If you are planning to come to the Netherlands to study, or as an exchange student, it is both sensible and useful to know certain facts about the Netherlands, before you arrive.

You may already be aware of the Unique Selling Points of the Netherlands: tulips, windmills and clogs. And of course the country’s low altitude and vulnerability to flooding. The Dutch are major players in various fields including science, the economy, the arts and sport. And the country is a beacon of forward-thinking social and cultural policy.

Less well-known is that the Netherlands is the world's eighth largest exporter of goods and capital, and the world's third largest exporter of food. Another little-known fact is that the Nobel Prize has been won by a Dutch man or woman on 15 occasions.

Dutch facts

Some (fun) facts about the Netherlands:

• Statistically, the Dutch are the tallest people in the world
• There are 16 million bicycles in the Netherlands, which equates to about one for every inhabitant
• The highest point in the Netherlands is 323 metres above sea level and is officially known as a ‘mountain’
• You will find a bunch of flowers in almost every living room
• Amsterdam is home to people of 200 nationalities
• When your aeroplane arrives at Schiphol, it lands 4.5 metres below sea level
• The Netherlands has one of the youngest populations in the EU
• The International Court of Justice holds its hearings in the Peace Palace in The Hague
• New York was once Dutch
• One in every three Dutch people belong to a sports club
• With almost 1,000 museums, the Netherlands has the highest museum density in the world 
• The first World Press Photo Exhibition was held in the Netherlands

Want to know more?

A great deal has already been written about the Netherlands. So if you are interested ini reading more about the geography or climate of our country, our open, tolerant culture and our way of living, we recommend you visit the websites:

• http://www.nuffic.nl/international-students
  Studying in the Netherlands; an experience for a lifetime. With information about daily life, expenses, mentality, food, relegion. etc. But also with a database of more than 1,150 international study programmes and courses in the Netherlands.
• http://www.minbuza.nl/en/welcome
  With general information about the Netherlands from statistics and fun facts to detailed articles about the country’s government, history and society.
• http://www.wikipedia.org
  The free encyclopedia with facts and figures.