Netherlands
The Netherlands aka Holland is in northwestern Europe. There is some debate as to the reasoning on why the Netherlands is often called Holland. If you look at a map of the Netherlands, you will see that there are two provinces within the country called North and South Holland. Some people guess that the confusion in the country’s name can be traced back through history to the fact that the provinces of Holland were the strongest in the country. You can also look to a map of Holland (the province) to look for more clues.

As with many other countries in Europe, war largely shaped their history and who they are today. The Netherlands was able to declare neutrality in the First World War However, for World War II, they did not get that chance. Nazi Germany invaded and sent thousands of the Jews who lived there to the concentration camps and others were treated as slave labor. After the war, the country decided to make alliances with their neighbors and their economy flourished. Their alliances, if you look at a Netherlands map show that those alliances would have been made with Belgium and Germany.

Today, the Netherlands has one of the most successful economies in the world. There are many industries that operate there like petroleum, chemicals and even the processing of food. Tourism is almost a by product! It is agriculture, another major industry that many people think of when they think of Holland aka the Netherlands. Can you picture all those tulips with windmills in the background? Well, those windmills aren’t just for decoration. They help irrigate the tulips and other flowers for exportation.

If you look on a Holland map, actually a map of the Netherlands, you will see possibly the different roads, rivers and other landmarks that could help you navigate your way around should you decide to visit the country. Your map may even depict the country’s flag on it, perhaps near the legend. The Netherlands flag consists of tri-colors in a horizontal pattern – red, white and navy.

Christmas in the Netherlands and Christmas in Holland is celebrated a bit differently than in other parts of the world. For instance, they do not believe in Santa Claus. Instead, Sinterklaas delivers gifts to the children on December 6th, Feast Day. After this day, people and businesses start to decorate for the Christmas holiday. Then it is celebrated over two days.

Overall, the Netherlands has more than meets the eye. It’s a rather liberal country than others which could take some getting used to. It would take actually visiting there to discover the different historical aspects and sites that contribute to the diversity of this country.