Document-Based Questions - Debra J. Housel, M.S. Ed. 2008

The Netherlands: Land of Windmills, Bicycles, and Tulips
Interesting Places

Often called Holland, the Netherlands is a small nation in northern Europe. It shares borders with Belgium and Germany. People from the Netherlands are called the Dutch. So is their language.

More than 40 percent of the nation has been reclaimed from the North Sea. Dikes are built around an area. The water within the enclosed area is pumped out. In the past, windmills provided the energy for the pumps. Now electric motors do the job. A network of canals guides the water back into the ocean. But most of this land lies below sea level. So water seeps back in. As a result, pumping is done each day. To get rid of salt, they plant coarse grass and let it grow for several years. At last the land is ready for farming. Reclaimed land grows great crops.

At some points in history, the Dutch have used their dikes for defense. They opened the gates on purpose and flooded their nation. It helped to stop invaders from entering the country. Many other nations have tried to gain control of its seaports.

Holland is flat. But all roads have gentle bends. This keeps drivers from dozing at the wheel. The flatness is one of the reasons the Netherlands is called the land of the bicycle. Many people use bikes instead of cars. There are three times more bicycles than cars in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands, capital city is Amsterdam. Diamond cutters have worked there since the 1500s.

Diamonds are mined elsewhere and shipped to the city. There, workers finish 80 percent of the world’s industrial diamonds. Cutting tools and drills need these hard gems. Workers cut and polish diamonds for jewelry, too.

The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries on Earth. This means that a lot of people live within every square mile. The nation is important to international trade. More than one- third of all goods loaded or unloaded in the European Union* passes through its ports. Rotterdam is the busiest one. It has the biggest man-made harbor and port complex in the world.

*25 nations in Europe that have agreed to cooperate in economics and politics

The Netherlands: Land of Windmills, Bicycles, and Tulips

The Netherlands: Land of Windmills, Bicycles, and Tulips 1. Another name for the Netherlands is

a. Amsterdam.

b. Dutch.

c. Holland.

d. Rotterdam.

2. The amount of land that has not been reclaimed from the North Sea is about

a. 30 percent.

b. 40 percent.

c. 50 percent.

d. 60 percent.

3. Why do so many of the Dutch people ride bicycles?

a. It is an easy way to get around because there aren’t any hills.

b. Few of them can afford cars.

c. Bicycles were invented in the Netherlands.

d. Because so much of the land has been reclaimed from the sea, there are few roads that are wide enough for cars.

4. The people of the Netherlands have occasionally used its dikes for defense. True or False? Explain.

5. Name the five tourist attractions listed in the travel brochure and state which one you’d most like to see and why.

6. If you lived in the Netherlands would you rather use a bicycle or a car? Tell why.