2. The land area taken from the sea by the building of dikes was called a _____.

3. The result of all the dike building and polder making is that Holland has almost doubled its land area. (40% of the country would be underwater without the dikes. ________ were built to drain the water off the land. Later they were also used to saw wood and grind wheat.

4. The Polders region is below sea level. When you stand in a polder field, you can look across a dike and see ships floating above the level of the field! This area is the leading farming region because of its fertile soil. Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht are found in this area. The Hague lies where the polders and the Dunes meet.

5. Two major rivers flow through The Netherlands. They are the _________ and the Maas. They are important means of transportation for products from other European countries to The Netherlands and the North Sea and from The Netherlands to other European countries.

6. An important industry for The Netherlands is fishing. _________ is the most important kind of fish they catch.

7. Different groups of people settled The Netherlands. Each group differed in language and customs. To this day, the people in the different regions maintain varying customs, language dialects, and manners of dress.

8. The capitol of the Netherlands is _______________, but the seat of the government is in ______________.

9. Queen ____________ is currently the queen of The Netherlands. Describe the actual main governing body of The Netherlands. ________________________ _______________________________________________________________

10. Builders in Amsterdam used every bit of available space. The houses stand close to each other. The staircases are only wide enough for one person. They use a hoist on the top of the building to bet big items up in their houses.

11. The ________________ found in The Hague is the headquarters for the International Court of Justice, a UN court that settles legal disputes between countries.

12. __________ is an important ship-building city and harbor to other cities of the world.

13. __________ is known as the center of learning. Henry Scholte attended the University there.

14. The Dutch are known for their _______(a dairy product), their ______(flowers), _______(herring), and lace.

15. On holidays, many folks wear the traditional Dutch costumes to remind them of their ancestors. The most famous part of the traditional Dutch way of dressing is the _______________(2 words), but the Dutch call them ________.

16. Transportation on the Netherland’s main _______ is important for moving products throughout the country.

17. The country is also linked by many _______, or smaller waterways.

18. The making of pottery and the cutting of diamonds are important Dutch crafts. ________ is a fine white pottery usually decorated with blue designs.

19. ________ is the national language of The Netherlands. The other official language is ___________.

20. Some famous people from the Netherlands are: _______________________ _________________________________________________________________

21. ____________________ was a young Jewish girl who hid with her family from the Nazis. She kept a diary which turned into a very popular book.

22. All children must complete 10 years of school from ages 6-16. Primary education is much like elementary school here. Instead of high school, students attend specialized schools that prepare them for jobs or for University studies.

23. In the space below, list a Dutch last name and its meaning. (You may list more than one if you like!)