The population of Holland. Characteristics and features of the country

Holland or the Netherlands? Many people will put this question at a dead end. Further we will try to understand this issue, as well as learn more about this country and its inhabitants.

Holland: overview of the country

What do you know about this state? Holland is a country of tulips, windmills and beautiful European architecture. This is the birthplace of Van Gogh and Rembrandt. Here, the famous Dutch cheese was invented, and the main symbols of the country are clay pipes and wooden shoes.

Officially, the state is called the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It includes the Netherlands itself and 6 territories in the Caribbean. They include Aruba, Sint Maarten, Curacao (self-governing states), Saba, Bonaire and Sint-Estatius (have the status of special communities). The name "Netherlands" from the Dutch translates as "low land", since most of the country is below sea level.

The European part of the kingdom, directly the Netherlands, is located in the north-west of Europe. In the east, the neighbor is Germany, in the south - Belgium, from the north and west the country is surrounded by the North Sea. The capital is Amsterdam, although in fact the main city is the Hague, that is where the residence of the ruling monarch and the parliament is located.

Historical reference

Now for the designation of one state two names are used - the Netherlands and the Netherlands. It is important that the first is popular, it is fixed historically, the second is official and more correct. How did it all start?

One of the first in the territory of the modern kingdom were the Germanic tribes. Later, these lands began to occupy the Romans. In the Middle Ages, the Netherlands consisted of a number of individual duchies, which later merged into the Hanseatic League.

In the 15th century, under the rule of the Spanish Habsburgs, the duchies unite with Luxembourg and Belgium into a single state called the "Lower Lands", or the Netherlands. Spain hampered the development of the new association. In the course of the struggle for their independence, the Netherlands became the first country in the world where a bourgeois revolution took place .

Having gained independence in 1648 and becoming the Republic of the United Provinces, the state is experiencing the "Golden Age" in its development. The main role in the economic growth was played by two provinces of the republic - South and North Holland. Outside the state they were better known, so for many Europeans, the terms Holland and the Netherlands meant the same thing, although this is not true.

In 1814 the state was renamed the Netherlands Kingdom. In the XIX century Belgium and Luxembourg came out of the union. And for the rest of the lands the name Netherlands was fixed.

The population of Holland

In 2016 there were approximately 17 million people in the country. Recently, the population of the Netherlands is skyrocketing. Apart from the dwarf states, the Netherlands is the most populous European power. In the world on this indicator it takes the fifteenth place. The population density per square kilometer is 405 people.

The rural population is about 10%. The majority of residents live in a polycentric urban agglomeration - Randstad. It includes the city of Utrecht, which is the largest railway junction in the state. It also includes the largest Dutch port of Rotterdam, Eindhoven is a high-tech center, The Hague, Amsterdam and Leiden are a city of universities.

Outside the country, the Dutch mainly live in Belgium (6-7 million). About five million settled in the US, more than two million are residents of South Africa. The rest settled in Canada, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, South America and Great Britain.

Ethnicity and religion

The composition of the population of Holland is characterized by homogeneity. About 84% of residents are ethnic Dutch and Flemish. The composition of the Netherlands, more precisely, among its citizens, also includes friezes. Among the minorities in the country are the smallest Germans - about 2% of them.

In recent years, the population of the Netherlands has replenished with migrants from Africa and Asia. Residents of non-European countries now account for about 9%. Among them are the Turks, Indonesians, Indians, Moroccans, Surinamese, people from Aruba, Antilles and others.

Protestantism and Catholicism are the main religious beliefs in the Netherlands. More than 60% of people profess them. Muslims make up about 7%. The rest of the population adheres to Hinduism, Buddhism and other beliefs.

What are the Netherlands really?

There are many stereotypes about the inhabitants of the Netherlands. The most persistent of them narrates about the use of narcotic substances by citizens. But, despite the fact that marijuana is allowed in the country, the Dutch use it much less than many other Europeans.

Some features of the inhabitants of the kingdom sometimes resemble the Germans. They love accuracy and punctuality, planning in the diary even a meeting with close relatives and friends. The Dutch are known for their restraint and will never go into other people's affairs. Together with this they are very honest and straightforward. If you need to evaluate something, then they will not dissemble, they will give everything out as it is.

The majority of inhabitants of the country all year round are engaged in sports and watch over the health. The favorite transport of every Dutchman is a bicycle. True, they also like to eat tasty food. A traditional dish is a herring with onions, as well as French fries with mayonnaise.

Conclusion

The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a small Western European country with a very complicated history. The first on its expanses settled Germanic tribes, probably, this affected the character and lifestyle of the Dutch. Most of the population prefers to live within their own country, traveling only to countries with more favorable weather. The Netherlands accounts for more than 80% of all residents, thereby preserving their culture and language.