INTRIGUING FACTS ABOUT THE NETHERLANDS

CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF THE NETHERLANDS AND

HOLLAND ARE NOT THE SAME. HOLLAND IS LARGELY

THE WESTERN COASTAL REGION OF THE NETHERLANDS,

COMPRISED OF AMSTERDAM, ROTTERDAM, HAARLEM,

LEIDEN, AND THE HAGUE

THE NETHERLANDS IS THE MOST DENSELY POPULATED

NATION IN EUROPE WITH 487 INHABITANTS PER

SQUARE KILOMETRE

THE HIGHEST POINT IN THE NETHERLANDS, VAALSERBERG,

IS ONLY 323 METRES ABOVE SEA LEVEL. THE REST OF

THE NATION IS AS FLAT AS IT GETS. FOR EXAMPLE,

SCHIPHOL AIRPORT IS ACTUALLY 4.5 METRES BELOW

SEA LEVEL

THE COUNTRY IS CONSIDERED THE GREATEST

KICKBOXING NATION IN THE WORLD, WITH MOST

OF THE BEST KICKBOXERS IN HISTORY BEING DUTCH

INCLUDING RAMON DEKKERS, BAS RUTTEN, ANDY SOUWER,

PETER AERTS, ERNESTO HOOST, ROB KAMAN, AND THE

MOST DECORATED HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION EVER,

SEMMY SCHILT

WORLDWIDE, IT’S COMMON FOR WOMEN TO GIVE BIRTH

IN A HOSPITAL. WELL, THAT’S NOT THE CASE IN THE

NETHERLANDS SINCE ABOUT THIRTY PERCENT OF ALL

DUTCH BIRTHS TAKE PLACE AT HOME

ACCORDING TO THE BREWERS OF EUROPE, THE

NETHERLANDS EXPORTS THE LARGEST PROPORTION

OF BEER OF ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD AT

APPROXIMATELY FIFTY PERCENT

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND WERE DISCOVERED BY

THE DUTCH IN 1606 AND 1642, RESPECTIVELY. AUSTRALIA

WAS NAMED NEW HOLLAND AFTER A DUTCH PROVINCE

AND NEW ZEALAND WAS NAMED AFTER THE

PROVINCE OF ZEELAND

THE EARLIEST RECORDED WORKING TELESCOPES WERE

THE REFRACTING TELESCOPES THAT APPEARED IN

THE NETHERLANDS IN 1608. THEIR DEVELOPMENT IS

CREDITED TO THREE INDIVIDUALS: HANS LIPPERSHEY

AND ZACHARIAS JANSSEN, WHO WERE SPECTACLE

MAKERS IN MIDDELBURG, AND JACOB METIUS

OF ALKMAAR

THE LEGENDARY JOHAN CRUYFF, WIDELY CONSIDERED

THE GREATEST EUROPEAN FOOTBALLER IN HISTORY,

BECAME THE FIRST PLAYER TO WIN THE BALLON D’OR

(THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS INDIVIDUAL AWARD IN SOCCER,

AWARDING THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD)

THREE TIMES, IN 1971, 1973, AND 1974