Hyderabad: India will play their last match against the Netherlands. The Dutch team created a sensation in this World Cup. As India's berth in the semis has already been decided, this match is only a formality. The Netherlands, a small country, has many advantages. The country is very advanced in terms of technology. Let's know the salient features of that country.
Many people mistake the Netherlands and Holland to be the same. But, these two are not the same. The Netherlands is a collection of 12 provinces. But, among these only North Holland and South Holland are collectively called Holland. In 2019, they stopped using 'Holland' as a nickname for their country.
- Bluetooth was invented in the Netherlands. Dr Jaap Hartsen, an engineer from this country, invented it in 1994. He came up with the idea of making this device while he was working at Ericsson in Sweden. More than 300 crore people worldwide are using Bluetooth today.
- The largest word in Dutch, spoken in the Netherlands, has 53 letters. Known as the Venice of the North, Amsterdam has 165 canals. Together they are 60 miles long.
- The first civil airport in Europe was established in the Netherlands. This airport was opened in 1920 and was named Valhevan. The first plane that left from here was loaded with letters and sent to London.
- Today, the stock market, which is the pivot of the world's financial power, was launched in the Netherlands. In 1602, the first stock exchange was opened here in Amsterdam. It was funded by the Dutch East India Company. This is the first exchange in the world to sell shares of companies.
- Bicycles are widely used in the Netherlands. If the population here is 1.8 crore, the number of bicycles is 2.2 crore. The roads here are completely flat and easy to drive. The Netherlands has the tallest men in the world. The average height of men here is 6 feet.
- About a third of the country's land is below sea level. The lowest land here is 6.3 meters below sea level at the Zuidplaspolder. Houses in Amsterdam are built on wooden logs. This is done to keep the city above sea level. It is estimated that 1.1 crore wooden logs were used in the construction of the city.
- The Netherlands is the largest exporter of tulips in the world. The Dutch national anthem is the oldest in the world. It was first composed in 1572. It was officially recognised as the national anthem in 1932.
