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Our Cultures
The Countries
Where in the world are the Netherlands and Australia?
The Netherlands is in Western Europe. Its total area is 41,526 sq km, of which 33,883 sq km is land and 7,643 sq km water. It shares borders with Belgium and Germany. To the west of the Netherlands is the North Sea.
Australia is an island continent in Oceania. It is the world's smallest continent. Its total area is 7,686,850 sq km, of which 7,617,930 sq km is land and 68,920 sq km water.
It has no shared borders with other countries but its nearest neighbours are Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and New Zealand. To the west of Australia is the Indian Ocean and to the east the Coral and Tasman Seas and the South Pacific Ocean. To the north are the Arafura and Timor Seas.
How are the Netherlands and Australia divided up?
The Netherlands is divided into 12 provinces:
Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant,
Noord-Holland (North Holland), Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland and Zuid-Holland
(South Holland). Each province has an elected parliament.
The Netherlands also has two areas dependent on it: Aruba and the Netherlands
Antilles.
Australia is divided into six states and two territories: Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. Each state or territory has an elected parliament and a leader, who is known as the Premier or the Chief Minister.
The areas dependent on Australia are: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island, McDonald Island, Norfolk Island, and Macquarie Island.
What kind of government do these countries have?
The Netherlands is a constitution monarchy. This means that the head of their country is a king or queen. At the moment their head is Queen Beatrix. The monarchy is passed down through the royal family and the next monarch will be Queen Beatrix's eldest son, Prince Willem-Alexander.
The country has a constitution which lays down the rights and responsibilities of all its citizens. The Netherlands is also a democracy. This means that the people who make the laws are elected by everyone. The Queen and the parliament share responsibility for the welfare of the country but the ministers make the government decisions.
The Netherlands has a Senate and a House of Representatives but they are based in The Hague, not in the capital, Amsterdam. The Queen also lives in The Hague.
Australia is also a democracy. Government representatives are elected by the people, usually for a three-year term. Australia is also constitutional, which means it has a list of basic principles and laws that determine the powers and duties of the government and give certain rights to the citizens of the country.
Australia also has a queen, Queen Elizabeth II, but she is the queen of the entire Commonwealth and has very little to do with how Australia is governed. The leader of Australia is known as the Prime Minister. Australia's House of Representatives and Senate are based in the capital, Canberra, but the current Prime Minister lives in Sydney, although he does also have a house in Canberra.
What do the Coats of Arms of the two countries look like?
The Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is a combination of the arms of the Royal Family (Orange-Nassau) and the sword and arrows of the 17th-century Dutch Republic. The Dutch royal family originates from the county of Nassau in Germany, and the lion on their royal arms is the same as the lion on the oldest arms of Nassau, dating from the 13th century. A sword was added as a symbol of power, with seven arrows representing the original provinces.
The Australian Coat of Arms consists of the badges of the six States of the Commonwealth arranged on a shield. The shield is a symbol for the federation of the States, which took place in 1901. It is held up by a kangaroo and an emu, on a background of Mitchell grass. The designs on the badges are:
New South Wales |
Golden lion on a red St George's Cross on a silver background with an 8-pointed star at each end of the cross. |
Victoria |
White Southern Cross under an Imperial Crown, on a blue background. |
Queensland |
Light blue Maltese Cross with an Imperial Crown at its centre, on a white background. |
South Australia |
A White-Backed Magpie (or Piping Shrike) with wings outstretched, on a yellow background. |
Western Australia |
A Black Swan swimming, on a yellow background. |
Tasmania |
Red lion, on a white background. |
How tall are the mountains in the Netherlands? Are they taller than the
mountains in Australia?
The Netherlands is the lowest country in the world. The highest 'mountain' is only 323 metres above sea level. This means that the Netherlands is a great place for riding bikes and that's exactly what all the Dutch think. Just about everyone has a bike, and there are many more bikes than cars.
The highest mountain in Australia is Mt Kosciuszko in New South Wales, which is 2228 metres above sea level. By world standards, this is not a high mountain at all, but it is certainly much higher than any place in the Netherlands.
How big are these countries and how many people live in them?
The estimated population of the Netherlands in 2005 was about 16.5 million. However, the Netherlands is a very small country - it is only 350 km between its two farthest points. This means that you can travel all the way across it by train in just four hours. Because of this, the Netherlands is one of the most crowded countries in the world.
The estimated population of Australia in 2005 was about 20 million. However, Australia is an enormous country - it is about 4000 km across travelling east-west and about 3000km north to south. The train trip across Australia from Sydney to Perth takes 65 hours. Because of this, Australia is a land of wide open spaces, but most Australians choose to live in the towns and cities along the coastal fringes.
Everyday Life
What do people in the Netherlands and Australia like to do?
The Dutch people enjoy their free time. They like to go cycling, catch up with friends and go on holidays and outings. They are crazy about sport and particularly enjoy soccer, ice skating, hockey, cycling, swimming, sailing and horseback riding. They enjoy listening to music, watching films and reading books.
Australians also enjoy their free time and are well-known for their enthusiasm for sport. They enjoy all kinds of sports such as tennis, cricket, football, swimming, surfing, rugby, netball, hockey and sailing. Australians also like going to the movies, listening to music and touring the countryside. In their holidays they often visit friends and relatives.
What do people like to eat in these countries?
Dutch people eat a lot of bread. They often have sandwiches for breakfast and lunch. They usually have a hot meal in the evening and potatoes are almost always on the menu. The Dutch like to eat pea soup, boerenkool (mashed potato and kale [a kind of cabbage] with sausage), hutspot (mashed potatoes with onions and carrot), cheese, raw herrings and tiny pancakes called poffertjes. Because the Netherlands is a multicultural society, the Dutch now enjoy all kinds of cuisines from other parts of the world.
Australian people also enjoy a wide range of foods. Some popular Australian foods are meat pies, Vegemite (a salty vegetable extract spread) and lamingtons (sponge cake dipped in chocolate and coconut), and Pavlova. Australians like to eat a lot of meat and at their get-togethers they often have a barbeque. As Australia is home to people from many cultural backgrounds, all kinds of cuisines are enjoyed.
How do people dress in these countries?
People might think that Dutch people always walk around in clogs and wear flowing dresses or knickerbockers. These are the traditional costumes of the Netherlands and were worn by people until the beginning of the 20th century. Today the Dutch dress in modern fashions, although you might occasionally see people wearing the traditional clothing. Clogs, or wooden shoes, were inexpensive, easily-made, strong, waterproof footwear that could be worn all day in the fields. Now that leather and rubber are more commonly used very few Dutch people still wear clogs, but clogs of all shapes and sizes are very popular items for visitors to the Netherlands to buy as souvenirs.
Australian people come from many different cultural backgrounds and do not have any specific traditional costumes, although there are some kinds of clothing that are typically Australian, such as the slouch hat and the oilskin work coat. Today, Australians dress in modern fashions and the Australian fashion industry is becoming recognised throughout the world.
What currencies do the Netherlands and Australia use?
The first official currency of the Netherlands was the gulden (sometimes called guilder in English). In 1999 it was replaced by the euro (€), although the new coins and notes were not introduced until January 1, 2002.
Dutch euro coins have two designs, both of which include a portrait of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, the 12 stars of the European Union, and the year in which the coin was minted.
All euro notes have the same design. They feature windows and gateways (on the front) and bridges (on the reverse) from different periods in Europe's architectural history. One euro is also divided into 100 cents.
In 1913, the first series of Australian notes was issued, based on the old British system of twelve pence to a shilling and twenty shillings to a pound.
In 1963, Australia changed over to decimal currency. Decimal coins and notes were introduced on 14 February 1966. One dollar is divided into 100 cents.
Australian notes feature a number of prominent Australians, including the singer Dame Nellie Melba; the distinguished soldier, engineer and administrator, General Sir John Monash; David Unaipon, Aboriginal writer and inventor; Mary Reibey, who arrived in Australia as a convict in 1792 and went on to become a successful shipping magnate and philanthropist; and the poets A. B. ('Banjo') Paterson and Dame Mary Gilmore.
The designs on the front of Australian coins include an Aboriginal tribal elder set against a background of the Southern Cross and native grass trees ($2); five kangaroos ($1); the Australian coat of arms (50c); a platypus (20c) a dancing male lyrebird (10c) and an echidna (5c). Other designs are sometimes created to commemorate special events.
School and Work
What is school like in these countries?
In the Netherlands, children go to elementary school from the ages of four to 12 years. After that, they go to secondary school. There are three main types of secondary education (vocational, general and pre-university), depending on what students think they would like to do when they have finished school. The school day begins at about 9am and finishes about 4pm. Children learn basic reading, writing and mathematics skills. They also take other subjects, such as Geography, History, Sport, Music and Art, and often learn at least two other languages.
Australian children attend primary school between the ages of about four and 12. Following this they attend secondary school. Most children attend school for about 13 years, but the education systems differ a little from state to state. The school day is also about seven hours long. Students are taught reading, writing and mathematics. They also learn about music, science, history, geography and various other subjects. Many children learn another language.
What sort of work do people do in these countries?
Dutch people are often involved in growing agricultural products such as grains, potatoes, sugar beet, fruit, vegetables and livestock. They have many industries, including making metal and engineering products, food processing, building electrical machinery and equipment, chemical production, petroleum refining, construction and microelectronics. There are also many people involved in the fishing industry. The Dutch have created a strong and open economy by setting up and maintaining trade links with other countries.
Australians are also involved in the farming of wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits, cattle, sheep, poultry and other agricultural products. Some of Australia's main industries are mining, making industrial and transport equipment, food processing and the manufacturing of chemicals and steel. It is a country rich in raw materials and natural resources, which are exported all over the world. Australia also has strong trade links with countries in its region and around the world.
The Weather
Do the Netherlands and Australia always have perfect weather?
The climate in the Netherlands is fairly cool - in mid-summer the average temperature is around 17°C and in mid-winter it is around 2°C. This means that lakes, canals and rivers sometimes freeze over and people can go skating on them. It is quite often windy and wet, even in the summer, so the countryside is usually green.
Australia is a huge country with many climatic regions. In general, it is a land of extremes, having very high summer temperatures inland and very low winter temperatures in the southern states and mountainous areas. There are some areas of high rainfall but even more areas where it hardly ever rains.
All countries have water, but how much? Are Australia and the Netherlands
watery places?
The Netherlands is a very watery place! Its name actually means 'low country' because nearly a quarter of its land lies below sea level. This means that dikes, dunes and pumps are needed to protect the land from flooding. Large areas of land have been reclaimed from the sea. These areas are called 'polders'. Towns and farms have been built on these polders and they are often surrounded by canals. There are also many lakes and rivers.
Australia is the driest continent in the world. There is only one major river system, the Murray-Darling, and a great part of inland Australia is completely arid.