Netherlands Country

Introduction
The Netherlands manages to be radical, sensible and quaintly staid. The Dutch aren't bogged in their clich é s, even though bikes, dykes, windmills and blazing flower fields are pretty much the norm outside the major cities. Do as the locals do - grab a bike and explore. It's a very big small country, and full of salutary surprises.

One of the chief pleasures of the place is its lively contrast between pragmatic liberalism and the buttoned-up just-so primness of a culture founded on Calvinist principles. In Dutch society, ostentation is anathema and fuss of any kind is regarded as undignified.

Geography:
Although the Dutch have the cute habit of calling anything higher than a speed bump a mountain, the Netherlands is largely a flat and soggy bog. Vast amounts of land has been reclaimed from the sea over the centuries, and the drained polders are protected by dykes, very few of which are plugged by little boys' fingers. More than half of the country lies below sea level and only in the southeast Limburg province will you find hills. The Netherlands is bordered by the North Sea, Belgium and Germany. The Rhine is the major river, slurping up run-off from the proper mountains in Germany and Switzerland and slopping it out all over the flatlands.

Forget about wilderness in the Netherlands. This is Europe's most densely populated country, but it also feels like the most organised place in the world. The western hoop of cities including Amsterdam, the Hague and Rotterdam is one of the most densely populated conurbations on earth, and even out of this area it doesn't get exactly isolated. Towns often blur from one to the next, linked by highways and bicycle paths. Neat, flat, muddy fields and tame and pleasant woodlands act as buffers; there are even places where you can hear the twittering of birds above the constant traffic drone.

Destination Facts
Capital: Amsterdam
Queen: Beatrix van Oranje Nassau
Prime Minister: Jan Peter Balkenende
Government: constitutional monarchy
Time zone: GMT + 1
Area: 41526
Population: 16254900
People: Over 80% of the population are Dutch (Germanic and Gallo-Celtic stock); most of the rest are Indonesian, Surinamese, Moroccan, Turkish or Antillian.
Languages: The language of the people of the Northern Friesland province.
Christian (51%) (Roman Catholic and Protestant), Muslim (5.5%). Close to half (41%) of the Dutch say they have no religious affiliation.
Currency: Euro (€)
Major industries: Service industries, banking, electronics, digital media, horticulture, agriculture and shipping
Major Trading Partners: EU (esp Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, UK), USA
Daylight Saving: From last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October
Country Dialing Code: 31

Getting there and away
The Netherlands' main international airport is Schiphol, but Eurolines buses and international trains are also popular methods for reaching the country. Highway connections to the surrounding parts of Europe are extensive, and ferries link the UK with a handful of ports in the Netherlands.

Getting around
The horizontal nature of the countryside makes the humble bicycle the ideal device for getting around, though there are decent train and bus networks to transport those with pedal-weary feet. You can also drive or motorcycle around, but only if you have an impeccable sense of direction and a knack for finding parking spaces.

Weather
The Netherlands has a temperate maritime climate with cool winters and mild summers. It can get pretty drizzly here, especially in autumn and spring when it can seem as though it's going to be grey forever. But because the Netherlands is so flat, changes sweep through quickly when the wind starts to blow. Precipitation (79cm a year) is spread rather evenly over the calendar, and spring is marked by short, violent showers. Winter can get bitingly cold.