Countries

Netherlands

About a quarter of the country sits below sea level, held back by a centuries-old system of dikes, canals and pumps. Amsterdam alone has over 100km of canals and more than 1,500 bridges, earning it the nickname 'Venice of the North.'

Canal houses reflected in an Amsterdam canal at dusk

An Amsterdam canal at dusk

Photo: Anne Dirkse, CC BY-SA 4.0

One of the oldest tricolors in the world, evolving from the orange-white-blue Prince's Flag of the 1570s; the orange was replaced by red sometime in the 17th century for reasons that are still debated.

How it has changed

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