• English is spoken everywhere 
  
• Holland is the gateway to Europe and centrally located within Europe 
  
• It is compact and easy to get around 
  
• Good public transport system 
  
• Advanced telecommunications infrastructure 
  
• Rail links to all major European cities 
  
• Frequent flights to all parts of the world from Schiphol, Europe's fourth largest airport
  
  

Economic attractions 

• Stable prosperous economy 
  
• Low inflation 
  
• Excellent price/quality ratio 
  
• Strong financial sector 
  
• Good labor relations 
  
• Excellent distribution facilities 
  
• Rotterdam, world's largest seaport, a major distribution center for European hinterland
  
  

Good for business 

• Foreign entrepreneurs welcomed 
  
• Value added tax (VAT) rebate on certain goods and services for foreign meetings in Holland 
  
• Advanced infrastructure for transport of people, goods and electronic data 
  
• Commercial and industrial hub of the EU 
  
• Amsterdam distribution hub of IBM Canon, Nissan, Xerox and Unysis 
  
• Many multinationals based in Holland, including Philips, Shell, ING Group, Akzo and Heineken
  
  

Open society  

• International orientation 
  
• Holland was a founding member of EU, NATO, IMF, the UN and the World Bank 
  
• Regards European (economic) integration as prerequisite for prosperity and stability 
  
• Strongly supports democracy and human rights 
  
• International Court of Justice in The Hague
  
  

Easy to meet

• Multifunctional congress centres 
  
• State of the art communications and audiovisual technology 
  
• Top quality simultaneous translation services 
  
• Versatile catering services 
  
• Wide range of top quality hotels 
  
• Highly developed service sector
  
  

Time out

• Dynamic mix of old and new art forms in Holland's concert halls, theatres and museums 
  
• Internationally acclaimed Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Netherlands Dance Company 
  
• North Sea Jazz Festival 
  
• Nearly 1,000 museums showing everything from Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh to De Kooning, Escher, Appel and Scholte 
  
• Striking modern architecture 
  
• Bulb fields, windmills 
  
• Dutch design - graphic art 
  
• Nightlife to suit all tastes 
  
• Excellent sports facilities: golf, skating, all water sports, etc.
  
  

Dutch constitution  

• Holland is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system 
  
• Head of state: Queen Beatrix 
  
• Seat of government: The Hague 
  
• Capital: Amsterdam 
  
• Electoral system based on proportional representation 
  
• Judges appointed for life preside over Dutch courts
  
  

Other points  

• Holland is densely populated 
  
• 16 million inhabitants (459 per square km of land) 
  
• Land below sea level 24%, inhabited by nearly 60% of the population 
  
• Water management crucial to safeguard against flooding 
  
• Involves drainage, irrigation of low-lying land, construction of storm surge barriers (Delta project), dikes and dams (Zuiderzee Barrier Dam) 
  
• Government and business collaborate closely on environmental policy 
  
• Financial incentives for companies investing in environmentally friendly production methods