicultural ratio is most notable.

Photo: Bianca Stock Photos / Pixabay

According to the website Holland.com, the Dutch coastline is 230 kilometers (143 miles) long, and 75% of this distance is covered by dunes. As natural protectors of the land behind them, the dunes can be a couple of kilometers deep.

The Dutch national flower is the tulip, which has more than 800 varieties, and millions of them are produced every year. In spring, the largest flower garden in the world, 'Keukenhof' opens its doors to delight us with a colorful spectacle of natural beauty.

Picture: Farah Almazouni / Unsplash

Curiously, the national flower of The Netherlands is not originally from there. The tulip actually comes from the mountains of Mongolia, from where they spread with the empire of Genghis Khan. Finally, after reaching the Turkish mountains of Anatolia, the flowers were 'discovered' by the Dutch and brought to the country for cultivation.

Saint Nicholas is the Dutch predecessor of Santa Claus. Instead of elves, he has helpers called 'Petes.' Since the late 19th century, these 'servants' were white people disguised with blackface. In recent years, however, more and more Dutch towns have decided to abandon that controversial practice.

The average Dutch person eats about 2 kilos (4.4 pounds) of black licorice every year, according to the website lostraveleros.com. It's a mystery why they like it so much.

Image: Olga Vilkha / Unsplash

The Dutch boast of having the biggest bar in Europe. It is located in the city of Groningen and called 'The Drie Gezusters.' 3,750 people can party there.

Photo: Denise Jans / Unsplash

Please, foreign visitors, don't mix up the dates! When Queen Beatrix was still the monarch of the country, the Dutch would celebrate her birthday on April 30. However, when her son mounted the throne in 2013, Queen's Day became King's Day, and his birthday is on April 27. So don't get fooled by old travel guides! There's always a few tourists showing up in Amsterdam on April 30, completely dressed in orange, and it's hilarious for the locals - but not so much for the tourists.

On the first Monday of the month, don't panic if you hear an emergency siren at noon. This protocol has been developed by the government to check that the alarms are working perfectly in case of any imminent danger to the population, such as fire, flood, or toxic fumes. So unless you hear the siren on any other day or time of the month, don't worry about it.

Image: Thomas Breher / Pixabay

When a Dutch high school student graduates, their parents put out the flag together with the backpack their child wore to school. Here's the Dutch crown princess Amalia doing the same thing after her graduation in 2021.

Image: RVD, Royal Family

The Caribbean islands Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten belong separately to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. They are its constituent countries. Meanwhile, the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba are special municipalities within The Netherlands.

Picture: Humphrey Janga / Pixabay

On Texel, an island in the North Sea out of Friesland, there are more sheep than people.

Image: Andrea Lightfoot / Unsplash

Between 90 and 93% of the population of the Netherlands is fluent in English. According to the 2020 EF English Proficiency Index, the country is number 1 worldwide when it comes to English as a Second Language Skills. The reason for this is simple: the country has a tradition of international trade and transport, and hardly anyone else in the world speaks Dutch.

Image: Biljana Jovanovic / Pixabay

In the Netherlands, locals usually greet each other with 3 kisses on the cheek. Yes... three is a lot, and what makes it worse, is that at a party you have to greet everyone this way.

In the Netherlands, they usually cut the cake at the beginning of a birthday party and not at the end as in many other countries. In addition, the cake is not just for children, and a Happy Birthday song may be sung whenever the drinks start to take effect.

Picture: Stephen Wheeler / Unsplash