The Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe bordering the North Sea between Belgium and Germany.

The country is divided into 12 provinces: Amsterdam is the capital, but the Government meets in The Hague. Utrecht is the transportation hub, while the port city of Rotterdam constitutes the economic heartland. The four cities together form a string of interconnected towns.

Netherlands’ population of 17 million people is divided into about 10 ethnic groups. Dutch form 78.6% of the population, EU 5.8%, Turkish 2.4%, Indonesian 2.2%, Moroccan 2.2%, Surinamese 2.1%, Bonairian, Saba Islander, Sint Eustatian 0.8%, and others 5.9%.

Dutch is the official language of the three special municipalities of the Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, St. Eustatian and Saba) while English is a recognised regional language on Sint Eustatius and Saba. Papiamento is a regional language in Bonaire.

The country is known for its visionary architecture, vintage-meets-contemporary fashion and interiors, flat landscape of canals, tulip fields, windmills and cycling routes.

Amsterdam hosts the Rijks Museum, Van Gogh Museum and the house where Jewish diarist Anne Frank hid during WWII.

Canalside mansions and a trove of works from artists including Rembrandt and Vermeer remain from the city’s 17th-century Golden Age. It is also famous for its vibrant and diverse nightlife centred around the Leidseplein and the Rembrandtplein. The Paradiso, Melkweg and Sugar Factory are cultural centres, which turn into discothèques at night.

Rotterdam City is home to some of the world’s famous architecture by renowned architects such as Rem Koolhaas, Piet Blom, and Ben van Berkel, and was voted 2015 European City of the Year by the Academy of Urbanism.

Netherlands has the sixth largest economy in the European Union. It is in the top 10 countries worldwide, based on high levels of labour productivity participation rates.

The country’s advanced automated agricultural sector provides large surpluses for food processing and highlights the country’s status as the world’s second largest agricultural exporter.

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