General information


Development
 The development of the city of The Hague from a small village to a town with about 300.000 people started about 1250. With the construction of a house for Count Floris V it became an important place for many people. Later on many rich people build their houses in the City and the surroundings of The Hague.
Walking through the center of the City many of them are still there. Most of these buildings are used now as an embassy or an office.

The Climate
The outside temperature during February and the beginning of March in the Netherlands is very likely to be cold with rain. There is also a possibility of freezing temperatures but in general temperature is above zero degrees. The months of January and February are the best for natural ice.

Currency and Credit Cards
All major credit cards are accepted in the Netherlands. The currency is the Euro (€), which are approximately 1,20 US Dollar.

Protection against the water

Almost 80% of the country lies well below sea level. The dunes along the sea-side and the dikes along the rivers protect the Dutchmen against the water. There has been a long tradition of constructing dikes and building windmills to keep the area dry.

After a big inundation in the fifties many constructions have been built in the South Western part of the country. These 'Delta Werken' are famous and attract many visitors each year.

Skating

Skating is a very popular activity in the Netherlands. Almost every big city has an ice rink. If the temperature drops below zero during the winter there is ice on lakes and canals. When this is strong enough many millions of people are going out skating. In the northern part of the Netherlands some times a one day competition is organised for speed skaters over 200 km along 11 cities (De Elfstedentocht).
 
Bicycles

Although the Netherlands are a small country a well organised public transport system is available.

Next to this a bicycle is an often used vehicle. Almost every Dutchman has one so there are 18 million bicycles in the Netherlands.

Other information

Our Language
The language in the Netherlands is Dutch. Ever since the Middle Ages the Dutch have travelled and traded around the world and as a result many of them speak other languages, especially English.

Main Port
As the western part of the Netherlands borders on the North Sea side there is a lot of transportation to other countries especially to Germany. The main port Rotterdam has a central position in these activities.

Export
Main activities in the Netherlands are agriculture and industry. Fruits and vegetables are important export products. Industrial activities, metal and engineering products, electric machinery and equipment, chemicals and oil products also have the aim of exportation.