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Summary about Holland
General Information
INHABITANTS
There are 16,5 million inhabitants in Holland, which makes it the 11th most populous country in Europe.
CAPITAL
The capital of Holland is Amsterdam with780,000 inhabitants. Although Amsterdam is the capital, the Government and the Parliament are located in Haag, the third largest city.
CLIMATE
The climate is temperate.
FORM OF GOVERNMENT
Holland is a constitutional monarchy and a decentralized unitary state. Since 1815, the Netherlands has been a constitutional monarchy. Historically for centuries before, it had been a proud republic, a union of provinces. Since 1848, the Netherlands is also a parliamentary democracy. The Dutch monarch has no real political power, but serves as Representative Head of State and a symbolic person uniting the divided parliamentary politics.
POLITICAL SYSTEM
Queen Beatrix van Oranje-Nassau (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard van Oranje-Nassau) is the nominal head of state of the Netherlands.The Netherlands is usually governed by a coalition of different political parties. ThePrime Minister usually comes from the party which won the most seats in the elections. Usually the Queen gives the leader of the winning party or a significant politician coming from this party the task of forming the new government.
ELECTRICITY, WATER AND HEATING
When calculating your living expenses, in addition to paying for your rent, your overhead costs such as electricity, water and heating must also be taken into consideration. Overhead expenses are paid according to individual consumption.
LEARNING DUTCH IN HOLLAND
It is possible to learn Dutch at universities and language schools throughout Holland.
GENERAL WORK CONDITIONS IN HOLLAND
The average work week in Holland is between 37.5 and 40 hours per week. There is great emphasis on safety and working conditions. Children under 16 are not allowed to work outside the home. Children at the age of 16 are allowed to work 8 hours per week. In Holland, employees have four weeks of paid vacation plus 11-12 days of paid public holidays.
TAX IN HOLLAND
In Holland the tax system is progressive. This means that the more you earn, the higher percentage of your salary is paid in direct taxes. Income tax is calculated based on the estimated annual income of the taxpayer.
INSURANCE
You can insure yourself and your family through private insurance. There are many different types of insurance schemes and insurance companies. In order to get the best deal, therefore, it is worth obtaining quotes from several companies.
COMPULSORY INSURANCE
In the Netherlands, many people take out a so-called Wettelijke aansprakelijkheidsverzekering (WA) verzekering also known as Liability Insurance. This insurance protects a person or entity from claims initiated by another party. Although some people believe this to be compulsory insurance, it is actually NOT the case.
Dutch people believe that however careful you might be, you or one of your family member may unintentionally cause damage to another person or another person’s property. Therefore, almost all insurance companies offer this type of Liability Insurance.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
NEW YEAR
New Year's Eve falls on 31st December and is celebrated by fireworks
across Holland. On New Year's Day, 1st January, most shops and offices
remain closed.
THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY
On April 30, 1980, Beatrix became Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands when her mother, Queen Juliana abdicated on her 71th birthday. This day of the year is celebrated across Holland when Dutch people usually dress up in orange colored clothes and participate on street carneval.
CHRISTMAS
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ. 24th December is
Christmas Eve. The 24th, 25th and 26th of December are all public
holidays.
BOXING DAY
Celebrated on the 26th December
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
PHARMACY
Pharmacies are open Monday to Friday between 8/9 am. and 5:30/6 pm. During night time and weekends some pharmacies are open 24hrs/7 days a week.
SUPERMARKETS
Supermarkets are generally open from 8/9 am till 7/8 pm.
BANKS
Normal bank opening hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, with some staying open later on Thursday or Friday evenings. Some banks are also open on Saturday mornings.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
The Netherlands has a well-organized public transportation system, including busses, trains, trams and well constructed bicycle lanes
For more practical information, please see the links below.
INFORMATION ON HOLLAND
This site has useful information on going to Holland
General information about the Netherlands
MAP AND TRAVELPLANNER
http://www.routenet.nl/Default.aspx?language=GB
This site helps you when you travel by car
http://journeyplanner.9292.nl/
This site helps you planning both public and private transportation