Amsterdam, located within the Dutch province of North Holland, is the capital of the Netherlands, and its principle commercial and financial centre. It is a city and a port, with over 160 17th-century canals and more than 1,700 bridges.
Amsterdam is informally referred to as the “Venice of the North”, with their large number of canals forming a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Besides its intricate canal system, Amsterdam is both locally and internationally known for its artistic heritage, narrow houses with gabled facades and many bike paths and lanes spread across the city.
FUN FACTS ABOUT AMSTERDAM Did you know?
- Amsterdam stands on 11 million wooden poles to support the buildings from sinking.
- The city is built on clay.
- You can travel 100 kilometres on the canals.
- Over 20,000 bikes are fished out of the canals each year.
- De Torensluis bridge from 1648 is the oldest and widest bridge in Amsterdam.
- The city is made up of 90 small islands.
- There are more bikes than people in Amsterdam!
- The smallest house in Europe (2,02 m wide, 5 m deep) is in Amsterdam, built in 1738.
- Tram number 5 is Amsterdam’s busiest tram line.
- Amsterdam has the most museums per square meter.
- Amsterdam is home to the only floating flower market in the world – The Bloemenmarkt, which exists since 1862.
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