The Netherlands
General Information
The Netherlands is also known as Holland. The Netherlands is the formal name of the country. 'Holland' is the name of the western part of the country. The kingdom of the Netherlands in North West Europe, on North Sea comprises' the Netherlands and Antiles. The country is plain land with an average height of 11 meters above sea-level. Much of the land however, is below sea-level and is protected by dykes, which extend to some 2400 km.

The Netherlands is a small, densely populated and highly developed country. Amsterdam is its capital city. The Hague is the seat of Government. Rotterdam and Utrecht are the other big cities. The country covers an area of 41,160 sq. km., having population of 16.3 million. Dutch is their language. The rate of literacy is hundred percent. Euro is the currency. The average summer temperature is 17.4°C and the average winter temperature is 2.80°C.

Economy: Agriculture has been mechanized and developed in the Netherlands. Grains, potatoes, sugarbeets, fruits, flowers are main crops and foodstuffs form the largest industrial sector. Dairy products account for one-quarter of exports. Other major industries include chemicals, metallurgy, electrical goods, machinery and tourism. Netherlands is one of the world's 10 leading exporting countries. Service sector constitutes 26 percent and agriculture and fisheries 3%. Amsterdam is famous as a world centre for diamonds, precious metals and art treasures. Rotterdam, along the Rhine, handles the most cargo of any ocean port in the world.Netherlands attracts 5 million tourists every year.

Cost of living: The minimum cost of living (including accommodation, food, health insurance, transport and pocket money) for a foreign student in the Netherlands is estimated at € 1000 per month.

Transportation: As far as transportation is concerned, it is easy to live without a car as the public transport facilities are adequate to meet your transport needs. Those who can ride a bicycle will find it easy to move around in the city.