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"God made the world, but the Dutch made Holland"
The Land Itself Holland is a small country on the western coast of Europe. It is bordered by Germany to the east and Belgium to the south. Almost one fourth of the country lies below sea level and was once covered by the sea or by lakes and swamps. The Dutch "created" this land by pumping out the water. This is where the old Dutch saying "God made the world, but the Dutch made Holland" comes from. |
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Polders Drained areas of land are called polders. Amsterdam, the capital and largest city, is on a polder. The people of the Netherlands have great pride in their long battle against the sea.
They take extreme care to protect their hard-won land, and are famous for keeping their homes, towns, and fields clean and neat. Land is especially valuable to the Dutch because the Netherlands is the most densely populated country in the world. |
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Most of the Netherlands is flat, though it has some uplands. The Netherlands is famous for its many canals which cut through the country. They not only drain the land, but also serve as waterways. In Amsterdam, the land is drained by more than 100 canals. |
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Amsterdam
Amsterdam itself lies on marshy land slightly below sea level. Therefore the Dutch have to find some alternative means of building houses on this wet and swampy land.
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The houses in the centre of Amsterdam are built on piles. These are long stakes of wood driven up to 20 metres deep into the marshy soil to provide firm foundations. In this way, the Dutch are able to build the city of Amsterdam into one of the most beautiful cities in the whole of Europe. |
