Amsterdam

Amsterdam Largest city in the Netherlands; although Den Haag is the seat of political government, Amsterdam is the nominal »capital.« It is situated on low-lying ground at the junction of the Amstel and Ij rivers, a city, like the entire country, made possible by reclamation of land from the seas by dike building. Amsterdam was founded as a small fishing village in a marsh near the mouth of the Amstel around the year 1200. Expansion proceeded at a great rate, and soon the city was the center of…