Friesian Horse
This powerful black horse with a flowing mane has been bred in the Dutch province of Friesland for hundreds of years and was once used by knights in battle.
Flag of Netherlands
Field Report
The Netherlands is a small, flat country in northwestern Europe, right on the coast of the North Sea, bordered by Germany and Belgium. It is famous for its windmills, fields of tulips, and a network of canals that crisscross its cities and countryside. Because so much of the land is low and wet, the Dutch people have spent centuries engineering clever ways to hold back the sea and make the soggy ground livable and farmable.
From the Field Notebook
Friesian Horse
This powerful black horse with a flowing mane has been bred in the Dutch province of Friesland for hundreds of years and was once used by knights in battle.
European Hare
Larger than a rabbit and built for speed, the European hare lives in the open Dutch polders and can run faster than most dogs chasing it.
White Stork
White storks nest on Dutch rooftops and chimneys each spring, and for centuries Dutch families considered it good luck to have one settle on their home.
Stroopwafel
Two thin waffle cookies are pressed together with a layer of warm caramel syrup in the middle, making a chewy, sweet treat that Dutch people often rest on top of a hot cup of tea to soften it.
Haring
Raw herring fish is eaten whole with raw onions and pickles, usually bought from a street cart and tilted straight into your mouth by the tail — it tastes briny, soft, and surprisingly mild.
Erwtensoep
This thick split-pea soup is so dense that a spoon can stand upright in it, and Dutch families eat it on cold winter days with slices of smoked sausage and dark rye bread.
About one-third of the Netherlands sits below sea level, meaning millions of Dutch people live on land that would be underwater if not for an enormous system of dikes, pumps, and drainage canals built over many centuries.
The Netherlands has more bicycles than people — roughly 23 million bikes for fewer than 18 million citizens — and most Dutch children ride to school every single day, even in the rain.
Dutch painters from the 1600s, such as Rembrandt and Vermeer, were so skilled that art historians call that period the Dutch Golden Age, and their paintings now hang in museums all over the world.
The Netherlands is the world's second-largest exporter of food and agricultural products after the United States, even though it is a country roughly the size of West Virginia.
The Dutch city of Amsterdam has about 1,500 bridges crossing its famous ring of canals, and some people actually live full-time on houseboats moored along those waterways.
Daily Life
82
Years life expectancy
99%
Kids go to school
Missions Field Report
Netherlands is home to 71 distinct people groups — 20 of them haven’t yet heard about Jesus.
About half of Netherlands's people follow Christianity (46.7%). Evangelical Christians make up about 4.0% of the population.
What People Believe
Unreached People Groups
These are communities of people who haven’t had the chance to hear about Jesus yet. They need missionaries — and they need kids like you to pray for them.
Arab, Moroccan
321,000 people
Turk
321,000 people
South Asian, general
239,000 people
Berber, Rif
173,000 people
East Indian
155,000 people
Prayer Journal
Tick each one as you pray. God hears every word.