The Netherlands, a small country?
Because of its limited size, the Netherlands is often considered a small country. It is a flat country without relief with part of the land having been reclaimed from the sea over the years. Bordered by the North Sea, Belgium and Germany, the country is characterized by a very high population density of almost 400 inhabitants per square kilometer. The country is characterized by a great ingenuity to overcome the elements and innovate, also in agriculture. Thus, the country exports more agricultural products to France than the other way around, which seems surprising if you compare the surface areas.
A country worked by man
As the saying goes, "God created the Earth, but left the Dutch to create the Netherlands," the country's geography is primarily the product of its people. Almost one fifth of the land was reclaimed from the water. The geography is everywhere reasoned and leaves nothing to chance... The landscapes have been modified by man through the exploitation of peat, the clearing of sand and clay, the draining of lakes and marshes, the damming of rivers and the construction of polders. The Netherlands is probably the first witness of the rise of the sea level (65 m during the last ten millennia), which continues today..
The control of water
As early as 1798, with the creation of the Waterstaat, the Ministry of Water, large-scale works, such as the Haarlem lake polder, were undertaken. Two enormous projects, of pharaonic dimensions, were carried out in the 20th century: the development of the former marine gulf of Zuiderzee with the construction of a 30 km dike closing the Ijsselmeer, an immense freshwater reservoir, and the Delta plan, a consequence of the terrible flood of 1953. This plan aims to modify the flow of the Rhine, the Meuse and the Scheldt. The last part of this plan, the movable dam of the Oosterschelde, was realized in 1986. A unique example of hydraulic engineering in the world, the Delta Plan, entirely designed and built on site, is rightly considered by the Dutch as the eighth wonder of the world. This plan means 1,100 km of dykes, allowing a precious gain of agricultural land and the constitution of fresh water reservoirs. The many bridges, dikes, windmills and pumping stations give the Dutch landscape its special appearance. Inaugurated in 1997, the Nieuwe Waterweg storm surge barrier consists of two huge arched gates that can close the 360 m wide channel in case of a storm surge, thus protecting a million people in the Rotterdam area from the danger of flooding while preserving the environment
Ecology: can really do better
The Netherlands has a much greener image due to its intensive use of bicycles than the country actually is. However, the Dutch are concerned about ecological issues. Water control is the constant national effort against global warming. The Dutch daily life with many small stores tends towards short circuits with hypermarkets absent but food scandals have, here too, been recurrent. In 2015, the Netherlands was forced by a lawsuit to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25%. The country has been turning to wind power for several years, with more than 2,000 onshore and almost 500 offshore wind turbines by 2020. At the individual level, waste sorting is a norm, car use is stigmatized and expensive, especially in cities with prohibitive parking fees. Nevertheless, at the national level, the country is not there yet, far from it...
Political and administrative divisions
The administrative organization of the country is provided for in Article 7 of the constitution. This paragraph provides for the organization of the provinces, municipalities and waterschappen. At the top of all this is the government, which sits in The Hague and whose role is comparable to the French government.
The government exercises power officially. It is composed of the king and the ministers. It meets very little in the form of a cabinet meeting. It works rather as a council of ministers, without the king. The government sits in The Hague, the political and royal capital of the country. The state has most of the political, legal and financial powers
The Netherlands has 12 provinces (from north to south): Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe, Overijssel, Flevoland, Gelderland, Utrecht, North Holland, South Holland, Zeeland, North Brabant and Limburg. While the provinces date back to the Middle Ages, the most recent one, Flevoland, was created in 1986. Each province is headed by a king's commissioner, appointed by the king on the proposal of the provincial states. The provinces are the first level of territorial subdivision of the country. While they do not have extensive powers, they have administrative powers between the state and the municipalities
The municipalities are very powerful in the Netherlands. Their number has been decreasing over the years and they are grouped together. In 1900 there were more than 1,100 of them, by January1, 2022 there were only 345. However, they are more powerful, have more prerogatives and fields of action. Mayors are not elected, but appointed by the government, but the municipal council formulates an opinion that is often taken up. The mayor presides over the municipal council and is responsible for public order and security.
Waterschappen. This institution is a very Dutch specificity. It is a public authority responsible for water management, water protection and water levels. The border of these is determined by basins or drainage areas. It is one of the oldest institutions in the Dutch state system.
The Wadden Sea and Islands: a Dutch paradise
The Wadden Islands start in the Netherlands. From south to north, Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog are real jewels with a total area of more than 400 km2. This coastal archipelago continues into Germany and Denmark. They form a nature reserve listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wadden means the sandy area between high and low tide, which is called foreshore, classified as a biosphere reserve. Wadden means the foreshore, i.e. the area between high and low tide. This unique area has a unique and rich ecosystem due to the specific salinity, light and temperatures. There are tidal channels, sandbanks, seagrass meadows, sandbars, lagoons, mudflats, etc. This ecosystem is home to animal and plant species such as seals and even porpoises. The whole constitutes a real little paradise on earth which is now protected with a controlled ecoresponsible tourism.
Two areas that illustrate the diversity of the Netherlands
The geography of the Netherlands is more varied than some might think. Polders, dunes created by the sea, sandy and forested areas and the slightly hilly landscape of Limburg. To experience this diversity, we invite you to visit two parks! The Zuid-Kennemerland park is not yet thirty years old, but it has been offering for a long time the nature that the inhabitants of the cities, especially Amsterdam, sometimes miss. Mainly dunes, it also includes some forests and beaches. The highest point of the park is the Brederodeberg, which rises to 45 meters. The park has a hundred species of birds and 20 species of butterflies. Numerous mammals live there, especially highland mammals. Impressive wisents or European bison have recently been introduced in the park. They are to be observed by respecting the distances
The Veluwe is the largest natural lowland area in northwestern Europe and consists mainly of moraines. It is a combination of sand dunes, pleasant wooded areas, moorland, the largest in the Netherlands, but also ponds. This area offers quite incredible landscapes, almost lunar which will disorient you.
