1. The country’s name refers to its topography

The word “Netherlands” actually means “lower countries.” And when they say low, they mean low. Around half of the country’s flat terrain is within a few feet of sea level and more than 20 percent of its residents actually live below sea level. Which leads us to…

2. There is lots of flooding

Because of its topography, it’s not shocking that the country has a long history of floods. With constant flooding making farming a challenge, the Dutch economy long ago began to involve a good deal of international trade.

3. Tomato production

Hundreds of years ago, flooding made farming quite a challenge. But they’ve figured things out. With the assistance of innovative growing technology, the Netherlands have become major producers and exporters of tomatoes. In fact, US imports of Dutch tomatoes grew eight-fold in a five-year period in the mid-1990s.

4. It wasn’t always so progressive

Many people rightly think of The Netherlands as one of the world’s most progressive countries, so this might come as a surprise: It was actually the last European country to abolish slavery when it did so in the 1860s.

5. They’re really big bikers

Is there any correlation between height and propensity to use a bicycle? If you think there is, try this one on for size. The Dutch are, on average the tallest people in the world, yet they are also huge bicyclists; in 2013, an international body ranked them tied with the Denmark as the continent’s most bike-friendly countries. In fact, with an estimated 18 million bicycles, The Netherlands has more bikes than people!

[Sources: Wikipedia, LA Times; photo by Kata Pal on Pexels.com]