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The Netherlands: Facts & Figures

Capital: Amsterdam. The seat of government is The Hague. 
Official languages: Dutch. Frisian is also an official language in the Netherlands, although it is only spoken in Friesland. 
Government: Parliamentary democracy; Constitutional monarchy. 
Population: 16,570,613 
Density: 395 /km² 
GDP (nominal): $662.9 billion (2006 est.) 
Currency: Euro (€) 

Did you know?

  • "The Netherlands" and "Holland" are used to describe the same country.
  • One quarter of the Netherlands is below sea level.
  • The Dutch are the tallest people in Europe.
  • The Netherlands was one of the European Union’s founding nations.
  • There are 16 million bicycles in Holland, which is about one for every inhabitant.
  • The International Court of Justice sits at the Peace Palace in The Hague.
  • With almost 1,000 museums, Holland has the highest museum density in the world.
  • With only 0.008% of the world's area, the Netherlands is the world's third largest agricultural exporter.
  • After Scandinavians, the Dutch are the world's biggest coffee drinkers.
  • Dutch is also spoken in Belgium, northern France, Suriname, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.