Geography
The Netherlands is a country located in Western Europe. Geographically, it also includes the islands of Saba, Banaire and Sint Eustatius. The border with Germany stretches for 577 km, with Belgium for 450 km. In the northern part of the country is washed by the waves of the North Sea, the length of the coastline is 451 km. The Kingdom of the Netherlands includes the islands of Curacao, Aruba and Sint Maarten, which have a special status. The country is divided into 12 provinces. See Netherlands abbreviations.
More than 40% of the state is located on a flat territory, part lies below sea level. The highest point is Mount Vaalserberch, its height is 321 meters, the lowest is Zaudplastpolder (-6.7 meters). The coastline consists mainly of alluvial dunes and polders – artificial land surrounded by dams, canals and rivers. The country is crossed by the rivers Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt.
There are few natural areas in the Netherlands, all of them are carefully protected by the state. On one of them is the country’s largest national park De Hoge Veluwe, 20 hectares of which is occupied by the Sculpture Museum. Outdoors, an extensive collection of 20th-century masterpieces and artwork from the Kröller-Müller family is on display.
The second most important park is De Kennermerdunen. It includes more than 100 hectares of dune areas near the North Sea and stores many ponds, deciduous and pine forests on its territory.
Climate
According to 800zipcodes, the Netherlands is located in the maritime temperate zone. The summer is cool, with occasional showers. The daily temperature is kept at the level of +17…+22 °C. Snow in winter is rare. Most often it is represented by snow pellets. The air temperature at this time rarely drops below zero, so the precipitation immediately melts. The water in the ports of the Netherlands does not freeze, which allows the country to receive ships all year round. January temperature is +1…+4 °C. But sometimes there are severe winters when the water in the canals freezes.
The most comfortable conditions for a beach holiday are from mid-June to mid-September. Fans of sightseeing tourism should visit the Netherlands in the days from May to September, and this time is warm and relatively dry weather.
Capital: Amsterdam
Major cities: The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Eindhoven, Randstad.
Cuisine of Netherlands
Residents of the Netherlands do not like to spend a lot of time cooking. But at the same time, they make sure that all the food on the table is tasty. The main ingredient in everyday cuisine is fish (herring, halibut, eel, oysters, etc.). It is salted or boiled, and also preserved. Most often, fish is served with boiled potatoes. Sandwiches are made from it or swallowed “alive” (they bite off the fish with their heads up).
The Dutch eat hot only in the evening, the rest of the time they have a snack with sandwiches or a dish “ uitsmijter ” – bread is covered with ham, cheese and fried eggs. The country is known for the quality of its cheeses. Unfortunately, their range is very small (Edam, Leiden, Dutch, etc.).
Of the hot dishes, hutspot (sliced boiled or stewed beef) is popular, it is served with vegetable puree from boiled carrots, potatoes and onions. This side dish ( shtenko ) is the country’s second most famous dish, most commonly made with cabbage and smoked sausage. The national dish of the Netherlands is hutzpot – a meat stew made from stew, boiled carrots, potatoes and onions.
Drinks include coffee and tea. “Coffee time” here comes from 10 to 11 am, and also from 19 to 20 pm. During these hours, in every cafe, along with a cup of coffee, a small cake or cookie is served. No less popular is coffee with milk (koffie verkeerd), translated as “wrong coffee”. Other non-alcoholic drinks include hot chocolate, warm lemonade and milk with anise.
Beer occupies a significant place in the diet of the Dutch. It is usually poured into small 200 gram cups. This is done so that the customer can drink the drink before it gets warm and loses its taste. Some make a mixture of beer ” kopstoot ” (“head crusher”), in this case, a glass of beer is washed down with gin.
Other alcoholic drinks:
- “Enever” – a drink invented by a Dutch doctor;
- Jenever “oud” has a pleasant taste, while “jong” is considered to be younger and sharper, in some cases it has a blackberry or lemon flavor;
- Advocaat is a liqueur made from cognac and eggs beaten into it. Gives a particularly spicy taste to ice cream.
