Facts and Figures about the Netherlands to prepare your cycling trip

Watch a video here on how the Netherlands became the second largest architectural country in the world:

Facts

– Official full name: Kingdom of the Netherlands
– Official name: Netherlands
– Unofficial name: Holland
– Adjective | Noun: Dutch | Dutchman, Dutchwoman
– Official language: Dutch (English is widely spoken)
– Government: Constitutional monarchy Government Seat: The Hague
– Capital: Amsterdam
– Population: 17.1 million
– Area: 41,528 sq kilometers (16,034 sq miles)
– Inhabitants: 395 per sq km / 1,023 per sq mi
– Monetary unit: Euro (sign €, code EUR)
– Yearly income (av): 36.500 euro
– Religions: Roman Catholic 24%, Protestant 12%, Muslim 6%, other 7%. No religion 51%
– Life expectancy: men 80.2 – women 83.3

Netherlands
… means “the low countries” in Dutch (Nederland).
… is the world’s second largest agricultural exporter, with only 0.008% of the world’s area.
… was one of the six founding members of the European Community (EU).
… has the highest museum density in the world, with almost 1,000 museums.
… still has about 1,000 traditional working windmills.
… has as many as 300 castles in the country which are open to the public.
… always has a coalition government, which makes it a country of compromises.
… tulips are typically Dutch, although the first tulip bulbs were imported from Turkey.
… people there are the tallest in the world; average for men 184 cm/72″ and for women 170 cm/67″.
… about 25% of all Dutch babies are born at home.
… has an image where everyone smokes pot and wears wooden clogs but that is a stereotype.
… has the highest number of part-time workers in the EU.
… at its lowest point in a polder near Rotterdam is 6.7 meters/22 feet below sea level.
… people eat salted raw herring with onion on top.
… people speak Dutch, while a minority language is Frisian, and English is widely understood.
… the capital of Amsterdam has 1,281 bridges.
… when your plane arrives at Schiphol, it lands 4.5 meters/15 feet below sea level.