Amsterdam

:Alternate meanings: See Amsterdam

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Amsterdam

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

;Location

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

;Country

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:The Netherlands

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

;Province

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:North Holland

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

;Population

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:739,295 (1 January 2005)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

;Coordinates

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:4?54'E - 52?22'N

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

;Website

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:www.amsterdam.nl

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

;Mayor

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:Job Cohen

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. 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 its financial and cultural centre. As of 2005, the population of the city proper is 742,209; the population of the greater Amsterdam area is approximately one and a half million.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Amsterdam has one of the largest historic city centres in Europe, dating largely from the 17th century, the Golden Age of the Netherlands, of which it was the focal point. At this time, a series of concentric, semi-circular canals was built around the older city centre, which still define its layout and appearance today. Many fine houses and mansions are situated along the canals; most are lived in, others are now offices, and some are public buildings.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The city is noted for many outstanding museums, including the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum, Rembrandt House Museum, the Anne Frank House, and its world-class symphony orchestra, the Concertgebouworkest, whose home base is the Concertgebouw. Notable are also its red-light district, de Wallen, and its numerous "coffee shops" selling cannabis.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Although Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, it is neither the capital of the province in which it is located, North Holland (which is Haarlem), nor the seat of government (which is The Hague).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Capital: :This article concerns places that serve as centers of government and politics. For alternative meanings see capital (disambiguation)...

Netherlands: The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland; IPA pronunciation: /"ne:d?rlant/) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands that is formed by the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.(Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). The Netherlands is a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional m...

Amstel: :This article is about the river in the Netherlands. Amstel is also beer brand produced by Heineken....

Amsterdam related Images and Photos (experimental)

Amsterdam	Amsterdam	Amsterdam	Amsterdam Canal
Amsterdam Twilight	Amsterdam 1896	Amsterdam 1901	Amsterdam - Canal houses Prinsengracht
Amsterdam Harbor and Dockyard	Wooden Clogs Amsterdam Holland	Erotic Museum Amsterdam	Map of Amsterdam