Holidays - Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders with Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. It is a parliamentary democracy organised as a unitary state. The country capital is Amsterdam and the seat of government is The Hague. The Netherlands in its entirety is often referred to as Holland, although North and South Holland are actually only two of its twelve provinces. The official language is Dutch, which is spoken by the vast majority of the inhabitants. Another official language is Frisian, which is spoken in the northern province of Friesland, called Fryslân in that language. A dialect of Frisian and Dutch is spoken in most villages in the west of the province of Groningen. The Netherlands have a temperate climate, which means that summers are generally cool and winters are generally mild. Every month of the year has rainfall, some are although very dry or wet. The Netherlands is a world leader in the field of art and culture. Enjoy an impressive variety of classical and contemporary art at the Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum, Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, Bonnefantenmuseum Maastricht and Kunsthal Rotterdam. Get an impression of Dutch history and culture at the Anne Frank House, Jewish Historical Museum, Royal Delft, Amsterdam Museum, Dick Bruna House or one of the many other outstanding museums. Amsterdam, one of Europe's capitals, has many attractions for visitors. The city's most famous sight are the 17th-century canals of Amsterdam, located in the heart of Amsterdam, they are added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.