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ABOUT
AMSTERDAM / AMSTERDAM GUIDE
Amsterdam is capital of the
Netherlands, lies on the banks of two bodies of water, the IJ bay
and the Amstel river. Founded in the late 12th century as a small
fishing village on the banks of the Amstel, it is now the largest
city in the country and is a financial and cultural centre. As of 1
August 2006, the population of the city proper is 741,329; the
population of the official Greater Amsterdam area is approximately
1.5 million. Amsterdam is also one of the core urban centres of the
greater metropolitan area called "Randstad" (Ring City) which
encompasses other Dutch cities such as Utrecht, The Hague and
Rotterdam and has a population of over 7.5 million.
Amsterdam has one of the largest historic city centres in Europe,
dating largely from the 17th century. At that time, a series of
concentric, semi-circular canals ("grachten") were dug around the
old city centre. Along the canals, houses and warehouses were built.
The canals still define Amsterdam's layout and appearance today,
with many fine houses and mansions situated along the banks. Some of
the narrow brick houses are gradually sinking because they are built
on wooden piles to cope with the marshy subsoil.
Although Amsterdam is officially designated as the capital of the
Netherlands, it has never been (save a brief period between 1808 and
1810) the seat of the court, government, or parliament of the
Netherlands, which are all located at The Hague. Amsterdam is also
not the capital of the province in which it is located, North
Holland, whose capital is located at Haarlem.
Amsterdam is famous for its free-spirited liberalism, diversity and
tolerance.
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