More about Holland

To an outsider, Holland often conjures up images of flat, never-ending landscapes decorated with windmills, cyclists and tulips.

For some it’s the delicious cheeses, like Edam or Gouda, that spring to mind. For others, it’s the legendary footballers, like Johan Cruijff, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Ruud van Nistelrooy. Or the Golden Age of Dutch painters, from Vermeer (portrayed in the 2003 film Girl with the Pearl Earring), to Rembrandt.

These stereotypes aren’t wrong - tulip bulbs and cheese, for example, are two important commodities (the Dutch are one of the world’s top ten exporters). Today, you’ll still see preserved windmills that once helped pump the land free of water.

But modern day Holland is much more of a melting pot, embracing cultures, beliefs and ideas from all over the world.

This small but perfectly formed country is a global giant. The Netherlands is a big international player - one of the top ten most competitive nations in the world (according to the World Economic Forum (WEF).

It’s also a prosperous hub of technological innovation and trade. Many of the world’s most renowned multinationals and financial institutions started in the Netherlands – Philips, Shell, Unilever, and ING Group. So did many of the world’s favourite beers – Heineken, Bavaria and Grolsch.

The Hague is a magnifying glass into this rich culture. This vibrant, international city is the hub of trade, law and diplomacy - The International Criminal Court, the War Crimes Tribunal and Europol preside here. It’s also the seat of government of The Netherlands (not our capitol Amsterdam!) and the home to our Royal family.