In the Land of: 16,928,680 inhabitants (CBS), Total size in Km2 (sq mi) 41,850 (16,160) (Truesize), of compromises (coalition government), where 75% of Dutch women work part time, 18 million bikes, Part of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World: World’s largest moving structure on Earth: The Delta Works, and Zuiderzee Works, Daniel Bernoulli, Inventing Bluetooth, Wadden Sea Islands, World’s best Tap water, World’s 17th (GDP per capita), Koningsdag, 20x European Baseball Championship winner and 1st European country to win the 2011 World Baseball Championship, World’s 7th Export Nation, 5% of the population uses cannabis every once in a while, OceanCo, beschuit met muisjes, Vastenavond, World’s 3rd ‘low-tax country’ for multinational corporations after Bermuda and Ireland (Tax free tour), €1 billion annually Dutch meat-processing industry: 43,9 million broiler population, 12.2 million pig sector (PVE), and Egg production of 10.6 billion eggs, Forming Python (programming language), World’s first public limited company: the Dutch East India Company, World’s first permanent stock exchange: Beurs van Berlage, 2200 European HQ’s i.e. Uber, Google, TESLA, SONOS, Softplayer, Viacom, ShutterStock, FOX, Travelbird, Wetransfer, Booking.com, Netflix, Nike, Adidas (Digital), ING, Mexx, Ahold, Akzo Nobel, Philips, Heineken, Cisco, LG, Nikon, TomTom, Mattel and Tommy Hilfiger, Dutch physicist astronaut Wubbo Ockels, Anglo-Dutch Wars, Guus Hiddink, With 144.000 departures, and population growth 73.000 in 2014 (CBS), World’s largest flower auction and 4th largest floorspace building in the world (Aalsmeer), World’s 4th highest Human Development index (UNDP), 8th in the Worldwide Corruption Perception (Transparency)(VIDEO), a Life Expectancy rate of 81.10 years years (2012), Amsterdam, Europe’s 5th city with the most weather variety, 4th wettest city (AirMail), Invented the ball sport Korfball in 1902 (netball and basketball), Europe’s largest port in Europe, and World’s 6th busiest container port in the World: Rotterdam, 15th most densest rail network in the World, where 20% is below sea level, World’s largest and first Cocaine factory (1878-1970) (VICE), Jan Akkerman, The International Court of Justice, the band The Outsiders, no mountains, a Kingdom, Dutch Models Cato van Ee, Anne Marie van Dijk, Rianne Ten Haken, Lara Stone, Bette Franke and Doutzen Kroes, World’s 75th most expensive public transport, savvy, hard work, tolerance and fairness minded people, a partly progressive tax rate, creating successful Football Strikers, almost no summers, 16 Nobel Prize winners, Dutch Revolt, World’s 12th highest parking rates, Calvinism, World’s most beautiful movie theater Tuschinski, Europe’s most international minded country, The Big Brother and The Voice TV Format, inventing Gin, Rem Koolhaas, St. Martin’s Day, Grolsch, Heineken and Amstel beer, a rich former Dutch Empire, mailbox companies, morning and evening traffic congestions, World’s longest running national Airline (KLM), 7 Academy Awards, no skyscrapers, where more then 177 different nationalities live together, Europe’s youngest population, a homicide rate of per 100.000 inhabitants of 1.2, Drug related deaths per million inhabitants of 2.4, Smit International, Parlevliet & Van Der Plas and Mammoet, Writer Harry Mulisch, coffee shops and legal soft drugs, 2 Unlimited, 2 Brothers On The 4th Floor and Vengaboys, horribly subsidized Film Industry of 48,43 miljoen euro a year, and produces around 55 feature films and 18 Documentaries a year (2011), 80 years war, World’s highest level of foreign direct investment per capita, where prostitution is legal and regulated, Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff, COBRA, where Football Club Ajax was founded, approximately 1250 museums in the Netherlands, of which over 60 museums Amsterdam: World’s highest museum density in the world: Netherlands national museum (RijksMuseum) (BBC – Night at the Rijksmuseum), Stedelijk Museum, Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, Hermitage Amsterdam, Amsterdam Historical Museum, the Rembrandt House, NEMO Amsterdam etc, World’s 2nd largest exporter of XTC, Joop van de Ende and John de Mol, Willem Ruis, Paul de Leeuw, Sonja Barend, Willeke Alberti, Irene Moors, Matthijs van Nieuwkerk, Jeroen Pauw, Janine Jansen, Paul Witteman, Award winning current event News programmes like BrandPunt and Netwerk, and VPRO Backlight, Comedian Hans Teeuwen, and André van Duin, World’s lowest incidence of lactose intolerance, Western orange Carrots, Frans Afman, Rutger Hauer, Famke Jannsen, Jany Temime (half Dutch), Jan Roelfs, Pieter Jan Brugge, Roel Reiné, Jan de Bont, Paul Verhoeven, Yorick van Wageningen, and Anton Corbijn, World’s 2nd largest coffee drinkers, Anne Frank, Theo van Gogh, World’s highest consumption of Liquorice, legal abortion, Hoyte Van Hoytema,15.000 km of cycle tracks, inventing the microscope, telescope, Pendulum clock and mercury thermometer, Bitterballen and Croquettes, World’s best place for Children to live in (UNICEF), where the 1st stock exchange was founded, inventing Total Football, a governmental healthcare system, involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, largest flower garden in the World Keukenhof, Andre Rieu’s World’s 3rd (2011) highest grossing tour, Golden Earring, World’s largest music for picture and brand Agency MassiveMusic, no real cuisine, 1180 traditional working windmills, Pim Fortuyn, Ruud Lubbers, Geert Wilders and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the band Focus, World’s tallest people, Tiesto, Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten and AfroJack, Saint Nicholas (Sinterklaas), George Baker, Pannekoeken, Hagelslag, Stroopwafels, Drop and Pindakaas, Maeslantkering – one of it’s kind flood barrier in the World (entire construction is twice as large as the Eiffel Tower and four times as heavy), World’s largest corporation SHELL, World’s 7th largest corporation in turnover: VITOL (Private), World’s 17th largest corporation ING, AKZO NOBEL, DSM, Océ, AHOLD, IKEA (INGKA HOLDING), UNILEVER, C&A, MEXX, Spyker Cars, FOKKER, Hunter Douglas, RANDSTAD, FrieslandCampina, where PHILIPS invented the audio tape, video tape, Compact Disk and CD Rom, Field Hockey, Speedskating, Dutch distinct cabaret like Toon Hermans, Wim Sonneveld, Ramses Shaffy, Liesbeth List and Herman van Veen, World 12th best National Football team (FIFA), Shocking Blue, G-Star, Viktor & Rolf, Vincent van Gogh and Rembrandt van Rijn, Tulips, Clogs, Gouda cheese, 563 KM’s of levees, inventing Gabber, Han Bennink, Jan Steen, Piet Mondriaan, Cuby & The Blizzards, Jan Vermeer, Herman Brood, Willem Janszoon, Michiel de Ruyter, Abel Tasman, VPRO’s amazing video’s Holland from Above , where every Dutch person owns a bicycle and in the land of ice skating…… Since 15 years ago last weekend the canals of Amsterdam turned into the Old Masters again. This beautiful video will tell it all. Needless to say more…..
12 years ago