The Netherlands is a kingdom. Its full name is the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It consists of the Netherlands itself and six islands in the Caribbean Sea: Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles. The Netherlands is also sometimes called "Holland". The word features in the names of the two western coastal provinces, North and South Holland, which have played a dominant role in the country's history.

Thanks to their location on the estuaries of two major West European rivers, the Rhine and the Maas, these two provinces are still very important for the economy.

With Rotterdam the biggest port in the world, the Netherlands is an important gateway to Europe. And not only by water: Amsterdam Schiphol is one of Europe's biggest airports.

Each of the Netherlands' major cities has a distinctive character, even though they are all so close. Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht all belong to the Randstad conurbation, with a population of ten million. Amsterdam attracts many tourists, with its historic centre, majestic buildings, museums and unique ring of canals.

But The Hague, Delft, Haarlem, Utrecht, Groningen and Maastricht also have their share of historic buildings, museums, traditions and attractions. Rotterdam is renowned for its strikingly modern architecture, as exemplified by the Erasmus Bridge, known locally as the "Swan".

The Netherlands is often called Holland. This is formally incorrect as North and South Holland in the western Netherlands are only two of the country's twelve provinces (for more on this and other naming issues see Netherlands (terminology).

The Netherlands is a geographically low-lying and densely populated country. It is popularly known for its windmills, cheese, clogs (wooden shoes), delftware and gouda pottery, dikes, tulips, bicycles, and social tolerance. A Parliamentary democracy, the country is also known for its rather liberal policies toward recreational drugs, prostitution, LGBT rights, abortion, and euthanasia.

The Netherlands has an international outlook; among other affiliations the country is a member of the European Union (EU), NATO, the OECD, and has signed the Kyoto protocol. Along with Belgium and Luxembourg, the Netherlands is also one of three member nations of the Benelux economic union. The country is host to four international courts: the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, and the International Criminal Court. All of these courts, as well as the EU's criminal intelligence agency (Europol) are situated in The Hague, which has led to the city being referred to as "the world's legal capital."

Some Top Attractions

Keukenhof Gardens
Visit Keukenhof in Spring to see the vast displays of the Netherland’s most famous flower – the tulip. The are also magnificent displays throghout the the year. The Zomerhof (Summer Garden) is a summer flower exhibition held on the grounds, and in autumn, Keukenhof also hosts a huge flower bulb market. Visit the newly opened Japanese Garden with a layout that is more fanciful than that of traditional Japanese gardens. The garden is a symbol of the 400-year-long relationship between Japan and Holland.

Hoge Veluwe National Park
The Hoge Veluwe is the Netherland’s biggest national park, covering over 5,500 hectares. The park is a mixture of forests and woods, shifting sands and heath moors. The area gives off a strange sense of isolation which is hard to comprehend, considering it lies in one of Europe’s most densely populated country. Red deer, wild boar and mouflon (a Mediterranean sheep) roam wild here. The Kröller-Müller Museum lies at the edge of the park. Entrance to the museum, entitles you to roam freely around the national park also. Hoge Veluwe is accessible by bus from Arnhem, which is one hour's train ride east of Amsterdam.

The Kröller-Müller Museum
The Kröller-Müller Museum houses a world-famous collection of fine art, mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries. There are 278 works by Van Gogh, as well as collections of Picasso and Mondrian. At the back of the museum you can wander through Europe’s largest sculpture garden, with over 21 hectares accommodating a unique collection of sculptures. Amongst the sculptors represented here are Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Richard Serra, Mario Merz, Jean Dubuffet and Claus Oldenburg.

Anne Frank's House
Visit the house where the young diarist Anne Frank and her family hid from German occupation during World War II. Over twenty-five million copies of her diary have been sold worldwide. Anne’s original diary is on display as part of the House's permanent exhibition.

The Burgers' Zoo
The Burgers’ Zoo spreads over 18 hectares and houses more than 3,000 animals. Check out the safari park where giraffes, zebras, antelopes, rhinoceroses, and a number of African bird species can be studied and admired. There is also an amazing variety of realistically constructed habitats including 1.5 hectares of jungle, a mangrove hall, a living desert consisting of flatlands, numerous rock masses, canyons, dry riverbeds and an oasis. The desert is home to all types of exotic animals and insects, as well as a 100-year-old cacti. The recently opened ocean area is stunning. See real wave crash onto white coral sand, walk through corridors of transparent acrylic walls that keep the path dry. This allows you to admire the underwater world of a shallow coral lagoon on both sides.

Madurodam
Madurodam is Holland’s most famous miniature city. See the canal houses of Amsterdam, the Alkmaar cheese market, and parts of the Delta Works. The whole park has been created in minute detail on a scale of 1:25. Watch the Windmills turn; the ships sail and see the world's largest miniature railway. Sand World, the only indoor sand sculpture show in the world relates the history of the struggle of the Dutch against the water in spectacular panoramas. Throughout the year there are various theme weeks and at nightfall the miniature city is romantically lit with more than 50,000 tiny lights.

Castle De Haar, Haarzuilens
Castle De Haar rises above a densely wooded park like a fairytale castle surrounded by old gardens and ponds. The original 14th century house was constructed on high ground along a dead tributary of the Rhine.

The Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is the largest museum in Holland and attracts well over a million visitors each year. It is internationally celebrated for its exhibitions and publications as well as its scholarships and research. The museum features works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals, Jan Steen, Breitner, as well as dolls houses, silver, prints and drawings, delftware, furniture, weaponry, ship models and Buddhas. The museum is well worth a visit for the décor alone as it devotes considerable resources to the design and layout of exhibitions. Cutting edge designers are regularly commissioned to work on Rijksmuseum projects.

Marken Island, Zuiderzee
Located close to Amsterdam, in the former Zuiderzee (now the IJsselmeer), Marken Island is now joined to the mainland by a land bridge. It boasts many wooden houses and you can still see people wearing local costume. Spend a couple of hours strolling along the shore, viewing the magical houses - all painted green with white trim.

The Windmills at Kinderdijk
The Netherlands is world- famous for its windmills. Today there still over 1,000 mills left in the country but the village of Kinderdijk is the best place to see them. Built in 1740, the 19 windmills are remarkably well preserved. They drain the excess water from the Alblasserwaard polders (which are situated below sea-level) and then the water is sluiced into the river Lek. The mill sails are incredibly powerful, and are used to force the wind onto large paddle wheels that scoop up the water. Today the mills are no longer used to drain the polders and the work is carried out engines. In 1997 the mills of Kinderdijk were put on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.