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| Travel Guide 2 > Europe > Holland |
Netherlands
Welcome to Travel Guide 2 Holland, the site about travel, tourism and vacations in the Netherlands.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden) is a country incorporating two autonomous regions in the Caribbean, the Netherlands Antilles (Dutch: Nederlandse Antillen) and Aruba, and a European region known simply at the Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland. Both the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba are located in the Caribbean Sea, whereas the Netherlands is located in western Europe, bordering Belgium and Germanhy, with a coastline on the North Sea.
The term "Holland" is frequently used to refer to the Netherlands, both in English and even in the Dutch language, however this is technically incorrect, as Holland is actually simply the name of the central and western party of the Netherlands, containing two of the country's twelve provinces.
As of 2006,
the Kingdom of the Netherlands had an estimated population of just over 16.8 million of whom,
16.5 million lived in the Netherlands, just over 100,000 in Aruba, and
just over 200,000 in the Netherlands Antilles.
The capital and largest city in the Netherlands is Amsterdam, which as of 2006, had an estimated population of 743,104. There are 20 other cities in the Netherlands with populations of over 100,000: 's-Hertogenbosch, Almere, Amersfoort, Apeldoorn, Arnhem, Breda, Dordrecht, Eindhoven, Enschede, Groninge, Haarlem, Leiden, Maastricht, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, The Hague (Dutch: 's-Gravenhage or Den Haag), Tilburg, Utrecht, Zoetermeer and Zwolle. Almost half of the Dutch population, 7.5 million people, live in Randstad, which is the collective name used to describe the conurbation encompassing the four largest Dutch cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, as well as numerous smaller cities, including Almere, Dordrecht, Haarlem, Leiden and Zoetermeer.
The Netherlands has a developed and successful economy, with the 16th largest economy in the world, and the 10th highest GDP per capita. The country is a founding member of the European Union and the euro zone, and cooperates particularly closely with Belgium and Luxembourg as the Benelux grouping. Important industries in the Netherlands include electrical machinery, food-processing and petroleum refining. Additionally, Slochteren, in the Northeast of the country, is home to one of the largest natural gas fields in the world.
Yellow Bicycle and Canal, Amsterdam, Netherlands Photographic Print
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- Cycling Tours
Information about cycling tours in the Netherlands
- History
Books and information about the history of Holland
- Language
Learn to speak the Dutch language
- Maps
Maps of the Netherlands
- Posters
Posters of Holland
- Recipes and Cookbooks
Learn about Dutch cuisine, and discover Dutch recipes and cookbooks
- Towns and Cities
Towns and cities in Holland
- Travel Guides
Travel and tourist guides to Holland
- Weather
Current weather conditions in Holland
- Links
Other sites with more about the Netherlands
Exterior of the Binnenhof, the Hague, Netherlands Photographic Print
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