Business facts

› Rotterdam seaport is the world’s second
largest port in size and tonnage (after Singapore
since 2004).

› The Dutch were the first Europeans to discover
Australia and New Zealand.

› The Netherlands is the fourth largest investor in
the US.

› In 1667 the Dutch exchanged the Dutch
possession of New Amsterdam (later called New
York) for the South American colony of
Suriname.

› The Netherlands is the world’s first producer
and exporter of tulips.

› Dutch inventions include the compact disk,
microscope, telescope, mercury thermometer
and artificial heart.

› The Netherlands is the third largest agricultural
exporter in the world. In fact, NL is the world's
main producer of peppers, tomatoes and
cucumbers.

› Famous Dutch companies: Philips (inventor of
the audio tape, videotape, compact disk and CD-
ROM), Royal Dutch Shell, Heineken, Amstel,
Bavaria, DSM, Akzo Nobel, KPMG, Unilever,
ABN-AMRO and ING.

› The first wooden shoe was made here. The
Netherlands have many seas so people wanted
a shoe that would keep their feet dry while
working outside.

› The Hague is dubbed “the legal capital of the
world” since five international courts (the
International Court of Justice, the Permanent
Court of Arbitration, the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the
International Criminal Court and the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon) are located nearby.

› More than 80 international organisations and
NGOs are located in the Hague.