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Introduction

THE NETHERLANDS

The Netherlands, also known unofficially as Holland, constitutional monarchy of northwestern Europe, bordered on the north and west by the North Sea, on the east by Germany, and on the south by Belgium. With Belgium and Luxembourg, The Netherlands forms the Low, or Benelux, Countries. The Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, islands in the Caribbean, are part of The Netherlands. The European portion of The Netherlands has a total area of 41,526 sq km (16,033 sq mi), of which 33,939 sq km (13,104 sq mi) is land surface. The country's capital and largest city is Amsterdam.

Brief History

In the late 16th century a Dutch revolt against the authority of the king of Spain, at the time ruler of what now constitutes the Low Countries, succeeded in the northern provinces, which later became the Netherlands. The Dutch Republic, officially established in 1648, fell in 1795 when the armies of Revolutionary France imposed a pro-French government. In 1810, France annexed the Netherlands, but with the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 to 1815, the present Dutch state, officially called the Kingdom of the Netherlands, came into being. Originally Belgium was part of this new kingdom, but it seceded in 1830 and formed an independent country. The present boundaries of The Netherlands are essentially those established after the secession of Belgium, although they are similar to the borders of the Dutch Republic.

Geography

Location and Surface Area

Holland is situated on the North Sea and has no "neighbours" on its northern and western borders. Our neighbour to the east is Germany, and Belgium lies to the south. With an area of 41.526 square kilometres, the Netherlands is slightly larger than Belgium, while Germany is nearly nine times the size of our country.
Holland is quite small, the surface area is 41,526 square kilometres. The greatest distance from north to south is 300 kilometres, and from west to east 200 kilometres.

Topology

The Netherlands, as its name suggests, is a low-lying country. About half of the country's landmass lies below sea level. This amount would increase should the polar ice caps melt and slowly raise the level of the sea due to global warming.

The lowest point, 6,7 metres below NAP (Normal Amsterdam Level), is in the west. The highest point, 321 metres above NAP, is in the south, at the point where the borders of Holland, Belgium and Germany meet.
Much of the western part, situated below sea level, is covered with clay and peat soils interspersed with canals, rivers, and arms of the sea. Farther to the east the land lies slightly above sea level and is flat to gently rolling. The elevation rarely exceeds 50 m (160 ft). Most of the land is devoted to agriculture; only small areas of forest and heath remain.

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