NETHERLANDS

M. Rich and Z. Foster

• The capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam.

• The population of the Netherlands is 16.5 million.

NETHERLANDS

CLIMATE OF THE NETHERLANDS

• Maritime climate

• Cool summers and mild winters

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE IS DUTCH

• Hello = Hoi• Good-bye = Doei

• Roman Catholicism is the largest practice religion in the Netherlands

• Dom Tower of Utrecht is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands

RELIGION OF THE NETHERLANDS

TRADITIONAL CLOTHINGWomen – usually a dress with an apron and a white hatMen – usually wide wool pants, jacket and black hatWooden clogs – worn mainly on the countryside

TRADITIONAL FOODCuisine differs betweenregions of the Netherlands.

Meals:-Breakfast/Lunch-Tea Time-Dinner

Main ingredient of Dutch meals are potatoes, accompanied by meats and boiled vegetables.

TRADITIONAL MUSIC

Traditional Dutch musical genre is known as: Levenslied (meaning songs of/about life)

-Instruments important to Levenslied are: the accordion and barrel organ.

CUSTOMS AND ETIQUETTE• When entering a room it is customary to shake hands with everyone present, then to

shake hands again on leaving

• Yelling to an acquaintance from a distance is considered impolite.

• Compared to most cultures, the Dutch are reserved in public and do not often touch each other or display anger or extreme exuberance.

• It is polite to keep hands above the table during a meal but elbows should be kept off the table.

• The Dutch value personal space and tend to avoid physical contact even among friends. When standing in a group, or when talking to one another, they tend to keep a rather large distance.