40 Interesting & Unknown Netherlands Facts
The Netherlands is a small country, packed with world-famous icons, land of clogs, tulips, and windmills. Test yourself on how many of these 40 Netherlands Facts you know or discover something new about the Netherlands.
1. The Netherlands is divided into 12 provinces.
2. The official language of the Netherlands is Dutch.
3. The population of the Netherlands is approximately 17 million.
4. There are 20 national parks in the Netherlands.
5. The Netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage.
6. The Netherlands was ranked fourth happiest country in the world according to the United Nations World Happiness Report of 2013.
7. The Dutch are the biggest licorice eaters in the world.
8. In the Netherlands, there are over 1,000 traditional working windmills.
9. Koninklijke Luchtvaartmaatschappij, the Dutch national airline is one of the oldest national airlines in the world.
10. There are almost no streets in the Dutch village of Giethoorn.
11. The Netherlands has the thirteenth-highest per capita income in the world.
12. The CD, the audiotape and the videotape were all invented in Eindhoven by the Dutch company Philips.
13. Amsterdam is now Europe’s 5th-busiest tourist destination.
14. There is about 15,000 km of bike lanes in the Netherlands.
15. The Netherlands is famous for their tulips, but actually, tulips originally didn’t grow there. They were imported from the Ottoman.
16. The Netherlands is the biggest producer and exporter of tulips in the world.
17. 75% of the world’s flower bulbs come from the Netherlands.
18. Home births are very popular in the Netherlands, around 30% of all babies are born at home.
19. The Dutch Max Havelaar certificate was the first fairtrade certificate in the world.
20. The Netherland’s highest point is Vaalserberg which is 323 meters high.
21. The national flag is the oldest tricolor flag, dating back to 1572.
22. The Dutch national anthem is the “Wilhelmus” and it is the oldest national anthem of the world.
23. The lowest point is the Zuidplaspolder and lies seven meters below sea level.
24. Rotterdam has the largest seaport in Europe.
25. The Netherlands has produced many famous painters such as Rembrandt van Rijn, Vincent van Gogh, and Willem de Kooning.
26. There have around 1,281 bridges in Amsterdam.
27. In the 16th century, the microscope was invented in the Netherlands.
28. The highest cable density in Europe is in the Netherlands.
29. There are approximately 1000 museums in the Netherlands.
30. The telescope was also invented in the Netherlands in the 17th century.
31. The Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands.
32. The Netherlands is the world’s biggest exporter of cheese.
33. 70% of the world’s bacon comes from the Netherlands.
34. Dutchmen are the tallest in the world with an average height of 182.5cm.
35. The King Willem-Alexander was the first Dutch king.
36. The Netherlands ranked first in the world for having the most plentiful, nutritious, healthy and affordable food.
37. The Netherlands has the highest English-proficiency in the world.
38. The Netherlands is the lowest country in Europe.
39. A study from Rutgers University reported that cycling in the Netherlands is the safest in the world.
