The Country with Two Names

Famous for its windmills and tulips, the Netherlands is also known by its other name - Holland. About 1/2 the size of Maine, nearly 1/4 of the Netherlands lies below sea level (Netherlands actually means "low lands"). Windmills were once used to power the pumps that drained away the water, and protective dikes were built to keep the water out.

Dutch explorers left their mark on the world as they searched for riches and adventure. One explorer, Abel Tasman, discovered and named New Zealand; Cornelis de Houfamn claimed the island of Java for Holland in 1596. In the 1600's, Dutch people settled land on the east coast of America. One of the towns they built was called New Amsterdam. But when the British took over the land they renamed it New York City!

Many famous artists have come from this small country by the Northern Sea. Painters like Rembrandt, Vermeer and Vincent Van Gogh are world renknown and their paintings hang in the world's most important museums. It was in Amsterdam that Anne Frank and her family went into hiding from the Nazis during World War II. During this time she kept a diary that would be published after her death. Today, the annex where she secretly lived is now a museum, and "The Diary of Anne Frank" is read in schools all over the world.