Netherlands

The Netherlands is a small, flat country in northwestern Europe. It is often called Holland. The Netherlands is famous for its colorful tulips, old windmills, and bicycle-friendly cities. Much of the country is below sea level.

Land and People

About 18 million people live in the Netherlands. The capital is Amsterdam. The country is very flat and much of the land was taken back from the sea using walls called dikes. Without these dikes, a lot of the country would be underwater.

Map showing the Netherlands and nearby European countries.
Map showing the Netherlands and nearby European countries. (Rob984 / Wikimedia Commons)

Culture and Fun Facts

The Dutch love bicycles and there are more bikes than people in the country. Tulips bloom in colorful fields every spring. Gouda cheese and stroopwafels are tasty Dutch treats. The Dutch are known for being some of the tallest people in the world.

Fun Facts

  • The Netherlands has more bicycles than people.
  • About one third of the Netherlands is below sea level.
  • The Dutch are the tallest people in the world on average.

Did You Know?

The Dutch built giant walls called dikes and pumped water away to create new land from the sea. About a third of the Netherlands would be underwater without these structures. Windmills were originally used to pump out the water.