The Netherlands

Capital:                          Amsterdam

Population:                  16 338 000

GNP:                            + 1,1% (2005)

Official Lamguage:      Dutch

The Netherlands, also the Holland, is the country situated in the Northwest Europa. The name of Holland is being used for the whole territory of the Netherlands and is coming from the name of  former county.

POLITICS

The Netherlands is one of three countries of The Kingdom of Netherlands, together with the Netherlands Antilles a Aruba. The Head of State is the Queen Beatrix. The Netherlands is a Member of European Union and NATO.

GEOGRAPHY

The Netherlands is a plain country on the coast of the Northern Sea. On the East is bordering with Germany, on South with Belgium. For the coast areas of the Netherlands are typical  depressions of flat of flooding platforms - watts and marchs. The watts are inundated  with  high tide and denuded with low tide. The inhabitants  have strengthned therefore the ground with sand mounds, placed  the piers and by drawing the water  the watts are preserved  dried. In this way the area of the state is being enlarged. These territories are named „polders“. The marchs are fertile coastal plains on water sediments. Provided they are sufficiently drained they are changing into fertile fields. To the East and South of the country there is a hihgland through the valleys of which are streaming big European rivers. Towards the southwest is situated wooded plain with the biggest peak of the Netherlands, Vaalserberg, 321 m high.

THE NATURE

In the Netherlands there is prevailing the ocean climate. Total years´ precipitation is comparatively high, it is moving in the range of 750-850 mm. There are fogs very often in inland and strong wind is blowing. On the coasts there are are raging the storms. These storms often cause the floodings. From these reasons only six days of  the year are calm. The climate in general is influencing by warm sea stream from the Atlantic Ocean. Thanks to this stream the winter is relatively mild, on the other side, the summer is not too warm.

HEALTH CARE

Travelling to the Netherlands, it is necessary to have the European Card of Assurance of the respective Health Assurance Agency available. This document serves as a certification that the Czech citizen is insured and on this basis receives in necessary and urgent cases the medical care in the Netherlands. There is no agreement regarding offered medical care free of charge between Czech Republic and the Netherlands. Therefore  you have to pay cash for all medical care services given  including transport  with the ambulance vehicles.

TRANSPORT

There is very dense highway nest in the country (2 250 kms altogether) of very good qualíty. The Netherlands roads are marked with international valid way. Owing to well-known water canals the road nest is connected with many bridges and tunnels. No toll is to be paid on highways. The emergency phone is placed each 2 kms of the highway. The phone is connecting the calling person with the emergency centre. Black triangle of the border of a roadway marks a place where the emergency phone is situated. You can find on highways also the signal marks, which sign temporary speed limit, if necessary. Most of roads are kept very well.

PRESS, TV

In the Netherlands there are available 7 main daily newspapers with the total issue over 2 millions of copies. There are operating 6 main TV channels: NOS, VPRO, EO, KRO, RTL, SBS.

back