The official name of the country is the Netherlands. In the rest of the world, the name Holland is commonly used for the entire country. However, when used correctly, the name Holland only refers to the area covered by the provinces of North and South Holland.

Fortified towns were originally encircled by protective walls, ramparts and other kinds of defensive systems. These were designed to protect the inhabitants from outside attack. The towns played an important role in protecting the rest of the country. 

The following Departments of the Embassy deal with Economy, Trade, Investment and Agriculture between the Netherlands and other countries:

The Dutch – all 16 and a half million of them – live in 41,526 square kilometres, little more than half the size of Scotland. This makes the Netherlands one of the world's most densely populated countries.

The cost of living in Netherlands is high compared to other places. This is based on a comparison of locally collected prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services, converted to USD.

This is a chronological list of floods that have occurred in the Netherlands, until 1500 most parts of the Netherlands were in Frisia.

Tourism is an important economic sector in the Netherlands. The country receives some 10 million foreign visitors every year, primarily from Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Israel and Belgium.

The list of most visited museums in the Netherlands are the museums in the Netherlands with the most visitors in the year 2012. All museums with over 250,000 visitors are listed.

The Greater Coat of Arms of the Realm, (or "Groot Rijkswapen"), is the personal coat of arms of the monarch of the Netherlands (currently Queen Beatrix).

All provinces of the Netherlands are divided into municipalities (gemeenten), together 441 (2009).

All provinces of the Netherlands are divided into municipalities (gemeenten), together 441 (2009).

We found a selection of articles, websites and other links with information about important organisations and institutions of Holland.

The Netherlands is sometimes called Holland after its provinces of North and South Holland.

Full country name: Kingdom of the Netherlands Area: 41,526 sq km

1. More than a quarter of the Netherlands is below sea level. In addition to that, 50% of its land lies less than one meter above sea level. Schiphol is actually 4.5 meters below sea level. Luckily, the Netherlands is not in a tsunami-prone part of the world.

Fact 1: The capital city of The Netherlands is Amsterdam.