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Friday, February 6, 2009

The Netherlands? Holland ?

One of the most interesting, vibrant and advanced countries in the world today is the Netherlands. This beautiful small country in northern Europe is one of the most interesting nations worldwide. although it is quite small, this country has been quite opulent throughout history. The Netherlands has also obtained a number of colonies in Africa and South East Asia. Its control over some of these countries has ebbed only after the end of the second world war. At this time, it is one of the leading global countries when it comes to international law and international tribunals.

Today, I want to answer a very important question pertinent to the Netherlands namely is the Netherlands Holland? It turns out the answer is : no!!! The two names are not interchangeable. North and south Holland are both constituent states of the Netherlands. Parts of the Netherlands (the lowlands) are actually below sea level. The sea was literally dried to allow the area to be inhabited. This lead to the well known Dutch aphorism "God made the earth, but the Dutch made Holland".

Hope that I could clear up that misunderstanding!!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

so Holland is just a state in the Netherlands...well that's interesting,
very interesting! :S