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Top 10 facts about The Nethrlands

20.05.2021

6

CONTENTS

1. Geography and population in the Netherlands
2. Official language in the Netherlands
3. Currency in the Netherlands
4. Internet in the Netherlands
5. Economic development in the Netherlands
6. Job in the Netherlands
7. Working days and holidays in the Netherlands
8. Dutch mentality
9. Advertising in the Netherlands
10. Cryptocurrency in the Netherlands

1. Geography and population in the Netherlands

The population of the Netherlands in April 2021 is 17.5 million people. In the list of countries by the number of inhabitants, the Netherlands occupies 65th place. The Netherlands is a Western European state located in the western part of the Central European Plain. From the north and west, the territory of the country is washed by the North Sea. Polders and dunes prevail in these areas.

A time zone called Central European Time (CET) (UTC +01:00). It is moving forward 1 hour on the last Sunday in March at 2:00 am and 1 hour backward on the last Sunday in October at 3:00 am (Central European Summer Time/ UTC +02:00). The special municipalities of the Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba), as well as the constituent parts of the Kingdom (Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten), are located in the UTC -04:00 time zone.

  • General information about the Netherlands:
  • Area: 41.5 thousand km²
  • Population: 17.5 million
  • Capital: Amsterdam
  • Calling code: +31
  • National domain: .nl and .eu
  • Language: Dutch

2. Official language in the Netherlands

Dutch is the official language of the Netherlands, the mother tongue of 96% of the population. Also spread in Belgium (one of the two main languages), Suriname and some other countries. Belongs to the Lower Frankish cluster of West Germanic languages.

The Netherlands is linguistically quite a homogeneous country: the majority of its population speaks Dutch (Dutch), which, like the rest of the original languages, belongs to the Germanic languages. However, both within Dutch and within other Germanic languages of this country, there is a significant dialectal fragmentation, so that people who come from villages to cities may have difficulties to understand the local dialect for a long time.

3. Currency in the Netherlands

The Dutch guilder is the currency of the Netherlands from the 13th century until 2002 (officially until 1999), when it was replaced by the euro. Divided into100 cents. The name of the currency comes from the medieval Dutch word gulden - gold, since originally guilders were minted from gold.

After the introduction of the euro in the Netherlands, guilders are exchanged by the Netherlands bank at the rate of 2.20371 NLG per 1 EUR or, respectively, 0.453780 EUR per 1 NLG, starting from January 28, 2002, when they were officially withdrawn from circulation.

€1 = $1.21 (as of May 2021)

4. Internet in the Netherlands

The Netherlands has the highest point broadband internet users in the European Union.

In 2019, Dutch consumers spent €1.9 billion on European online stores. In 2020, they spent 600 million euros more. Never before has the Dutch annual spending on online shopping in the EU increased so dramatically, according to Statistics Netherlands, which released these numbers today.

For example, less than €700 million was spent in 2014. This means that in seven years the amount has almost quadrupled.

It is worth noting that not only the turnover of foreign e-commerce sites has increased significantly, but also online sales in the Netherlands.

While e-commerce turnover grew by 22.1% in 2015 (compared to the previous year), the annual increase in online turnover was over 40% last year.

This increase is mainly due to omnichannel players. Their turnover has increased by more than half compared to 2019. Internet turnover player has also grown sharply - by almost 36%.

TOP 10 Popular Websites in the Netherlands

 

5. Economic development in the Netherlands

The economy of the Netherlands has acquired a good reputation due to world-renowned companies, major firms, concerns such as: Royal Dutch Shell (extraction and refining of oil and other energy resources); Unilever (food products, household chemicals, cosmetics, perfumery); Philips (household electrical appliances, electrical equipment); AKZO-Nobel (chemical products), Hoogovens (metallurgy), Fokker (aircraft industry), DAF Trucks (automotive industry), Rein-Scheelde-Verolme (shipbuilding), Ferenikhde mashinenfabriken (mechanical engineering) ... These companies are world famous, ranking in the 30 largest in the world, and Royal Dutch Shell is in the 4th place on this list.

The economy of the Netherlands is called export, since this country mainly focuses on foreign markets.

Main export items: chemical products, meat, greenhouse vegetables, flowers, natural gas, metal products.

The main imports are oil, automobiles, cast iron and steel, clothing, non-ferrous metals, food products, and various transport equipment.

Due to its location in the middle of Western Europe, the Netherlands has an advantageous starting position. The Dutch economy is oriented towards foreign countries. Trade and transport are important sectors of the economy. Thanks to the favorable location of the Netherlands, many industrial enterprises are settled here. Many large international companies have distribution centers for Europe in the Netherlands. In addition, the Netherlands often hosts those enterprises that depend on the transport of large quantities of raw materials by sea (for example, the petrochemical industry).

The Netherlands also attracts many manufacturing enterprises due to the following factors: a reliable supply industry, a business-friendly atmosphere and a labor market with highly qualified personnel. The high international rating is evident from the large number of multinational enterprises and research centers located in the Netherlands.

6. Job in the Netherlands

According to the Dutch Central Planning Bureau, the average salary in the Netherlands in 2021 is $2,700 per month. The local worker's annual income is $45,000.

Сhanges in average salary in the Netherlands from 1999 to 2021

Fig. 1 Shows a graph of the change in average wages in the Netherlands from 1999 to 2021.

In order to make good money, you need to go to work in large cities like Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam. In these places, the salary of any specialty rises by about $150 - $300.

Average salary by profession/ €:

Banker - €5043
Engineer - €4836
Lawyer - €3482
Architect - €2354
Stylist - €1716

7. Working days and holidays in the Netherlands

There are 9 main holidays in the Netherlands:

Date

January 1st  

March, April

March, April

April 27

May 4

May 5

40 days after Easter

7 weeks after Easter

November 11

December 25 – 26

Title

New Year

Good Friday

Easter

King's Day

Memorial Day

Liberation Day

Easter Ascension of the Lord

Day of the Holy Trinity

St. Martin's Day

Christmas

Title in the Netherlands

Nieuwjaar

Goede Vrijdag

Pasen

Koningsdag

Dodenherdenking

Bevrijdingsdag

Hemelvaartsdag

Pinksteren

Het Sint-Maartensfeest

Kerstmis

Children and adults also celebrate St. Nicholas Day on December 5, although it is not considered a national holiday. Good Friday and Ascension are not necessarily holidays (for business), but most government agencies consider these days to be non-working days. Liberation Day is a non-working day every five years. If such a holiday falls on a weekend, an additional holiday is added on weekdays. The Muslim Day of Breaking the Fast is also very widespread, which in recent years has come to be regarded by people as a national one, not being formally such.

The vacation and school schedules also include one day for the funeral of a member of the royal family each year. If none of the royal family members have passed away, the day is added to the vacation and the scheduled classes are canceled.

Shops in the Netherlands usually open at 9-9.15 am and work until 6 pm. However, you need to be prepared for the fact that on Monday they will open no earlier than noon - the Dutch do not deny themselves the rest and pleasure on weekends, and therefore they almost never work early on Monday morning, although there are exceptions. The shops are also closed on Sunday. But on Thursday, most stores extend their working hours and work until 9 pm.

8. Dutch mentality

The indigenous people of the Netherlands are pragmatic, economical and punctual. In their mentality, the Dutch are in many ways similar to the Germans. In communication, they value politeness, straightforwardness and honesty, with deep respect for the point of view of their interlocutors, even if it is fundamentally different from their own. Despite some stiffness, the Dutch love and know how to have fun.

One of the characteristic traits of the Dutch people is creativity. For example, when a child is born in a family, the house and the surrounding area are decorated with toys and balls, and a self-made figurine of a stork with a baby is installed.

The Dutch are especially scrupulous about their food intake. In the evening, the whole family gathers for dinner, starting at exactly 18.00. Being late for a family meal is considered offensive. It is unacceptable to store cooked food for more than one day, so when cooking, locals strictly calculate portions. It is considered indecent to ask for supplements. In the Netherlands, the rule is "for one cup of tea - one cookie".

Once a month, residents of the Netherlands get rid of old and unnecessary things. Used furniture, household appliances, building materials, garden accessories are not thrown away, but taken to special "dumps", where anyone can pick up the item they like.

It is not customary to curtain windows in the Netherlands.

The Dutch do not shake hands when they meet and almost never give compliments, the avarice of this people is manifested in this. At the same time, they are very tolerant of other people's opinions, never get into an argument and even respond to rudeness with politeness and a smile. They never show off their wealth. In this country, such gestures are considered bad form, the same as non-punctuality - the Dutch simply cannot stand this.

9. Advertising in the Netherlands

In this country, the dislike of advertising is so high that the Dutch do not agree to watch additional commercials for any additional payment. Also, residents of the Netherlands are ready to vote for the complete elimination of advertising, both on television and on city streets.

Such high resistance of the inhabitants of the Netherlands to advertising is due to the peculiarities of the mentality. Both the Dutch and residents of other regions of the Netherlands are distinguished by their love of freedom and the ability to responsibly approach any choice. It is not for nothing that it is in this state that what is prohibited in all other countries is allowed, because people here know how to choose.

Residents of the Netherlands prefer to trust the reviews of friends and the reputation of various companies, which has been entrenched in them throughout their entire existence. Advertising is an unnecessary product that not only does not help in choosing, but also pollutes the information space.

In the Netherlands, the number of TV ads is significantly lower than in Russia. But Russians are ready to tolerate advertising in even larger quantities if they are offered at least minimal compensation. The people of the Netherlands are not ready to make any compromises.

The entire advertising market in the Netherlands - 3.6 billion euros, of which 1.8 are online:

The Dutch advertising market from 2011 to 2017


10. Cryptocurrency in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, at the moment, a clear legislative framework for cryptocurrency has not yet been built, and so far there is no law regulating purchase and sale, which in turn does not allow the state to fully control this area and generates a large number of fraudulent transactions in this area. In the Netherlands, cryptocurrency is not considered electronic money (or just currency), although the name implies this.

The Dutch court ruled that cryptocurrency should not be considered a monetary instrument, but a “medium of exchange”. As a medium of exchange, cryptocurrency does not fall under the law on financial supervision (Wet op het financieele toezicht). Companies engaged in this activity do not pay corporate turnover tax. Although from a tax point of view, cryptocurrency falls under the ‘asset’ category and, according to Dutch law, falls into Box 3 when declaring personal income. The discrepancy between the legal and tax points of view, as well as the absence of specific legislation, have formed the basis for discussions for more than one year.

Although cryptocurrency is considered a medium of exchange, the money that the buyer transfers to the seller (remittances) for the purchase of the cryptocurrency is strictly controlled by the state. If, in the opinion of the authorities, a company falls under suspicion of money laundering, it can be prosecuted (Law on Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism). The following bodies supervise the turnover of such remittances: the Bank of the Netherlands, the Financial Market Authority and the European Central Bank.

According to a report published by the Central Bank of the Netherlands, the use of cash in the country is starting to decline, so it makes sense to consider in more detail the issue of creating a cryptocurrency of the Central Bank, which can play an important role in the development of the financial industry, as well as endow the citizens of the country with certain advantages. The Bank of the Netherlands expressed optimism about the state cryptocurrency and announced its readiness to take an active part in development, as the payments sector "is rapidly moving into digital format."

The number of Bitcoin ATMs installed is growing in the Netherlands. There are currently about thirteen ATMs in the country. Twelve of which have been installed in the past six months. More than half of the machines belong to the Dutch network Bitcoins4me, which are installed in sports equipment stores, cafes, car stores and mobile phone stores.

Bitcoin ATMs can anonymously accept up to €5,000 in cash from anyone to buy cryptocurrencies. The machine instantly converts the amount into cryptocurrency and credits it to the client's virtual wallet. In addition, the crypto mat allows you to issue cash to customers who wish to sell bitcoins. The machines are equipped with a fingerprint scanner, camera, NFC reader. The amounts deposited to ATMs on a daily basis range from €10 to €2,500.

Bitcoin electricity consumption chart compared to the Netherlands


Researchers have calculated that a huge amount of electricity is spent on Bitcoin mining per year. Researchers at the University of Cambridge found that it consumes about 111.7 terawatt-hours (TWh) per year, which exceeds the energy consumption of countries such as the Netherlands, Chile and Tajikistan.

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