Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Kingdom of the Netherlands The Netherlands, or the Essays - Europe

Kingdom of the Netherlands The Netherlands, or the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is an independent nation with 17,028,000 habitants which has as its system of government a constitucional government. It's capital is Amsterdam, with dutch as its official language and the Euro as its currency. GEOGRAPHY The Netherlands is a small country sandwiched between HYPERLINK http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/countries/belgium/ Belgium and HYPERLINK http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/countries/germany/ Germany in Western Europe. The North Sea, located to the north and west of the Netherlands, is continually battering the land. The Netherlands is larger than the state of HYPERLINK http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/states/maryland/ Maryland , but smaller than HYPERLINK http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/states/west-virginia/ West Virginia . The Dutch have a saying: God made t he Earth, but the Dutch made Holland. The North Sea would have washed away the Netherlands if the Dutch had not erected defenses to protect their land. Over the centuries, the Dutch have built series of canals, dams, dikes, and pumping stations to keep the sea and rivers back. GOVERNMENT The Netherlands is a republic with a constitutional monarchy. The Dutch monarchy dates back to Prince William of Orange in the 16th century. King Willem-Alexander is the reigning monarch. The Dutch parliament called the States General has two houses. The 150 members of the Lower House are elected by the people every four years. The Upper House has 15 members who are elected by local councils for a four-year term. The king or ruling monarch appoints ministers who become part of the cabinet. ECONOMY For years many people thought of the Netherlands as a country of windmills, canals, tulips, and wooden shoes, with cheese and butter as its main products. This image of the Netherlands as a mainly agricultural country has not been true for a long time, as it is now as industrialized as most other Western European countries. Industrialization began later in the Netherlands than in most other Western European countries because of the scarcity of raw materials. But a griculture still provides a number of products, many of which are exported. The country's agricultural land is divided into grassland, arable farmland, and horticultural land. Dutch dairy farming is highly developed . Its official currency is the Euro, like in many other European countries that are part of the European Union. PEOPLE AND CULTURE Many of the residents ride bicycles for transportation in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and other cities. There are three times as many bicycles as there are cars in the Netherlands. The Dutch believe in moderation and have a respect for the law. People in the southern part of the country are said to have a more relaxed outlook than their countrymen in the north. The Dutch are on average the tallest people in the world. Men are six feet tall (182.5 cm) and women are 5 feet 7 inches (170.5 cm). Researchers point to a healthy diet and good medical care as the main factors that lead to a tall population. Tourism is important to the country, and many visitors come to see Dutch art, architecture and the flowers. Tulips are a major industry, and the Dutch produce billions of bulbs a year more than any other country. The name Netherlands means " low countries. " The country is sometimes called Holland, but the name only applies to two provinces, North and South Holland, which border the North Sea in Amsterdam and The Hague.