Amsterdam

Amsterdam (pronounced /ˈæmstərdæm/ (deprecatit template); Dutch [ˌɑmstərˈdɑm] ( listen)) is the caipital an lairgest ceety o the Netherlands, wi an urban population o 1,364,422 an a metropolitan population o 2,158,372. The ceety is locatit in the province o North Holland in the wast o the kintra. It comprises the northren pairt o the Randstad, the saxt-lairgest metropolitan aurie in Europe, wi a population o approximately 8.1 million. Its name is derived frae Amstellerdam, indicative o the ceety's oreegin: a dam in the river Amstel. Settled as a smaw fishin veelage in the late 12t century, Amsterdam became ane o the maist important ports in the warld durin the Dutch Gowden Age, a result o its innovative developments in trade. Durin that time, the ceety wis the leadin centre for finance an diamonds. In the 19t an 20t centuries, the ceety expandit, an mony new neebourheids an suburbs war formed. The 17t-century canals o Amsterdam (in Dutch: 'Grachtengordel'), locatit in the hert o Amsterdam, wur eikit tae the UNESCO Warld Heritage Leet in Julie 2010. The ceety is the financial an cultural caipital o the Netherlands. Mony lairge Dutch institutions hae thair heidquarters thare, an 7 o the warld's tap 500 companies, includin Philips an ING, are based in the ceety. In 2010, Amsterdam wis ranked 13t globally on quality o livin bi Mercer, an previously ranked 3rd in innovation bi 2thinknow in the Innovation Cities Index 2009. The Amsterdam Stock Exchynge, the auldest stock exchynge in the warld, is locatit in the ceety centre. Amsterdam's main sichts, includin its historic canals, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum, Hermitage Amsterdam, Anne Frank Hoose, its reid-licht destrict, an its mony cannabis coffee shops draw mair nor 3.66 million internaitional veesitors ilka year. Internaitional relations Sister ceeties References