Netherlands packages include Netherland tours and travel for Netherland's famous tourist attractions. Julius Caesar found the low-lying Netherlands inhabited by Germanic tribes-the Nervii, Frisii, and Batavi. The Batavi on the Roman frontier did not submit to Rome's rule until 13 B.C., and then only as allies.
The Franks controlled the region from the 4th to the 8th century, and it became part of Charlemagne's empire in the 8th and 9th centuries. The area later passed into the hands of Burgundy and the Austrian Hapsburgs and finally in the 16th century came under Spanish rule.
When Philip II of Spain suppressed political liberties and the growing Protestant movement in the Netherlands, a revolt led by William of Orange broke out in 1568. Under the Union of Utrecht (1579), the seven northern provinces became the United Provinces of the Netherlands.

The Netherlands, on the coast of the North Sea, is twice the size of New Jersey. Part of the great plain of north and west Europe, the Netherlands has maximum dimensions of 190 by 160 mi (360 by 257 km) and is low and flat except in Limburg in the southeast, where some hills rise up to 322 m (1056 ft). About half the country's area is below sea level, making the famous Dutch dikes a requisite for the use of much of the land. Reclamation of land from the sea through dikes has continued through recent times. All drainage reaches the North Sea, and the principal rivers-Rhine, Maas (Meuse), and Schelde-have their sources outside the country.

13,082 sq mi (33,883 sq km); total area: 16,033 sq mi (41,526 sq km)

16,491,461 (growth rate: 0.5%); birth rate: 10.9/1000; infant mortality rate: 5.0/1000; life expectancy: 79.0; density per sq mi: 1,259

Amsterdam (official), 737,900; The Hague (administrative capital), 465,900

Rotterdam, 600,700; Utrecht, 263,900; Eindhoven, 206,900

Euro (formerly guilder)

Dutch, Frisian (both official)

Dutch 83%, other 17% (9% of non-Western origin, mainly Turks, Moroccans, Antilleans, Surinamese, and Indonesians) (1999 est.)

Roman Catholic 31%, Dutch Reformed 13%, Calvinist 7%, Islam 6%, none 41% (2002)

99% (2000 est.)

Grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; livestock.

Natural gas, petroleum, arable land.

Required by all except the following for stays of up to three months:
(a) nationals referred to in the chart and under passport exemptions above (except 2. nationals of Latvia who do require a visa);
(b) nationals of Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland, Israel, Korea (Rep), Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Switzerland, Uruguay, Vatican City and Venezuela;
(c) transit passengers continuing their journey to/from other Schengen countries within 72 hours by the same or first connecting aircraft, provided holding onward or return documentation and not leaving the airport.