Internationally oriented
Oct 03, 2007
Internationally oriented
Worldwide trade
Even in the early 17th century, Holland was an advanced country, with much of its wealth coming from trade. Located in the delta where several major European rivers flow into the North Sea, Holland was ideally situated to become a centre of trade and transport for all of western Europe. The 17th century was the Golden Age in Dutch history, not surprising when you realize that Dutch ships carried 90 per cent of all the goods in Europe.
Today, international trade is still the main engine of economic growth in Holland. In fact, Holland is one of the world's ten leading exporting nations. Rotterdam has the largest port in Europe and until 2004, when it was overtaken by Shanghai, also the largest in the world. Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport is one of Europe’s major airports. Holland is home to several internationally renowned banks, including ING and Rabobank, both of which are in the world’s top 20 companies in their field. Philips is a Dutch company, and approximately half of Shell and Unilever are in Dutch hands. The carillon is a Dutch invention, as are the reality TV show Big Brother, the CD, which was developed by Philips, and the world famous DJ Tiësto.
An international living environment
The Dutch are accustomed to dealing with people from around the world, and above all, to working with them. English is spoken by most of the Dutch.
Holland lies at the point where the German, British and French cultures meet. This is evident as soon as you turn on the television. Cinemas show films from around the world in their original languages. Alongside the usual church towers and synagogues, the minarets of mosques can increasingly be seen in the large cities. You can dance the salsa as easily as in Latin America. And Asian, Mediterranean and fast foods are becoming as familiar as standard Dutch fare. The result of all of this is that Holland is a place where knowledge, ideas and cultures from all over the world come together.
Against this background, it is not surprising that Holland is an advocate of international cooperation on many fronts. It is a founding member of the United Nations, for example. In several UN organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Netherlands plays a much larger role than one might expect from the country's modest size. It also does more than its share to help fund the UN.