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The Netherlands. Pop. 16,491,461. Area. 41,526 (km²). Capital - Amsterdam. Currency – Euro. Language – Dutch. Time Zone – GMT + 1 hours. Main Airport – Amsterdam-Schiphol AMS. Average Temperature – 2.6° to 18.3°. Voltage guide 220 AC, 50 Hz. Dialing code 31. Best time to go – year round destination. The Netherlands is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden), which consists of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, and Aruba, which are both in the Caribbean. The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy, located in north-west Europe, and is surrounded by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east. The Netherlands is often referred to by the name Holland. This is not completely accurate, as the provinces of North and South Holland in western Netherlands are only two of the country's twelve provinces. The Netherlands is a densely populated and geographically low-lying country and is popularly known for its windmills, cheese, clogs (wooden shoes), dikes, tulips, and bicycles. The Netherlands is notable for it’s flatness and much of the land is blow sea level as large parts have been reclaimed from the sea and developed into highly productive agricultural land. Politically, The Netherlands is extremely liberal regarding drugs, prostitution, same-sex marriage, abortion and euthanasia. The country is also host to the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court and the European Union's criminal intelligence agency (Europol) at The Hague. The Netherlands is a popular destination for many Europeans and the big 5 cities are rich in culture, art and entertainment. The big 5 are – Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague (Den Haag), Utrecht, and Eindhoven.