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Location Information:
Amsterdam is the capital and largest
city of the Netherlands, with an
urban population of 1,364,422 and a
metropolitan population of
2,158,372. The city is located in
the province of North Holland in the
west of the country. It comprises
the northern part of the Randstad,
the sixth-largest metropolitan area
in Europe, with a population of
approximately 8.1 million.
Its
name is derived from Amstellerdam,
indicative of the city's origin: a
dam in the river Amstel. Settled as
a small fishing village in the late
12th century, Amsterdam became one
of the most important ports in the
world during the Dutch Golden Age, a
result of its innovative
developments in trade. During that
time, the city was the leading
centre for finance and diamonds. In
the 19th and 20th centuries, the
city expanded, and many new
neighbourhoods and suburbs were
formed. The 17th-century canals of
Amsterdam (in Dutch: 'Grachtengordel'),
located in the heart of Amsterdam,
were added to the UNESCO World
Heritage List in July 2010.
The
city is the financial and cultural
capital of the Netherlands Many
large Dutch institutions have their
headquarters there, and 7 of the
world's top 500 companies, including
Philips and ING, are based in the
city. In 2010, Amsterdam was ranked
13th globally on quality of living
by Mercer, and previously ranked 3rd
in innovation by 2thinknow in the
Innovation Cities Index 2009.
The
Amsterdam Stock Exchange, the oldest
stock exchange in the world, is
located in the city centre.
Amsterdam's main attractions,
including its historic canals, the
Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum,
Stedelijk Museum, Hermitage
Amsterdam, Anne Frank House, its
red-light district, and its many
cannabis coffee shops draw more than
3.66 million international visitors
annually
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