The Netherlands

Amsterdam is just the capital city of a much larger country, The Netherlands, also known as Holland.
In fact, the Netherlands themselves are part of the larger Kingdom of the Netherland that includes the Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.

Whilst Amsterdam is the capital city of the Netherlands, The Hague or Den Haag is where the goverment is seated.

The Netherlands is also known the world over as Holland - the name actually derives from a westerly region of the country.

Contrary to belief in some parts, Holland is considered an acceptable alternative name to use, even within the Netherlands itself.

Like many Western European countries, the main industries of the Netherlands are service industries, finance, banking and electronics.

With a population of over 16 million, Holland is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. It's population has stablized and grows by a meagre 0.5% per year.

Much of the country is located below sea level, and exists due to a complex network of dikes. These have been known to break and flooding result, even as late as 1953.

Like its neighbor over the ocean, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands is a democracy operating under a constitutional monarchy. Its current head of state is Queen Beatrix. However, unlike its neighbor, its elected goverment is formed of a coalition of more than one party.

Not only a member of the EU, or European Union, The Netherlands are also a part of the Eurozone, sharing a single currency and monetary policy with a number of other European countries.

The Netherlands itself is divided into twelve provinces: Friesland, Groningen, Drenthe, Overijssel, Flevoland, Gelderland, Utrecht, Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, Zeeland, Noord-Brabant and Limburg.