10 ridiculous nonsensical facts about our little frog country

‘I loooove Hooooolland. The little country by the Zuiderzee. A little piece of Hooooolland. I carry it in my heart always.’ Say, what a gigantic old-fashioned silly song, or is it just me? Anyway: today we dive deeper into the facts of the land of windmills, tulips, and successful DJs. Yes indeed: our own Holland. 10 unnecessary facts, thrown your way. Here it comes.

1. In the category ‘didn't expect that and actually don't want to know’: seventy percent of all bacon in the world comes from... yep... the Netherlands.

2. The Dutch are, with an average height of 184 cm for men and 170 cm for women, the tallest people on earth. Some believe it is the combined result of DNA and dairy.

3. We eat herring like crazy, a whopping 12 million kilos per year. That comes down to at least five fish per person. Ooooh, we can manage that, right?

4. Because the soil of Amsterdam consists of a thick layer of peat and clay, all buildings are built on wooden piles that are fixed in a sand layer and are on average 11 meters deep. The Royal Palace on the Dam is built on no less than 13,659 wooden piles. Wow.

5. And, did you know that Schiphol Airport is actually 4.5 meters below sea level?

6. Something we can still be quite proud of: the Netherlands was the first country in the WORLD to legalize same-sex marriage. That was in 2001. #earlyadoptersyesyes

7. In Groningen, you will find the largest café in Europe. If you want to throw a huge party: De Drie Gezusters can welcome 3,700 people. Joejoe.

8. The Efteling was super cheap in 1952. A ticket then cost the equivalent of 0.36 euro cents. Now that is 36 euros.

9. On Texel, there are more sheep than people. Beeeeeh.

10. The longest place name written as one word in the Netherlands is Gasselterboerveenschemond (in Drenthe).