 
Amsterdam Holland The Netherlands
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Amsterdam is a city in Holland (The Netherlands) with a long
and interesting history. The name, Amsterdam, dates back to the year
1275 when the first settlers to the region built a dam on the Amstel River.
Therfore, Amster Dam. The Dam Square exists today on the place where
this original dam was constructed. |
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Amsterdam
(pronounced
/ˈæmstərdæm/; Dutch
[ɑmstərˈdɑm]) is the
capital and
largest city of the
Netherlands, located in the
province of
North Holland in the west of the country. The city, which had a
population of around 1 million (with suburbs) on 1 January 2008,
comprises the northern part of the
Randstad, the
6th-largest
metropolitan area in Europe, with a population of around 6.7 million.
Its name is derived from Amstel dam, indicative of
the city's origin: a
dam in the
river
Amstel where the Dam Square is today. Settled as a small fishing
village in the late
12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important
ports in
the world during the
Dutch Golden Age, a result of its innovative developments in
trade.
During that time, the city was the leading center for finance and
diamonds. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city
expanded and many new neighbourhoods and suburbs were formed.
The city is the financial and cultural capital of the
Netherlands. Many large Dutch institutions have their headquarters there,
and 7 of the world's top 500 companies, including
Philips
and
ING, are based in the city. The
Amsterdam Stock Exchange, part of
Euronext, is located in the city centre. Amsterdam's main
attractions, including its
historic canals, the
Rijksmuseum, the
Van Gogh Museum,
Anne Frank House, its
red-light district and its many
cannabis coffee shops, draw 4.2 million tourists annually. |
More about visiting or living in Amsterdam
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