Country Netherlands: cities, the largest cities

This amazing country inspires the mostfamous painters with their magnificent endless flat landscapes, which cause many people genuine admiration. This is the Netherlands. Cities, vast fields and many other objects are fascinated by their particular beauty.

What is the Netherlands?

It is a country of delicious tulips and wonderful cheese. This is a country whose territory is cut through a dense network of canals with numerous drawbridges.

Where else can you see landscapes with long-datedfor the landscapes of Holland by elements - windmills, some of which in former times were used for pumping out water channels, and part for the production of clean electricity? In this country there is even a holiday - Windmill Day, which is celebrated annually on May 12.

Magnificent bike paths and motorways cut through the territory of Holland. The beautiful cities of the Netherlands attract a huge number of tourists.

This is a country of contrasts. It is in this state that euthanasia is allowed, and still here marijuana and hashish are sold quite freely.

Administrative division of the Netherlands, population

Most (89%) of the Dutch population live incities. The Netherlands is divided into 12 provinces: Southern and Northern Holland, Gelderland, Utrecht, Flevoland, Limburg, Groningen, Drenthe, Friesland, Zealand, Overijssel and North Brabant. These provinces, in turn, are made up of communities.

And what kind of people inhabit the Netherlands? The cities are inhabited quite unevenly in the national context - almost ½ of the Netherlands live in the settlements of the south-western zone of the country. This area is called Ranstad-konurbatsiya (in other agglomeration, which has several roughly equal in size and importance of cities), unites Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, and a number of slightly smaller towns (Delft, Dor-drecht, Leiden and Haarlem) .

The state of the Netherlands is multinational, but 96% of the population is Dutch, and the remaining 4% are Flemish, Frisians, Germans and immigrants from Turkey, Morocco, Indonesia and Suriname.

Country Location

The average heights of the Netherlands lowlands vary inrange from 7 to 10 meters. The state is located on the western territory of the Central European Plain. On the south side it borders Belgium, in the east - with Germany. The belt of dunes, whose height reaches 56 m, stretches along the North Sea coast, where numerous dams and dams are built protecting the lowlands of these places from flooding. The lowest point of the relief is 6.3 meters below sea level.

The eastern part of the country is represented by morehilly plains (moraines), and southern - ancient river terraces, covered with forest. The highest point (321 m) rises in the spurs of the Ardennes (south-east of the country), where the border with Germany and Belgium runs. The length of the coastline today is 750 km.

An interesting fact is that almost 40% of the Netherlands are below sea level, and only 2% of the area is above 50 meters.

Eternal struggle against the sea

Before we describe where the cities of the Netherlands are located and what they are, let's see how people of this country live in rather difficult climatic conditions.

From time immemorial, there has been fighting against the sea. People for 3 decades (1930-1969) were able to still win from the North Sea 4000 square meters. km of area. How? In 1932, a 33-kilometer dam was built, separating the Zeyder-Zee bay from the sea. Subsequently, most of the emerged Lake IJsselmeer was drained and transformed into polders (in the Netherlands, so called fenced off by a dam from the sea, drained lowland and cultivated sections of the coast).

In addition to the above, after a strongfloods in these places, in 1958-86 the largest hydrotechnical project was implemented, which provided for the separation of the estuaries of the rivers Maas, the Rhine and Scheldt from the sea, and, with the preservation of navigation in the country through channels throughout the country.

Cities of the Netherlands in alphabetical order

1. Amsterdam is a city of canals and drawbridges.
2. The Hague is the seat of government.
3. Groningen is a student city and the "world capital of cyclists".
4. Delft - a kind of museum under the sky with a preserved historical center of the 17th century.
5. Leiden is a city (XVI-XVIII century) with old windmills and Gothic cathedrals.
6. Nijmegen is the oldest city with hilly terrain.
7. Rotterdam is the most modern "town".
8. Utrecht is one of the oldest settlements, once destroyed and rebuilt.
9. Harlem is a small provincial town.
10. Harlingen is a port city.
11. Hertogenbosch is a center of industry, culture and education.

The largest cities in the Netherlands: a brief description

Amsterdam is the capital of the country. The city is rich in its history, magnificent cultural sights.

Its peculiarity is that through numerous channels a huge number of bridges (over 600!) Are thrown. The most beautiful of them - Maher-brug (in translation - "Skinny Bridge") and Blauburg.

It should be noted that Amsterdam, like the whole country, is a city of freedom of morals. Here in many cafes are freely offered to smoke grass.

The next major city is The Hague (the center of SouthHolland), the residence of the government, the royal court and parliament. This is the 3rd largest and one of the oldest cities in the country. Here is the famous Peace Palace, where the sessions of the International Court of Justice are held.

In terms of architecture, the city is famous for its stunning blend of different styles: Baroque, Classicism and Renaissance. All this fits perfectly with skyscrapers.

This is the country of the Netherlands. Its cities are unique and unique. Almost all of them attract attention with an amazing combination of old and modern architectural ensembles. But there is a city that captivates the beauty of its modern architecture. Rotterdam (the heart of South Holland), being the largest port of Europe, is also one of the most modern cities with numerous architectural structures. Magnificent, surprisingly beautiful structures attract the attention of tourists. The city will be erected on the dam of the river Rotta. Hence its name arose.

The city of Utrecht (the capital of the province of the same name)is one of the oldest Dutch cities. Its amazingly beautiful center is surrounded by unique two-tier canals (13th-century buildings). The city, like the whole province, is home to luxurious mansions.

Conclusion

The country is beautiful Netherlands! Cities and national parks fascinate her with her singularity and grandeur.

The most beautiful place is Keukenhof Park in a smallthe city of Lisse, which lies between The Hague and Amsterdam. In this delightful corner grows 8 million colors! Here you can see huge glades with tulips and greenhouses with lilacs, daffodils, lilies, orchids, gerberas, roses and other colors of the most diverse shades.