THE NETHERLANDS

THE NETHERLANDS

• Terrain:mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land;some hills in the southeast
• Size:41,543 square kilometers, close to size of maryland
• Climate: temperate maritime climate, cool summers ( 17C-20C) and moderate winters(2C-6C)
• Government: constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy
• Dutch monarchy has no real political power, prime minister is head of government

WORLDS 2ND LARGEST EXPORTER OF AG PRODUCTS

• Responsible for 22% of worlds potato exports
• More than half of the netherlands land is used for farming
• Tomatos,peppers,and cucumbers are biggest greenhouse crops
• Most common arable crops are: potatos, winter corn,summer barley,sugar beets,and onions
• Import: fruit,nuts,fish, electronic equipment etc.

AREAS OF CONCERN

• The unemployment rate of the netherlands is 8.1%
• That is the highest in 30 years
• There are 118 million animals and only17 million people
• Because of this there is a concern of bacterial outbreaks
• Now farmers use a mix of technical innovation and old-fashioned farming methods

CULTURE & CUSTOMS

• Modest,independent,self-reliant
• Value privacy, seldom speak to strangers
• Majority of are irreligious and religion is considered a private matter.
• Asking private questions is considered rude
• Self-control is seen as a virtue

FUN FACTS

• Moving index finger around your ear doesnt mean you're crazy,it means you are taking a phone call
• After the US they export more than any other country on the planet
• US is over 230 times bigger
• Europe's leading exporter of meat

BITTERBALLEN