Total area: 16,033 sq mi (41,526 sq km)
Population (2009 est.): 16,715,999
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Amsterdam (official) - 737,900; The Hague (administrative capital) - 465,900
Other large cities: Rotterdam - 600,700; Utrecht - 263,900; Eindhoven - 206,900
Currency: Euro
Languages: Dutch, Frisian (both official)
Religions: Roman Catholic 31%, Dutch Reformed 13%, Calvinist 7%, Islam 6%, none 41%
Time zone: GMT+1; DST: GMT+2 (from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October)
Electricity: AC 230V/50Hz; European plugs with two round pins are the standard
The Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, situated on the coast of the North Sea. The country borders Belgium to the south and Germany to the east. The North Sea lies to the north and west. About one fifth of the country lies below the sea level. These parts are mostly polders - fertile areas of land reclaimed from the sea.
Except for the southwest, most of the country's landscape is characterized by low and flat terrain, with large delta of the Rhine covering south-western part of the Netherlands.
Dutch is a term used to refer to the Netherlands people, language and culture. Holland is sometimes used as the country name - it refers to two of the provinces in the Netherlands: North Holland and South Holland.
