This amazing country inspires the most famous painters with its magnificent endless plain landscapes, which cause genuine admiration for many. This is the Netherlands. Cities, vast fields and many other objects enchant with their special beauty.
What is the Netherlands?
This is a country of delicious tulips and wonderful cheese. This is a country whose territory is cut through by dense networks of canals with numerous drawbridges.
Where else can you see landscapes with elements that have long been common for the landscapes of Holland - windmills, some of which in the past were used to pump water from canals, and some to produce environmentally friendly electricity? There is even a holiday in this country - Windmill Day, which is celebrated annually on May 12.
Great bike paths and motorways cut through Holland. The beautiful cities of the Netherlands attract a huge number of tourists.
This is a land of contrasts. It is in this state that euthanasia is allowed, and marijuana andhashish.
Administrative division of the Netherlands, population
Most (89%) of the Dutch population lives in cities. The Netherlands is divided into 12 provinces: South and North Holland, Gelderland, Utrecht, Flevoland, Limburg, Groningen, Drenthe, Friesland, Zeeland, Overijssel and North Brabant. These provinces are in turn made up of communities.
And what peoples inhabit the Netherlands? The cities are ethnically populated rather unevenly - almost ½ of the Dutch live in the settlements of the southwestern zone of the country. This area is called Ranstad - a conurbation (according to another agglomeration that has several cities of approximately the same size and importance), unites Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, and a number of slightly smaller cities (Delft, Dor-drecht, Leiden and Haarlem).
The Netherlands is a multinational state, but 96% of the population is Dutch, and the remaining 4% are Flemings, Frisians, Germans and immigrants from Turkey, Morocco, Indonesia and Suriname.
Country Location
The average heights of the Dutch lowlands range from 7 to 10 meters. The state is located on the western territory of the Central European Plain. On the south side it borders on Belgium, on the east - on Germany. A belt of dunes, the height of which in some places reaches 56 m, stretches along the coast of the North Sea, where numerous dams and dams have been built to protect the lowlands of these places from flooding. The lowest point of the relief is 6.3 meters below sea level.
Easternpart of the country is represented by more hilly plains (moraines), and the southern part is represented by ancient river terraces covered with forest. The highest point (321 m) rises in the spurs of the Ardennes (southeast of the country), where the border with Germany and Belgium passes. The length of the coastline today is 750 km.
An interesting fact is that almost 40% of the territory of the Netherlands is located below sea level, and only 2% of the area is above 50 meters.
Eternal struggle with the sea
Before we talk about where the cities of the Netherlands are and what they are, let's see how the people of this country live in rather difficult climatic conditions.
From time immemorial, there has been a struggle with the sea. Over the course of 3 decades (1930-1969), people were still able to recapture 4,000 square kilometers from the North Sea. km area. How? In 1932, a 33 km long dam was built, separating the Zuider Zee from the sea. Subsequently, most of the resulting lake IJsselmeer was drained and transformed into polders (in the Netherlands, this is what they call dammed from the sea, drained low-lying and cultivated coastal areas).
In addition to the above-described event, after a severe flood in these places, in 1958-86, the largest hydrotechnical project was implemented, which provided for the separation of the mouths of the Meuse, Rhine and Scheldt rivers from the sea, moreover, with the preservation of canal navigation in the country, passing through the entire country.
Cities of the Netherlands in alphabetical order
- Amsterdam is a city of canals and drawbridges.
- The Hague is the seat of government.
- Groningen is a student city and the "cycling capital of the world".
- Delft is a kind of museum under the sky with a preserved historical center of the 17th century.
- Leiden - a city (XVI-XVIII centuries) with old windmills and Gothic cathedrals.
- Nijmegen is the oldest hilly town.
- Rotterdam is the most modern "town".
- Utrecht is one of the oldest settlements, once destroyed and rebuilt again.
- Harlem is a small provincial town.
- Harlingen is a port city.
- 's-Hertogenbosch is a center of industry, culture and education.
The largest cities in the Netherlands: a brief description
Amsterdam is the capital of the country. The city is rich in history, great cultural attractions.
Its peculiarity is that a huge number of bridges (more than 600!) are thrown over numerous channels. The most beautiful of them are Mahere brug (translated as “Skinny Bridge”) and Blauburg.
It should be noted that Amsterdam, like the whole country, is a city of freedom of morals. Here in many cafes they freely offer to smoke weed.
The next major city is The Hague (the center of South Holland), the seat of government, the royal court and parliament. It is the 3rd largest and one of the oldest cities in the country. Here is the famous Peace Palace, where the meetings of the International Court of Justice are held.
In terms of architecture, the city is famous for its amazing mixturevarious styles: baroque, classicism and renaissance. All this goes well with skyscrapers.
This is the country of the Netherlands. Its cities are unique and original. Almost all of them attract attention with an amazing combination of antiquity with modern architectural ensembles. But there is a city that fascinates with the beauty of its modern architecture. Rotterdam (the heart of South Holland), being the largest port in Europe, is also one of the most modern cities with numerous architectural buildings. Majestic, amazingly beautiful buildings attract the attention of tourists. The city was erected on the dam of the Rotta River. Hence its name.
The city of Utrecht (the capital of the province of the same name) is one of the oldest Dutch cities. Its surprisingly beautiful center is surrounded by the most unique two-tier canals (structures of the 13th century). The city, like the whole province, is home to luxurious mansions.
Conclusion
Beautiful country the Netherlands! Its cities and national parks fascinate with their originality and splendor.
The most beautiful place is the Keukenhof park in the small town of Lisse, which is located between The Hague and Amsterdam. There are 8 million flowers growing in this delightful corner! Here you can see huge meadows with tulips and greenhouses with lilacs, daffodils, lilies, orchids, gerberas, roses and other flowers of various shades.
