Culture & Sciences

· The Netherlands has spawned many world-class painters, such as Rembrandt, Jan Vermeer, Jan Steen, Vincent van Gogh or Piet Mondriaan.

· The microscope, the telescope, pendulum clock and the mercury thermometer are all 16th or 17th century Dutch inventions.

· The Dutch company 'Philips' invented the audio tape (in 1967), the video tape (in 1972), the Compact Disk (in 1982) and the CD-ROM (in 1985).

· There are 1180 windmills in the Netherlands.

· Tulips were imported from the Ottoman Empire and became very popular in Holland in the early 17th century. Nowadays, the Netherlands is the world's first producer and exporter of tulips.

· Keukenhof Park is the largest flower garden in the world.

· Smith & Jones in Amsterdam is Europe's first and only addiction clinic, treating everything from compulsive gambling to alcoholism, and from eating disorders to video game addiction.

· As of 2010, the Netherlands had the highest percentage of broadband subscriptions in the world, with 38% of the population connected.

Economy

· Famous Dutch companies include Philips, Akzo Nobel , Royal Dutch Shell (half-British), Unilever (half-British), Heineken, IKEA (formerly Swedish) as well as the banks ING and ABN-AMRO.

· The KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) is the longest running national airline in the world. It was founded in 1919.

· The Netherlands has long been one of the richest countries in the world. Its GDP per capita was estimated to be the highest in the world in 1820, and the 2nd highest in Europe in 1900 (after Belgium). Nowadays, it still enjoys the 4th highest nominal GDP per capita (or 3rd at PPP) within the European Union.

· The Netherlands have the highest level of foreign direct investment per capita in the world.

· Rotterdam, in South Holland, is the largest seaport in Europe. It used to be the largest port in the world by cargo tonnage, until being overtaken by Singapore in the 1990's, then Shanghai in 2003.

· The Global Connectedness Index 2012, computed on data from 2005 to 2011, ranked the Netherlands as the world's most internationally connected country. The ranking is based on economic depth (size of the country's international flow compared to its domestic economy) and geographic breadth (number of countries it connects with).

A few famous Dutch companies :

· Royal Philips Electronics :one of the largest electronics and home appliances companies in the world.

· KLM Royal Dutch Airlines : major international airline.

· Royal Dutch Shell : Anglo-Dutch oil company.

· Unilever : Anglo-Dutch company owning many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products.

· ING Group: the world's largest banking/financial services and insurance conglomerate in 2012.

· ABN AMRO : Dutch bank.

· AEGON : insurance company.

· Heineken and Amstel : brewing companies

· Mexx and McGregor : fashion brands.

· Vedior and Randstad : human resources and staffing services companies.

· Akzo Nobel : healthcare products, coatings and chemicals.

· KPN : telecommunications company owning such operators as BASE (Belgium), E-Plus (Germany), Simyo (France and Spain) and iBasis (USA).

· Getronics : Information and Communication Technology company.

· IKEA : international home products retailer (founded in Sweden but headquartered in Holland).

Fast Facts

Continent:Europe

Capital: Amsterdam

Area: 41,543 km²

Population:16,751,323

Currency: Euro

Official Language: Dutch

Type of Government:Constitutional Monarchy

Date: 2016-01-05; view: 469