The Netherlands, a small country?
The Netherlands is often thought of as a small country. It's a flat, featureless country, with some of its land reclaimed from the sea over the years. Bordered by the North Sea, Belgium and Germany, the country is densely populated, with almost 400 inhabitants per km2. The country is characterized by great ingenuity in overcoming the elements and innovating, not least in agriculture. The country exports more agricultural products to France than vice versa, which seems surprising when you compare the surface areas.
A country worked by man
As the saying goes: "God created the Earth, but left it to the Dutch to create the Netherlands", the country's geography is primarily the product of its people. Almost a fifth of the land was reclaimed from the sea. Geography is everywhere reasoned and leaves nothing to chance... Landscapes have been modified by man through the exploitation of peat, the clearing of sand and clay, the draining of lakes and marshes, the damming of rivers and the construction of polders. The Netherlands is undoubtedly the first witness to the rise in sea level (65 m over the last ten millennia), which continues today..
The control of water
As early as 1798, with the creation of the Waterstaat (Ministry of Water), large-scale projects such as the Haarlem lake polder were undertaken. In the 20th century, two enormous projects of pharaonic proportions were carried out: the development of the former Zuiderzee marine gulf, with the construction of a 30 km dike closing off the Ijsselmeer, an immense freshwater reservoir, and the Delta plan, a consequence of the terrible flood of 1953. The aim of this plan was to modify the flow of the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt rivers. The last part of this plan, the movable dam on the Oosterschelde, was completed in 1986. A unique example of hydraulic engineering, the Delta Plan, designed and built entirely in-house, is considered by the Dutch to be the eighth wonder of the world. The plan includes 1,100 km of dykes, allowing valuable agricultural land to be reclaimed and freshwater reservoirs to be built. The many bridges, dikes, windmills and pumping stations give the Dutch landscape its distinctive appearance. Inaugurated in 1997, the Nieuwe Waterweg storm surge barrier consists of two huge arched gates that can close the 360 m wide channel in the event of a storm tide, protecting a million people in the Rotterdam region from the danger of flooding, while preserving the environment.
Ecology: can do better
Thanks to its intensive use of bicycles, the Netherlands has a much greener image than it actually has. Nevertheless, the Dutch are concerned about ecological issues. Water management is the constant national effort against global warming. Everyday life in the Netherlands, with its many small stores, tends towards short circuits, with hypermarkets absent, but food scandals have been recurrent here too. In 2015, the Netherlands was forced by legal action to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25%. For several years now, the country has been turning to wind power, with more than 2,000 wind turbines on land and almost 500 off-shore by 2020. On an individual level, waste sorting is the norm, and car use is stigmatized and expensive, especially in cities with prohibitive parking charges. Nevertheless, on a national level, the country is far from being there yet...
Political and administrative divisions
The country's administrative organization is set out in article 7 of the constitution. This paragraph provides for the organization of provinces, municipalities and waterschappen (waterschappen are areas with authority for the control and management of water). At the top of all this is the government, based in The Hague, whose role is comparable to that of the French government.
The government exercises power officially. It is composed of the king and the ministers. It meets very rarely in the form of a cabinet meeting. Instead, it works as a council of ministers, without the king. The government is based in The Hague, the country's political and royal capital. The state holds most of the political, legal and financial powers.
The Netherlands has 12 provinces (from north to south): Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe, Overijssel, Flevoland, Gelderland, Utrecht, North Holland, South Holland, Zeeland, North Brabant and Limburg. While the provinces date back to the Middle Ages, the most recent, Flevoland, was created in 1986. Each province is headed by a King's Commissioner, appointed by the King on the recommendation of the provincial states. The provinces form the country's first level of territorial sub-division. While they do not have extensive powers, they do have administrative powers between the state and the municipalities.
Municipalities are very powerful in the Netherlands. Their number has steadily declined over the years as municipalities have merged. In 1900, there were over 1,100, but by January1, 2022 there were only 345. However, they are more powerful, with greater prerogatives and scope for action. Mayors are not elected, but appointed by the government, but the municipal council formulates an opinion that is often taken up. The mayor chairs the council and is responsible for public order and safety.
Waterschappen. This is a very Dutch institution. It is a public authority responsible for water management, water protection and water levels. Its boundaries are determined by basins or drainage areas. It is one of the oldest institutions in the Dutch state system.
The Wadden Sea and Islands: a Dutch paradise
The Wadden Islands begin in the Netherlands. From south to north, Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog are real gems, with a total surface area of over 400 km2. This coastal archipelago extends into Germany and Denmark. They form a Unesco World Heritage nature reserve. The sandy, muddy zone between high and low tide, known as the foreshore, is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site. This unique area boasts a rich, one-of-a-kind ecosystem, the result of specific salinity, light and temperature conditions. It features tidal channels, sandbanks, seagrass meadows, sandbars and sandbars, lagoons, mudflats and more. This ecosystem is home to animal and plant species such as seals and even porpoises. All in all, a veritable little paradise on earth, now protected by eco-responsible tourism.
Two areas that illustrate the diversity of the Netherlands
The geography of the Netherlands is more varied than some might think. Polders, dunes created by the sea, sandy and forested areas and the gently rolling landscapes of Limburg. To experience this diversity, we invite you to visit two parks! The Zuid-Kennemerland park is not yet thirty years old, but has long offered the nature that city dwellers, Amsterdam in particular, sometimes miss. Primarily made up of dunes, it also includes a number of forests and beaches. The park's highest point is the Brederodeberg, 45 meters high. The park is home to some 100 bird species and 20 butterfly species. Numerous mammals live here, including highland mammals. Impressive wisents or European bison have recently been introduced to the park. Watch them from a safe distance.
The Veluwe is the largest natural lowland area in north-western Europe, consisting mainly of moraines. It includes sand dunes, pleasant wooded areas, moorland (the largest in the Netherlands) and ponds. It's an area of incredible, almost lunar landscapes that will take your breath away.
