The Royal Netherlands

A first impression
People who arrive in the Netherlands via Schiphol Airport, get a first impression of the polders, ditches, rivers and cities to be seen from the air. It is a cultivated piece of Western Europe bordering on the North Sea that is called the Netherlands (Nederland).

Most foreigners, however, are far more familiar with the name “Holland”. Holland is the collective name for the two western provinces (North and South Holland), which historically were the two most powerful provinces during the “Golden Age” in the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands of the seventeenth century.

Those who continue their journey from Schiphol by train, will notice that urban and industrial areas are alternated by meadows, forests and lakes. The country is very flat, which makes the horizon seem rather broad. The roads are busy, as are the inland waterways, while air-traffic is pretty busy too.

Geographical location
The Netherlands is one of the smallest countries within Europe, with distances from South to North of approx. 350 km and from East to West approx. 250 km.

It takes roughly 4,5 hours to travel from Groningen in the north to Maastricht in the south, if you go by train. A train journey from Eindhoven to Cologne (Germany) takes about two hours and a journey to Brussels (Belgium) takes about the same amount of time. What with the size of the Netherlands and its geographical position between Germany, France and Britain, there have been centuries of influence from these countries on Dutch society and its economy.

Economy
In the seventeenth century the Netherlands grew to be a colonial and trade superpower. During the course of the twentieth century the Netherlands turned into a country of industry, agriculture, export and therefore of transport. (Only the USA and France export more food). Transport occurs below ground too: pipelines take care of the important transport of natural gas, which is essential to the economy. The sixties transformed the Netherlands into a welfare state.

In the course of the nineties the so-called “polder-model” based on intensive talks between the government, employers and employees/unions, led to economic success. The Dutch system of social security, care, and regulations for labour conditions have proved to be compatible with excellent economic performance and a good competitive position internationally. The Dutch model drew considerable international interest in 1998.

The Netherlands and the sea
The largest part of the country is very flat and even below sea level (deepest point being 6,75 meters near the place called Nieuwerkerk a/d Ijssel). Metaphors often used to describe the Netherlands are “the country forever at battle with the sea”, which sometimes lost land to the sea, but later 'conquered' the sea again. It is a fact that the sea has always played a major role in Dutch history.

Already in the 11th century people, living in this area, started to build dikes in order to protect the country from the sea. However these dikes were not always strong enough to keep the sea from flooding the country.

In 1953 a big disaster took place: In the night of the 31st of January and the 1st of February the sea flooded a big part of the country. Almost 2000 people were killed. It was then that the Dutch said: Let’s do something about this. In 1958 they started with the realization of the DELTAPLAN. It took more than 40 years to complete the works.

The DELTAPLAN was a very ambitious plan and has costed about 6 billion EURO. The plan consists out of 11 dams and storm surge barriers. Most of these dams/barriers are situated in the province of Zeeland (Deltaregion: area where a lot of rivers discharge into the sea). The biggest one is called the “Oosterscheldekering” and the final one is called the “Maeslantkering” (near the harbour of Rotterdam). Most of the dams are closed, but the big storm surge barriers normally are open. Only when a big storm and high tide is predicted the barriers can be closed.

Population density
The Dutch population density is the highest in the world. There are about 16 million people who live in an area smaller than 40,000 square kilometres. This gives us an average of more than 460 people per square kilometre. Most people live in the western part of the Netherlands in a horseshoe-shaped band of cities called the Randstad. The so-called four major cities lie at corner points in this area, which is situated between Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam and the Hague.

The capital city Amsterdam is famous as a city of culture, history and finance. The Netherlands' second city, Rotterdam, is typified as a hard-working place with a no-nonsense attitude. It boasts the world's largest seaport. The Hague is a stylish city near the sea, where the government is seated as well as the International Court of Justice. Finally, Utrecht is the city for meetings, being located like a spider in a web of national railways and motorways.

The 12 provinces
The Netherlands is divided in 12 provinces that each have their own capital city:
Friesland - north west; capital and largest city Leeuwarden
Groningen - north east; capital and largest city Groningen
Drenthe - south of Groningen; capital Assen, largest city Emmen
Overijssel - east central, south of Drenthe; capital Zwolle, largest city Enschede
Flevoland - central, north of Utrecht; capital Lelystad, largest city Almere
Gelderland - east central, south of Overijssel; capital Arnhem, largest city Nijmegen
Utrecht - central; capital and largest city Utrecht
North Holland - (Noord-Holland) north west; capital Haarlem, largest city (of the provence and the country) Amsterdam
South Holland - (Zuid-Holland) west central, south of North Holland; capital The Hague ('s-Gravenhage or Den Haag), largest city Rotterdam
Zeeland - south west; capital and largest city Middelburg
North Brabant - (Noord-Brabant) south central; capital 's-Hertogenbosch (or Den Bosch), largest city Eindhoven
Limburg - south east; capital and largest city Maastricht

Climate and weather
The Netherlands has a maritime climate with relatively mild summers and winters. There can be quite some rain and wind. On average, winters have a temperature of 2 degrees Celsius, but there have been winters with severe frost and temperatures around -10 degrees Celsius. In spring temperatures rise to 16 degrees Celsius on average, though there can be alternate hot and cold periods. The average temperature in summer is 18 degrees Celsius, but here again it is possible that temperatures rise to 30 degrees. Autumn is the season with the most rainfall, during which temperatures gradually drop to wintry levels, making raincoats and umbrellas popular items.

Rules and regulations
In densely populated countries nothing can be done without a certain amount of political discussion, a number of plans, opportunities for public comment and a whole bunch of regulations. Many foreigners view the Netherlands as a 'liberal' and progressive country, but this liberty has its price. Society is bound by a great many rules and regulations. It is therefore a national pastime to complain, moan and gripe about all these rules. However, every good Dutchman knows how to interpret the rules to his best advantage given the need.

Order and regularity are the keys to the way in which the country is divided. Neatness is practically a Dutch invention. Dutch pastures are neatly divided, Dutch suburbs are neatly planned and it used to be seen as a virtue to scrub your pavement clean each week.

Inhabitants
The Netherlands has always been subject to foreign influence. Due to its colonial past, the coming of migrant workers and other foreigners, the country is on its way to becoming a multicultural society.

The Turkish, Moroccoan and Surinam cultures are mostly represented in the Netherlands. The multicultural society especially reflects in our way of eating. There are numerous foreign food restaurants. There is no real typical Dutch kitchen.

The official language is Dutch, which has its regional dialects. Most Dutchmen speak and understand English, but the level of mastery varies.

Behaviour, habits and traditions
The Dutch may not seem all that outgoing at first and generally they seem to attach little value to style and outward appearance. They have private views about everything and everybody.

As a rule foreign guests are welcomed in a somewhat detached manner. It is not customary to be on first-name terms with elderly people, nor to use them in formal situations. Since the sixties, clothing and appearance have no longer been indicators of someone's social status or background.

Social life
The Netherlands has a thriving club life. There are clubs for sports, culture, philosophy, music, politics and charities. The Netherlands traditionally had varieties of clubs depending on the various religious or socio-political cultures of the segregated group members. Societies and clubs need boards and boards need to meet once in a while. The Dutch live in a society of consensus and therefore hold a lot of meetings, and the latter is not restricted to the field of work only.

Daily life
Much like other Western European countries a lot has changed in daily life since the sixties. The family unit is no longer regarded as the only way of life. The Dutch cuisine has changed considerably as well, making for a great deal more variation in the things that people eat in comparison with the past. The average Dutchman will stick to three meals a day. Breakfast is usually made up of a simple meal with sandwiches and a glass of milk, or a cup of tea or coffee. At midday people mostly have sandwiches to eat too, but sometimes they also have some soup or a warm snack. The evening meal is usually a warm meal. If you visit a market or go to a supermarket, you will see it is easy to come by fresh ingredients for your meals. The Dutch are a nation of coffee drinkers. Tremendous amounts of coffee are consumed at the work-place too, during and outside the coffee-break.

Hospitality
Dutchmen do not go out of their way to invite people over for dinner. If one is asked to come over for a cup of tea or coffee, it means nothing more and nothing less. We should like to add here that gradually things are changing.In the Netherlands birthdays are celebrated on the day of birth. On your birthday you are expected to bring along cake or the like for their colleagues at work. Colleagues (and relatives and friends at home) buy presents.

A Dutch birthday party is made up of several rounds. First of all cake is served with tea or coffee, followed by some social chat, which is finally followed by beer, wine and snacks later on in the evening.

Most Dutch people cannot survive without their diaries. There is a time schedule for all matters, including private ones. Once an agreement is reached about some matter, it sticks, and it is considered rude not to stand by an agreement.

If you are asked to pop by for a meal some evening, this does not mean you can go round anytime. What it really means is that you should consult your diary and make an appointment with the person who invited you.

Politics
The Netherlands has a parliamentary democracy. There are elections every four years for the Dutch Lower House, Provincial States and the Local Council. Elections take place on the basis of proportional representation. This guarantees representation even to small minorities. Foreigners who stay in the Netherlands for a period longer than five years with a valid residence permit, are allowed to vote in local council elections. They are also allowed to stand as political candidates.
The Dutch political system has a tradition of coalition governments.

The main political parties represented in the Dutch Lower House are: PvdA (Social Democrats), VVD (Liberals), CDA (Christian Democrats), D’66 (Democrats ’66), Groen Links (left-wing Green Party), SP (Socialist Party) and LPF (List Pim Fortuyn).