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Netherlands Cities with Hotels
 Netherlands, also known unofficially as Holland, constitutional monarchy of northwestern Europe, bordered on the north and west by the North Sea, on the east by Germany, and on the south by Belgium. With Belgium and Luxembourg, the Netherlands forms the Low, or Benelux, Countries. The Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, islands in the Caribbean, are part of the Netherlands. The European portion of the Netherlands has a total area of 41,526 sq km (16,033 sq mi), of which 33,939 sq km (13,104 sq mi) is land surface. The country's capital and largest city is Amsterdam.
 In the late 16th century a Dutch revolt against the authority of the king of Spain, at the time ruler of what now constitutes the Low Countries, succeeded in the northern provinces, which later became the Netherlands. The Dutch Republic, officially established in 1648, fell in 1795 when the armies of Revolutionary France imposed a pro-French government. In 1810, France annexed the Netherlands, but with the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 to 1815, the present Dutch state, officially called the Kingdom of the Netherlands, came into being. Originally Belgium was part of this new kingdom, but it seceded in 1830 and formed an independent country. The present boundaries of the Netherlands are essentially those established after the secession of Belgium, although they are similar to the borders of the Dutch Republic.
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Land and Resources
The Netherlands, as its name suggests, is a low-lying
country. About half of the country's landmass lies below sea level. This
amount would increase should the polar ice caps melt and slowly raise the
level of the sea due to global warming. Much of the western part, situated
below sea level, is covered with clay and peat soils interspersed with
canals, rivers, and arms of the sea. Farther to the east the land lies
slightly above sea level and is flat to gently rolling. The elevation rarely
exceeds 50 m (164 ft). Most of the land is devoted to agriculture; only
small areas of forest and heath remain.
Physiographic Regions
The North Sea coastline of the Netherlands consists mostly of
dunes. In the southwest are gaps in the dunes formed by river mouths,
creating a delta of islands and waterways. In the north, the dunes were
broken through by the sea, thereby creating the West Frisian Islands and
behind them a tidal sea called the Waddenzee. Adjacent to the narrow strip
of dunes is an area lying below sea level that is protected by dikes and
kept dry by continuous mechanical pumping. The former Zuider Zee, a large
arm of the sea, is being reclaimed. A dike separating it from the sea was
completed in 1932, when work was begun to drain about 225,000 hectares
(about 556,000 acres) to form reclaimed land known as polders, such as
Flevoland and the North East Polder. About three-quarters of the area had
been reclaimed by the early 1980s. The remaining freshwater lake is called
the IJsselmeer.
On February 1, 1953, the spring tide severely flooded the
delta region in the southwest and about 1800 people died. The Delta Plan,
launched in 1958 and completed in 1986, was implemented to prevent such
flooding. Under the plan, the Dutch shortened the coastline by about 700 km
(about 435 mi); developed a system of dikes; and built dams, bridges, locks,
and a major canal. The dikes created freshwater lakes and joined some
islands.
Most of the eastern half of the Netherlands consists of
low-lying land covered by sandy soil deposited by glaciers and rivers. Hilly
country (the foothills of the Ardennes) and loam soils are found only in the
southern part of Limburg Province. Vaalserberg (321 m/1053 ft), the nation's
highest point, is in this area.
Rivers and Lakes
The major rivers of the Netherlands are the Rhine, flowing
from Germany, and its several arms, such as the Waal and Lek rivers; and the
Maas (a branch of the Meuse) and the Schelde (Escaut), flowing from Belgium.
These rivers and their arms form the delta with its many islands. Together
with numerous canals, the rivers give ships access to the interior of
Europe.
In the northern and western portions of the Netherlands are
many small lakes. Nearly all the larger natural lakes have been pumped dry,
but the delta redevelopment program and the reclamation of the Zuider Zee
have created numerous new freshwater lakes, the largest being the IJsselmeer.
Climate
The Netherlands shares the temperate maritime climate common
to much of northern and western Europe. The average temperature range in
Vlissingen in the coastal region is 1° to 5° C (34° to 41° F) in January and
14° to 21° C (57° to 69° F) in July. In De Bilt, in the densely populated
central region of the country, the average range is -1° to 4° C (31° to 40°
F) in January and 13° to 22° C (55° to 72° F) in July. Annual precipitation
averages 690 mm (27 in) in Vlissingen and 770 mm (30 in) in De Bilt.
Cloudless days are uncommon, as is prolonged frost. Because the Netherlands
has few natural barriers, such as high mountains, the climate varies little
from region to region.
"Netherlands," Microsoft® Encarta® 97 Encyclopedia.
© 1993-1996 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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Last Revised:
June 06, 2008 02:24 PM. |
