Dutch Keep Water at Bay

Global warming is a cause for serious concern in low-lying countries. The Dutch aren't waiting for a catastrophe; they're taking measures to solve the problem now. City planners, take note!

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• wired
• magazine
• wired.com
• dutch
• delta
• dyke
• water
• environment
• climate
• change
• global
• warming
• rising
• sea
• levels
• netherlands

[Ronaldvdb81]

God created the world, but the Dutch created The Netherlands

[punchthedog]

The Netherlands is made up of 12 provinces. Holland is made up of two of these provinces, North Holland and South Holland. The Netherlands three biggest cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam & The Hague are located in Holland, so if you are a visiting foreigner to The Netherlands, chances are you would be visiting Holland. The name 'Holland' is usually mistakenly used to refer to the whole of The Netherlands. But you would be forgiven for doing so as even the Dutch themselves do it.

[Prinsgezindepatriot]

@MrStaticrocker do you still believe it isnt?

[MrStaticrocker]

GLOBAL WARMING????

HAHAHAHAHAHA

People still believe this???? LMAO!!!

[Dofol]

@GulleGelderlander Well you can't blame the foreigners for calling it Holland. The Netherlands even promote their country abroad as Holland.

[ReadeRomke]

@punchthedog, I am a Frisian living in the Netherlands. I speak Frisian and Dutch. I don't want to be called Holland!

[GulleGelderlander]

@TheBhoyJoe And he had ofcourse a typical Dutch name: Martin van Buren. But yes it's correct that the most presidents were of British/Irish descent. I find this quite surprising, because there were many Americans with Spanish and French ancestry as well, but I don't know any American president with those ancestries. Though I have to admit that I don't know all the presidents.

[GulleGelderlander]

@TheBhoyJoe No, Van Buren was definitely Dutch. His ancestors were Dutch immigrants. New-York was founded by the Dutch as 'Nieuw-Amsterdam'. It was later swapped with the English for Suriname. Though there were many Dutch colonists who stayed at New-York. Many of those colonists had typical Dutch given names such as Jan or Kees. The English made the nickname yankees for the New-Yorkers. Martin van Buren was born in a little Dutch settlement Kinderhook. He spoke Dutch as first language.

[TheBhoyJoe]

@GulleGelderlander 4 of those presidents, I'm not sure about van Buren, have Scottish heritage. Over 95% of all American presidents have a recent Scottish ancestor.

[GulleGelderlander]

@TheBhoyJoe Yes, true. They are mainly Germans. Though there are many Dutch communities in the US as well, but not the Pennsylvania Dutch. 5 American presidents were of Dutch ancestry: Martin van Buren (native Dutch speaker), Theodore Roosevelt, FD. Roosevelt, George Bush Sr and George Bush Jr.

And ofcourse the most Afrikaners, the white South-Africans, are of Dutch ancestry.

[TheBhoyJoe]

@GulleGelderlander And the Pennsylvania "Dutch" at actually "Deutsch", as in German ancestry.

[GulleGelderlander]

@TheBhoyJoe This is very annoying for Dutch people learning English. The Germans call themselves "Deutsch", the Dutch call the Germans "Duits", while the call themselves "Nederlands". At the time NL split of the HRR, the Dutch still called themselves Duits or Diets. This changed through the centuries to Nederduits and later to Nederlands. The English kept calling us Dutch. This may confuse Dutchmen. Here was a bit clarification for you :) .