Netherlands is a country in Europe and is bounded by the North Sea, Germany and Belgium. The coastline is 280 miles long. The size of the Netherlands is around 16.200 miles², including 3000 miles² of water. It consists mostly of low-lying, flat coastal land and the sea polders, but in the south east there are hills. Netherlands located in deltas of three large rivers, the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt. The Waal and the Ijssel are also long rivers. Amsterdam is the capital. The Netherlands is called often Holland, which is officially just a province. The Netherlands is divided into twelve administrative regions, called provinces.

Queen Beatrix is at present the monarch and the head of state. The head of government is the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, who often is the leader of the largest party of the coalition. The Netherlands is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The seat of government is located in The Hague.

Dutch cuisine is generally simple. There are proportionally much vegetables and less meat used.. Dutch cheeses, especially cheeses such as Gouda, Edam and Leiden are world famous. Dutch pastry is available in many different kinds and on many occasions eaten. These cakes and cookies are often filled with marzipan, almonds and chocolate. Especially the southern province contains enormous amounts of different cakes, you find the famous Limburg pie in the province Limburg as the name already tells. When it comes to alcoholic, traditionally there are many brands of beer and strong alcoholic spirits such as gin and brandy

The feast of St. Nicholas is a traditional festivity in the Netherlands, the night before the birthday of St. Nicholas on December 5th, they celebrated, especially in families with small children. In the United States the original figure of Dutch Sinterklaas has merged with Father Christmas into Santa Claus.

Another traditional feast of the Netherlands is Queen’s day or “Koninginnedag”. This is celebrated in honors of the Queen’s birthday.. It is on this day, April 30, not the birthday of Queen Beatrix, it was the anniversary of her mother, Queen Juliana. Since her birthday falls in the winter and to honor her mother, the queen decided to keep this date. There are markets organized, where people sell their old stuff, kids play old Dutch games and many people wearing orange clothing on that day to celebrate.

When tourists think of the Netherlands, it is often the windmills, tulips, wooden shoes, cheese and Delftware pottery. The Keukenhof near Lisse, also known as the Garden of Europe, is the largest flower garden in the world. In the spring when the bulbs are in bloom is beautiful. In the coastal provinces you can relax on a beach, in Amsterdam you stroll along the centuries-old canals, or visit some of the many museums and places of interest. Alkmaar, a city in North Holland is famous worldwide for its cheese market.

For family fun visit the Efteling in North Brabant, you find A fairy-tale wood, super fast roller coasters and rapids. Everything Netherlands is famous for is replicated to the smallest detail on a scale of 1:25. In the world-famous miniature city Madurodam.

Many countries in Europe have no visa requirement for visiting the Netherlands, for a stay less than 3 months. Visitors from other countries can request a visa at the Dutch Embassy or Consulate For a stay in the Netherlands, longer than 90 days, you should have an authorization for temporary stay .

For more information please note Vacations Netherlands