Windmills and tulips describes the Netherlands, the original home of the windmills. And the tulips, well the Netherlands as well export billions of these bulbs annually, making the country the world's biggest exporter of this commodity.
The Dutch has a saying "God made the Earth, but the Dutch made Holland" a statement that describes the will and effort of its people to protect the Netherlands against the onslaught of the sea. As it is 65% of the nation will be flooded daily because most of it is below sea level, so they have built 2,400 kilometers of dikes to shield the low flatlands, a form of defense and national undertaking that started some 800 years ago.
The reclamation of the Zuider Zee created 165,000 hectares of land fit for farming - a precious commodity for a densely populated country. Owing to this magnificent feat, 60% of the nation is farmed, not just haphazardly but efficiently by just 2% of the workforce.
A country located at the mouth of the Rhine River, the Netherlands is a gateway to northwestern Europe. Aside from agriculture, it also thrives on natural gas production that provided the funds for the country's subsidized welfare system; the continuing flood control efforts; for cleaning up the Rhine and North Sea; and restore damage to forests because of the effects of acid rain.
The first ruler of the Netherlands was William of Orange, and out of respect for his involvement in the war of independence from Spain, the
Netherlands National Flag adopted is a horizontal tricolor of orange, white and blue. But the hue orange tended to be unstable and turns red when exposed indefinitely, thus red was used instead.
by:
The Flagman
