The Netherlands in a nutshell
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- History of international trade
- Holland or the Netherlands?
- The Netherlands in Perspective 2021
- Discover what it's like to live in the Netherlands
History of international trade
The Dutch are known for being open-minded, diplomatic and pragmatic. And this probably has a lot to do with our history. Living in a small coastal country, the Dutch have always spent plenty of time overseas, boosting foreign trade and making global commerce a Dutch hallmark. Led by socially conscious governments over the past 60 years, we’ve learnt to quickly adapt to the needs of others and to pride ourselves on doing so.
Holland or the Netherlands?
Officially, it’s the Netherlands. But we understand the confusion. Back when the Europeans were trading all over the world, the Dutch inhabitants of two coastal provinces named ‘North Holland’ and ‘South Holland’ encountered many foreigners on their travels. The term ‘Holland’ quickly became synonymous with the Dutch and is now commonly used to describe the Netherlands in other languages. In fact, we even use it in our favourite football chant: ‘Hup Holland Hup!’
Fun fact: the Netherlands actually means ‘low lands’, as 60% of the country is below sea level.
The Netherlands in Perspective 2021
- Global rankings, Ambitions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, our leading expertise across the top sectors
