Sorry if you couldn’t understand me or if I make too many mistakes or there was a bit of background etc etc because 1. This is the first time I used a Logitech Microphone.2. This is the first time I used RecordPad Sound Recorder.3. I don’t speak Dutch.4. I did this at 5:00am (not the normal time for me to wake up but this time was the most

best for this powerpoint).5. Outside there is a bird that makes a half blowing half whistling voice which distracted

me a lot.6. Once in a while I have to scratch my nose because my impetigo is healing but when it’s

healing it gets a bit unconformable around the nose area.7. I have a bit of trouble with my pronunciation.8. I had my microphone on the left hand and my script and mouse on the other hand so

it was hard.9. I think I may not make sense but at least I know what I am talking about.10. I don’t mumble a lot, it’s just that I was moving the microphone up and down because

I was trying not to make my voice not to loud.

The Netherlands

By: Anne Pham

Introduction

The Netherlands is a constitution country which is located on North-West Europe with some islands in the Caribbean. This country is slightly bigger than Switzerland. The official country name is Koninkrijk der Nederlanden. The short form of it is Nederland. The alternative name for the Netherlands is Holland. The long form for it is the Kingdom of Netherlands. The Netherland’s capital city is called Amsterdam which is also the biggest city in the Netherlands. The main and official language spoken is Dutch and West Frisian.

History

There is limited knowledge on prehistoric Netherlands. The Netherlands existed ever since the Ice Age [2.6 million years ago]. There is no exact date when Netherlands existed.

There is limited knowledge on prehistoric Netherlands. The Netherlands existed ever since the Ice Age [2.6 million years ago]. There is no exact date when Netherlands existed.

One of the most famous people in Netherland’s history is named Vincent van Gogh. He was born on the 30th of March, 1853 and died on the 29th of July 1890 aged 37. He was an artist who lived in poverty and very few people noticed his art when he was living. Van Gogh committed suicide by shooting himself with a gun on the chest but no gun was ever found. After his death he became well known. Some of the paintings he painted were Starry Night and sunflowers.

Every month and every season has a festival, market, parade, exposition, and event that are organised throughout the country. There is the New Year’s Dive, the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, the Kuekenhof, Queen’s Day [the most important], Liberation Day, Flag Day, the Summer Carnival, ‘t Preuvenemint, World Port Days, Leidens Ontzet, Museum Night and Sinterklaas.

How the Netherlands became a country:A first the Netherlands was ruled by Spain. The Dutch people didn’t like it because1.They were

protestant.2.The Spanish

government was on an Anti-Protestant Catholic jihad known as the ‘Inquisition’.

Then Prince William of Orange led the War of Independence for the Netherlands to be independent. Now the Dutch anthem is an ode of the Prince’s brilliance. Officially the Netherlands became a country in 1815.

Geography

The Netherlands is a very flat country. It is also a geographically low-lying country with about 20% of its area and 21% of its population located below sea level and 50% of its land lying less than one metre above sea level so a quarter of the land is at or it is below the sea. There are many landforms in the Netherlands. Here are some of the major landforms in the Netherlands: The Zuidplaspolder is the lowest point in the country [which is 7m below sea]. The Ardennes Mountains keep sections of Belgium, Luxembourg and France but their foothills reach into the extreme southern Netherlands. The Vaalserberg is the highest point in the Netherlands [rises to 1,053 feet].

The Netherlands have lots of landmarks. Here are some of them: The Rietveld Schröder House which is a U.N.E.S.C.O. World Heritage Site [it is located in the north part of the town of Utrecht, and it was made in 1924], The Kinderdijk [it is a small village outside Rotterdam that features 19 windmills used for pumping water]. Why so many windmills? It is because that the Netherlands are famous for their windmills which were used to mill corn, drain flooded land and eventually generate electricity.

Netherlands has a lot of water because most of the land is covered by sea. The major bodies of water in the country are… The Rhine River that flows into the country and joins with the Maas and Scheldt rivers which makes it one of the largest river deltas in the west part of Europe. The Netherlands' largest lakes is the Markermeer and the Ijsselmeer lakes which are man-made that are formed by dikes [both lakes used to be part of a saltwater bay that led into the North Sea].

The Netherlands have about 130 cities but the major cities are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Den Haag based on the population.

Culture

The Dutch people have a very unique culture just like any other country. Just like any country the Netherlands have what people call today is traditional clothing. Today most Dutch people wear modern clothes just like any European person would wear except the people working in the country side because they are cheaper and easier to wear – clogs are better than gumboots.

Modern wear.

Traditional clothing are rarely worn often and sometimes worn on festivals. The most well known part of the traditional Dutch clothing is the wooden clogs. Long ago, only very rich people could afford leather shoes so middle class people wore wooden clogs. The shape of the clogs was different according to what area of the Netherlands Dutch people came from. Today, some people working in the countryside still wear them occasionally, as they are cheaper and easier to wear than gumboots. Now most of the thousands of wooden clogs made today are sold to tourists wanting a souvenir from their trip to The Netherlands at the souvenir shop.

The traditional Dutch music is folk though there are many types of music in the Netherlands, they are: Classical, Contemporary classic, Jazz, Pop, rock, symphonic rock, death metal, black metal, doom metal, punk, boerenrock, indie rock, electronic, dance, rap and hip hop.

Holiday Name Dutch Name INETRESTING FACTNew Year’s Day Nieuwjaar The day before is called Old Year’s

Day instead if New Year’s Eve.

Easter Eerste Paasdag en Tweede Paasdag

The Dutch celebrate two days of Easter [on Sunday and subsequent Monday].

Queen’s Day Koninginnedag Originally it was celebrated on the current Queen’s birthday, now it’s celebrated on the birthday of late Queen-Mother.

Liberation Day Bevrijdingsdaj It is celebrated every five years.

Ascension Day Hemelvaartsdag It is forty days after Easter.

Pentecost Pinksteren The Dutch celebrate two days of Pentecost [on Sunday and subsequent Monday].

Saint Nicholas’ Eve Sinterklass Not a national holidayChristmas Kerstmis The Dutch celebrate two days of

Christmas – Eerste Kerstdaj (the first day of Christmas) and Tweede Kerstdat (Boxing day).

The Netherlands have the lowest number of public holidays [8].

Religions in the Netherlands

There are many numbers of places serving good food and inventive take on home-grown cuisine in the Netherlands. And the larger cities have a variety of decent restaurants especially Indonesian, Chinese and Thai food.

Plus there are lots of cafes and bars often known as eetcafés. The Netherlands is also a good place for drinking with a wide selection of bars.

Dutch cheese can be delicious but there isn’t a variety as there is in as France or Switzerland.

This is a list of cheeses from or connected with the Netherlands:• Edam• Gouda•Leerdammer•Leyden•Limburger•Maaslander•Maasdam•Mimolette•Old Amsterdam•Parrano•Roomano•Prima Donna.

The Netherlands’ government is a Parliament Democracy under a Constitution Monarchy. Mark Rutte is the current Prime Minister of the Netherlands. The political parties are the Christian Democratic Appeal [CDA], Freedom Party [PVV], Labor Party [PvdA], Liberal Party [VVD], Socialist Party [SP] and other minor parties.

Below: Mark Rutte

Economy

Netherlands’ natural resources are:

Natural Gas Petroleum

Fertile Soil

Netherlands’ manufacturing areas are agroinductruies, metal and engineering products, electric machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics and fishing industries.

Below: Fish Industry catching a fish

There is 21.96% of arable land in the Netherlands - this mean the land is used by

cultivating the land for crops like wheat, maize and rice that are replanted every year after

harvest time. The percentage for permanent crops in the lands

is 0.77%.The land is cultivated for crops like citrus

fruits, coffee and rubber and are not replanted every harvest which includes land under the flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees and

vines but this doesn’t include land under trees grown for wood or timber.

The main jobs people have in the Netherlands are food processing, chemicals, gas and oil, retail, property, transport, communications and financial services.

Above: Food processing machine

The currency in the Netherlands is Euro: €.

Climate

In the Netherlands there are…

Cool Summers Mild Winters

The average yearly rainfall in the Netherlands is 75.6mL.

The average yearly

temperature in the

Netherlands is 2°C in January

and 19°C in July with an

annual average of

10°C. 

The damp weather is good for dairy and livestock raising but too much sunshine [the sun and heat] will limit planting crops.

The population of the Netherlands is 17 688 863 people[updated 06/11/2012]

The people of the Netherlands travel by the railway [train for long distances,], bus [some bus can travel long distances too], cycling [the common way for transport, ride on bike lanes], car [taxi included], punting and canal boats [popular with tourists] and the plane [in the airport to travel overseas or faraway places].

STORY BEHIND THE FLAG

The flag consists of three equal horizontal stripes [the top stripe is red, the middle is white and the bottom one is blue]. The red stripe was originally orange with the white and blue stripes. The colours on the flag were based on Prince William of Orange who led the war for Dutch Independence.

There are laws that are strange to us that exist in the Netherlands.

Some strange laws are: the use of the number 1312 is illegal and you need a parking permit to park in your own garage in the city of

Amsterdam.

Travel Tips for going to the Netherlands

Want to go the the Netherlands for a holiday? Here are some tips and advice for going there:•You should take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling.•Exchange your money into Euro and only bring a certain amount of money (if you carry 10, 000 Euro or more than you have to declare the cash at your arrival or departure from the EU).•Make sure your passport has at least valid for six months from your planned date returning to your own country (bring an extra passport photo (recent) in case you lose or need to replace your old passport while overseas.•Beware of pick pockets .• In case of an emergency ring 112.•Not necessary but encouraged – register with the Departure of Foreign Affairs and Trade (register online or in person).

Some of Netherlands’ native animals are the:

Above: Wild Boar

Right: Beech Marten

Above: European Mink

In conclusion, Netherlands is a great place to visit when you want to go somewhere in Europe. Even though it is a small country it has a unique culture and a significant history. I hope in this

journey though the Netherlands you learnt something and enjoyed my PowerPoint presentation.

For more information ask Anne Pham for the full report.All of the pictures and backgrounds are searched on Google images and most of the information is from the report.

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