Only 50% of the Netherlands has land exceeding one meter above sea level， with most of the areas below being man-made. Almost 17% of Netherlands land area is reclaimed from lakes and sea.

Because the land is so flat， the countrys highest point， which is 323 meters high， is actually referred to as a mountain. Its located in Vaalserberg.

The Dutch people are the tallest in Europe with an average height of 1.81-1.84 meters for adult males and 1.67-1.70 （depending on the source） meters for women.

Amsterdam is one of the most popular cities in the Netherlands and home to at least 200 different nationalities. With over 4.2 million international visitors， Amsterdam is now Europes 5th-busiest tourist destination.

Using “Holland” to talk about the Netherlands is wrong. Holland comprises the Dutch provinces of North and South Holland. It used to be the economically strongest region of the country， which is why its so known.

The Netherlands has been a constitutional monarchy since 1815 and， since 1848， a parliamentary democracy. It has always had a coalition government.

Thick Dutch fries. You might see these thick cut fries called patat or frites on menus， and traditionally they come served in a piping hot paper cone slathered with any manner of tasty toppings. Ask for ‘patatje oorlog for a dollop of peanut satay sauce， mayo and onions， or a ‘patat speciaal for a mix of curry ketchup， mayonnaise and onions.

Stamppot is an old-style Dutch dish. It is made of mashed potatoes mixed with one or more vegetables like kale， carrots， endive or sauerkraut.

Electronic Music is embraced in the Netherlands. It has had a vibrant club， rave and festival scene for over 20 years. People start to party at a very young age. There are plenty of places where people can practice their DJ skills and of course all these activities are concentrated in a very small piece of land so everyone connects and learns from each other at a much higher pace than when people are divided from each other by a lot of distance.

Amsterdam is entirely built on wooden poles 11 meters deep. This is due to its soil which consists of thick layers of clay and fen. The Royal Palace situated at Dam Square is built on at least 13，659 wooden poles.

According to the 2013 United Nations World Happiness Report of 2013， the Netherlands was ranked fourth happiest country in the world. The Netherlands has the thirteenth-highest per capita income in the world， according to the International Monetary Fund. Perhaps thats why it is such a happy country！

There are still over 1，000 traditional working windmills in the Netherlands. 19 of these can be found at the Unesco World Heritage Site of Kinderdijk.

There are 1，281 bridges in Amsterdam！ There are almost no streets in the Dutch village of Giethoorn， but there are many canals， which is why its also known as the “Venice of the Netherlands”.

There are more bikes （over 18 million） in the Netherlands than there are people. There are about 15，000 km of bike lanes in the Netherlands. Pedestrians are not allowed to walk on the specially-designated bike lanes， found all over the country. A Dutch person will cycle 2.5 km per day on average and 900 km per year.

The Netherlands are famous for their tulips， but tulips originally didnt grow there. They were imported from the Ottoman empire in the 17th century. Today， the Netherlands is the biggest producer and exporter of tulips in the world. But not just tulips. 75% of the worlds flower bulbs come from the Netherlands. The famous tulip garden Keukenhof is the largest flower garden in the world.

The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is the worlds oldest stock exchange. The Netherlands was a founder member of the Euro， swapping their “gulden” to the euro on January 1， 1999. The Netherlands was one of the six founding members of the European Union.

The Netherlands has produced many well-known painters including famous names such as Rembrandt van Rijn， Vincent van Gogh， and Willem de Kooning. There are at least 22 Rembrandt painting and 206 works by Van Gogh in Amsterdam alone. There are approximately 1000 museums in the Netherlands， 42 of them situated in Amsterdam.

Did you know that carrots didnt use to be orange？ They were black， yellow， red， purple or white. An orange variant was made in honor of the House of Orange， that led the revolt against the Spanish and later became the Dutch Royal Family.

Both Australia and New Zealand were discovered by the Dutch. Australia was named “New Holland”， and New Zealand was named after the province of Zeeland. The latter is a great place to spend a weekend， by the way.

The most popular tourist souvenirs from the Netherlands include clogs （wooden shoes）， miniature windmills， cheese， and tulips.

Although it were the Portuguese who discovered tea in East Asia， it were the Dutch who started to import it commercially into Europe in 1610. By the way： tea didnt get to the UK until about 40 years later！

The Dutch are the biggest licorice eaters in the world. They consume 32 million kilos of the stuff every year.

Popular throughout the world， the ‘stroopwafel is undoubtedly the most famous and popular pastry from The Netherlands. A ‘stroopwafel' is a unique kind of cookie. It is a waffle made from baked batter and sliced horizontally. The two thin layers of the waffle are filled with special sweet and sticky syrup （the ‘stroop） in between. The stiff batter for the waffles is made from butter， flour， yeast， milk， brown sugar and eggs.

The ‘kroket is a deep fried roll with meat ragout inside， covered in breadcrumbs. The original Dutch ‘kroket is made from beef or veal， but there are many different flavors like chicken satay， shrimps， goulash or even a vegetarian ‘kroket. You can eat a ‘kroket as a snack， but most of the time they are served on sliced white bread or hamburger buns with mustard on the side.

Hollands version of pea soup is a thick green stew of split peas， pork， celery， onions and leeks， and contrary to its name， its completely delicious.

Despite occupying only 0.008% of the worlds surface， the Netherlands is its third largest agricultural exporter. The Netherlands is the worlds biggest exporter of cheese; its dairy industry worth a mind-blowing 7 billion euros. The Dutch have been making cheese since 400 A.D. 70% of the worlds bacon comes from the Netherlands.

The Dutch wear rain suits in lieu of umbrellas because of the blustery winds.

In the Netherlands， 4/10 people work part-time. Thats the highest number in the European Union.

Delftware or Delft pottery， also known as Delft Blue， is a general term now used for Dutch tin-glazed earthenware， a form of faience. Most of it is blue and white pottery， and the city of Delft in the Netherlands was the major centre of production， but the term covers wares with other colours， and made elsewhere.

荷蘭只有50%的国土海拔超过了1米，不满1米的地方大多都是人造的土地。荷兰几乎有17%的国土都是填海、填湖造出来的。

因为国土实在太平了，全国最高的地方只有323米，而且那里还被称作山。这个地方坐落于瓦尔斯堡。

荷兰人是欧洲最高的，成年男性平均身高1.81-1.84米，成年女性平均1.67-1.7米（根据统计机构会略有不同）。

阿姆斯特丹是荷兰最受欢迎的城市之一，这里居住着至少200个不同的民族。阿姆斯特丹现在的国际游客量有420万，这让它成为了欧洲第五繁忙的旅游目的地。

用Holland 这个词来指代荷兰其实是错的。Holland 指的是荷兰的北荷兰省跟南荷兰省。这个地方曾经是全国经济最强盛的地区，所以这个名字的知名度才这么高。

荷兰从1815年开始成为了一个君主立宪制国家，从1848年开始实行议会民主。他们一直实行联合政府。

荷兰的薯条非常粗大，菜单上一般写成 patat，也可能直接写 fries，按照传统是放在滚烫的锥状纸筒里，上面可以加上各种各样的浇头。

荷兰土豆泥是一种传统的荷兰菜。它是通过在搅碎成泥的土豆里加上各种蔬菜制成的，可以有甘蓝菜、胡萝卜、莴苣甚至酸菜。

荷兰人很喜欢电子音乐。各种动感的夜总会、狂欢会、音乐节已经在这存在了20多年了。这里的人很年轻就会开始轰趴。有很多地方可供人们锻炼自己的DJ技巧，然后荷兰的国土又很小，所以大家有很多机会互相交流学习，频率比其他人远距离的地方高得多。

整个阿姆斯特丹都是建在11米深的木桩上的。……