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The total area of The Netherlands is 16,034 square miles (41,528 square kilometers), of which some 13,100 square miles (33,900 square kilometers) is land. It extends for 175 miles (282 kilometers) north to south and for 110 miles (177 kilometers) east to west. It is bordered on the east by Germany, on the south by Belgium, and on the west and north by the North Sea. The Dutch name of the country, Nederland, means "low land." It consists of the western corner of the great North European Plain where a number of rivers enter the North Sea. Only in the extreme south are there hills. The West Frisian Islands, part of the Frisian Islands chain, are strung along the north coast. The Netherlands is divided into 12 provinces. The major ones historically are North and South Holland--hence the popular use of the name Holland to apply to the whole country. The inhabitants of The Netherlands number about 14 1/2 million. Their language, Dutch, shares certain characteristics with both German and English. In the province of Friesland a language called Frisian is spoken, which has even closer links with English. When the area was originally settled by Germanic peoples, the north and west were occupied by the Frisians, the east by the Saxons, and the south by the Franks. The Dutch language developed mainly from the dialect of the Franks. Differences between the groups can still be noted in local dialects, customs, traditional folk costumes, and in types of farmhouses. Considerable numbers of foreigners have settled in the country. After the former Dutch colonies in the East Indies became independent in 1949 as Indonesia, people of Indonesian origin moved to The Netherlands. People from the former Dutch colony of Suriname also arrived after its independence in 1975. Apart from these immigrants, numbers of foreign workers--mainly Turks and Moroccans--have remained as permanent residents. About 4 percent of the population are foreigners. The largest metropolitan area is Rotterdam, with about 1 million inhabitants. Amsterdam, the capital, has just under a million. The Hague, which is the seat of government, has more than 670,000 inhabitants. Other major cities are Utrecht, Eindhoven, and Arnhem. The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in Europe, with an average of more than 1,100 inhabitants per square mile (425 per square kilometer). In the west of the country the density rises to more than 2,800 per square mile (1,080 per square kilometer). The birthrate is low, however, and the population is increasing at a rate of only 0.4 percent per year. The largest single religious group is the Roman Catholics, who number more than 5 million. They live mainly in the southern provinces of North Brabant and Limburg. Protestants total about 4 million, of which the majority belong to the Dutch Reformed church. They live mainly in the north and west. More than 4 1/2 million people claim no religion.
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Reavis, Kendall & Kristi |
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