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The Netherlands in a nutshell

The Netherlands is the perfect place to start your international career, since the Netherlands is (and always has been) the trading centre of the World. Dutch people are known for their spirit of commerce, open-mindedness towards people from different countries, international ambitions and innovative ways of thinking. The ideal place for international education.

Where else would you find students from over 160 different countries? 1 out of 5 students is an international student. Why do international students choose Holland? Watch the Study in Holland video and find out for yourself.

Study in The Netherlands in 2 minutes

  • Want to study in the Netherlands?
    Want to study in the Netherlands?
  • 'Study in Holland' in 100 seconds
    'Study in Holland' in 100 seconds
  • Holland vs the Netherlands
    Holland vs the Netherlands

Fun facts

While abroad, what do you tell your international friends about the Dutch? Fun facts about the Dutch!

Did you know that…

  • The Dutch are the tallest people in the world?
    With an average height of 184 cm for men and 170 cm for women, Dutchies are the tallest people in the world. Scientists say it's because of their DNA, nutrition and welfare, others say it's because of their copious consumption of dairy.
  • Over 90,000 international students study in the Netherlands? And that students graduating from a Dutch school, tend to do well all over the world?
  • Dutchies love their coffee?
    In the 16th century the Dutch introduced coffee to Europe. After Scandinavians, the Dutch are the world's biggest coffee drinkers. They drink no less than 140 liters of coffee a year on average. That's 3.2 cups a day!
  • Most Dutch people speak more than one foreign language?
    87% of Dutch people speak English as a second language. All Dutch kids learn English in school and visitors to Amsterdam are often impressed with the fluency with which the Dutch speak English.
  • The English proficiency of Dutch people is excellent?
    The Netherlands was rated first in the world in 2019 for English proficiency as a second language, as rated by the English Proficiency Index (EPI) published by Education First. According to an EU report, 97 percent of Dutch people say Dutch is their mother tongue, and 91 percent say they speak at least one other language to a conversational level. Also, 66 percent speak German, meaning many must speak at least three languages!
  • The Dutch eat the most liquorice in the world?
    Some 32 million kilos of the black sweet are consumed each year.
  • An airplane coming into Schiphol, lands at 4,5 meters below sea level?
    More than a quarter of the Netherlands is below sea level. In addition to that, 50% of its land lies less than one meter above sea level. Luckily, the Netherlands is not in a tsunami-prone part of the world.
  • The national colour is orange?
    Despite the flag being red, white and blue, orange is the national colour as the monarchy is from the House of Orange. Until becoming king, Willem-Alexander was prince of Orange. On the king's birthday – 27 April – Dutch people dress in orange and celebrate their country with outdoor parties, picnics and parades.
  • CDs, DVDs and Blu-Ray were invented in the Netherlands in Eindhoven?
    Philips, a major Dutch company, developed CDs in 1979, in a joint project with Sony. They also developed cassette tapes and popularised many home electronics items in Europe, like TVs and blenders. 
  • Thanks to the innovative character of the Dutch, the Netherlands knows many multinationals?
    One of the biggest online travel platforms Booking.com, the famous tech organisation ASML and the global online food delivery organisation Just Eat Takeaway have their origins in the Netherlands.
  • On average, there are 507 people living per square kilometer in The Netherlands?
    With 507 inhabitants per square kilometer, the Netherlands has the highest population density of any European country with more than 1 million inhabitants.
  • The Dutch love tulips?
    Tulips, tulip fields and flower bulbs are typically Dutch. Yet, tulips do not originate from the Netherlands. The first tulip bulbs were imported from Turkey to the Netherlands, where they proved to grow extremely well on Dutch soil.
  • The Netherlands is as flat as a pancake?
    The Netherlands is a very flat country. The Vaalserberg is the highest point in (the European part of) the Netherlands. It's only 322.7 meters high and located in the south-easternmost edge of the country in the province of Limburg.
  • The Nederlands is one of the largest beer exporter in the world?
    Dutch beer companies exported for an astonishing sum of 1.9 bilion euros abroad. Over half of that was shipped to the U.S.
  • Amsterdam is built entirely on poles?
    Because Amsterdam's soil consists of a thick layer of fen and clay, all buildings are built on wooden poles that are fixed in a sandy layer that is 11 meters deep on average. The Royal Palace at Dam Square is built on no less than 13,659 wooden poles.
  • The Wilhelmus is the oldest national anthem in the world?
    Both the words and music date from the 16th century, and in it, the Dutch king speaks of his German blood and describes his loyalty to the Spanish crown.
  • The Netherlands is home to more bikes than people?
    There are around 22.7 million bikes in the country, including the clever (if not so elegant) bakfiets which combine a bike and a wheelbarrow. Ideal for taking the kids to school, bakfietsen are even occasionally used for moving house.
  • An entire province is made from land reclaimed from the sea?
    Flevoland became a province in 1986 and is largely made of land reclaimed from the Zuiderzee in the 20th century.
  • Dutch artists are world famous: The country is believed to have brought oil painting to Europe, and renowned artists run from the Hieronymus Bosch (1400s) through artists like Vermeer, Rembrandt and van Gogh to modern artists and designers like MC Escher and the creator of Miffy.
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