National Flag:
Three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue; similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer; the colors were those of WILLIAM I, Prince of Orange, who led the Dutch Revolt against Spanish sovereignty in the latter half of the 16th century; originally the upper band was orange, but because it tended to fade to red over time, the red shade was eventually made the permanent color; the banner is perhaps the oldest tricolor in continuous use.
Capital: Amsterdam (The Hague is the seat of Government).
Langauges: Dutch (official), Frisian (official)
Currency: Euro
Main Industries:
Industrial activity is predominantly in food processing (agroindustries), metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, construction, microelectronics, fishing, chemicals and petroleum refining.
Did You Know?
- Jenever is a traditional distilled liquor flavored with juniper berries. It is servedice cold, often with beer. The English word ‘gin’ is an abbreviation of ‘jenever’.
- The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579.
- The Netherlands economy is noted for stable industrial relations, moderate unemployment and inflation, a sizable current account surplus, and an important role as a European transportation hub.
- A highly mechanized agricultural sector employs only 2% of the labor force but provides large surpluses for the food-processing industry and for exports.
