Viva Hollandia!
First of all: The Netherlands is not the same as the Nether!
But the name The Netherlands literally means “lower countries” or “lowlands.” So... it does kind of make sense that the Minecraft dimension is called the Nether, right?
A lot of the Netherlands lies below sea level, and some of our land was even reclaimed from the sea over centuries using dikes, pumps, and polders: low-lying areas of land surrounded by water management systems.
So basically, we looked at the sea and said: “Yeah, we'll take that land.”
Okay, I’ll stop boring you with water facts now...
Okay, one last water fact...
Did you know we literally have a website where you can check whether your home would flood if the water ever came rising?
It's called Overstroomik.nl, which basically translates to “Will I flood?”
<---- Luckily I won't!
So, the Netherlands has a lot of water... does everyone just get around by boat or something?
Nope! We bike. A lot...
There are actually more bikes than people in the Netherlands, so you could say we're pretty serious about cycling.
A little tip if you're planning to visit: whatever you do, don't casually wander into the bike lane. Dutch cyclists will not be happy about it.😅
You can usually recognize a bike lane by the red pavement with a bike symbol, or by this sign
And yes, if you hear a bell ringing behind you... move.
You might hear people call the Netherlands “Holland”, but technically, that's not quite correct.
Holland is actually just two provinces: North Holland and South Holland. (The Netherlands has twelve provinces in total.)
So why does everyone call the whole country Holland? Well, the two Hollands were historically some of the country's most powerful and well known regions, especially when it came to trade and shipping. Over time, the name Holland started being used abroad to mean the Netherlands as a whole.
So yes, people will probably know what you mean if you say Holland...
But if you want to make a Dutch person sigh dramatically, call the entire country Holland. :) 🇳🇱
