112 Interesting Facts About Netherlands

Last updated on April 15th, 2022

54. More than 1000 traditional windmills are still operational in the country. The second Saturday and Sunday in May is National Mill Day in the Netherlands.

55. KLM is a world’s leading airlines which has Dutch roots. In started in 1919 and is also the oldest national airline in the world.

56. Amsterdam is also Europe’s 5^th busiest travel destination handling over 4.2 million travelers every year.

57. The Netherlands is the world’s biggest producer and exporter of tulips. Well over 20 million flowers and plants are sold at Royal FloraHolland every day. The peak growing season for tulips is between April 25^th and May 5.

58. More than 17% of the country’s land is reclaimed from lakes and seas.

59. The Dutch have been making cheese since 400 A.D.

60. The country also boasts the worlds oldest tricolor – the national flag of the Netherlands.

61. Belgium and the Netherlands were awarded for being the most bike-friendly countries in 2013.

62. Because of the land reclamation, the land area of the Netherlands increases every year.

63. The microscope was invented in the Netherlands in the 16^th century.

64. Amsterdam is home to Europe’s only addition clinic where treatment for gambling, video gaming, and substance addiction is done.

65. Seventy percent of the Bacons come from the Netherlands.

66. Almost 40% of the country’s population works part-time, the highest percentage in the European Union countries.

67. Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands but the government sits in the Hague.

68. Frisian is the only regional language which is also among the official languages of the country.

69. Rhine, Meuse, and Scheldt are the three main rivers that cross the Netherlands before reaching the sea.

70. Some of the big Dutch companies include – Shell, Unilever, Philips, Aegon, ING, Heineken, and TNT.

71. There are 12 provinces in the Netherlands. Two provinces including Noord and Zuid make up Holland.

72. The country has over 4000 km of navigable rivers, canals, and lakes.

73. The Dutch, after the Scandinavian, drink the most coffee per person per year in the world – almost 140 liters.

74. The Netherlands is vulnerable to flooding because it is a low lying country.

75. Philips, a major electrical appliance company, started humbly in “Eindhoven”. The city is thus also known as “the city of lights”.

76. Heineken is the world’s third-largest brewer.

77. The Netherlands is also the world’s largest cheese exporting country.

78. The Netherlands has plenty of museums. Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House are the three most popular museums in Amsterdam.

79. The country’s favorite snack is French fries dipped in Mayonnaise.

80. The country also has a 300-year-old market for cheese – Woerden and Gonda. The average Dutch person eats a whopping 33 pounds (15 kilos) of cheese per year.

81. Wooden windmills were used in the Netherlands to drain water from the land. They were used for 600 years. These days, other methods of flood control are in use. The Dutch are also paying attention to developing renewable sources of energy for powering their country.

82. Flood control methods include the use of pumping stations, canals, lakes and dikes. Because the country is low lying, they have to be super smart in order to prevent themselves from drowning in the event of flooding.

83. More than 2400 kilometers of dikes shield the country from the water. If these dikes were removed, almost 65% of the Netherlands would flood daily.

84. The country is known for bicycles and comparatively, they have three times as many bicycles as they have cars. They have some 35,000 kilometer of bicycle lanes in the country.

85. The countrymen are also blessed with the longest average lifespan in the world. Thanks to their healthy eating habits and other factors.

86. The Dutch fought a war for more than 80 years before they gained independence from Spain in 1648.

87. About 4 million people in the country live below sea level.

88. Metric system is the legal standard for weights and measures in the country.

89. By 2025, the authorities in the country are going to ban the sales of petrol as well as diesel-powered automobiles.

90. The country has three natural topographic divisions – the dunes, the lowlands and the higher eastern section.

91. The average annual rainfall in the Netherlands is – 76.5 cm. And the country experiences limited sunshine during the year. Winds are abundant and that is why they use windmills to produce energy.

92.The village of Giethoorn in the Netherlands has no roads. There are just canals that are used for transportation. The village is also known as the “Venice of the Netherlands.”

93. The soft drug policy in the Netherlands allows coffee shops to sell drugs that are permitted by the authorities but in limited quantities.

94. The Dutch dress in Orange on 27 April to celebrate their king’s birthday.

95. According to the UN, Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands were the most innovative countries in the world in 2017.

96. The country is the fourth-largest investor in the U.S.

97. They are also the first to have developed an artificial heart.

98. The Netherlands does not have any stray dogs on its street.

99. The country built the world’s first solar-powered bike lane.

100. Another interesting fact to note here is that the toilet hole in the toilets in the Dutch houses is towards the edge of the seat and not in the center. This position of the hole helps in conserving water, and the Dutch also get a good view of their deposit when it sits on the little shelf before passing down to the hole. This helps them inspect their poop so that they can keep an eye on their health.

101. The country is void of deforestation. In 1952, there were 260,000 hectares of forest land which has now soared to 360,000 hectares.

102. Basic health insurance is mandatory for everyone and the package starts at 100 Euros per month.

103. The children move out of their parents’ house when they are 18 years old. If they do not move, it is considered weird.

104. The Netherlands lost to Spain in FIFA World Cup finals in 2010.

105. The country won 24 medals in Winter Olympics in Sochi, which was their best performance ever in the games.

106. The country uses electric trains powered by the wind. The trains displace 600,000 passengers daily.

107. The residents of the Netherlands drink a lot of milk for breakfast and lunch as well.

108. The country is also famous for DJs. Armin Van Buuren was voted the world’s best DJ 5 times.

109.  The Dutch care about their animals too, just like they care for humans. They have wildlife crossings for animals living in the forest so that the animals can cross the roadways safely.

110. There is a fake village in the Netherlands which is designed for the people who suffer from Dementia.

111. Stairs are narrow in the Dutch houses. And sometimes you may have to lift your furniture from outside the window when you are shifting it top floors above the ground floor and up above.

112. Also, traditional Dutch houses do not use ceiling lights, instead they use wall hanging lamps.

The Netherlands – country at a glance