Located on the North Sea and bordered by Belgium and Germany, the Netherlands holds the beauty of Holland’s windmills and tulips, as well as bustling cities.  The region used to fall under the jurisdiction of the Holy Roman Empire and was later part of Dutch colonization in Africa and Indonesia.  While maintaining neutrality during World War I, the Netherlands fell under control of the Nazi regime in World War II, chronicled through sites like the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.  Since then, the Netherlands have flourished as an autonomous nation-state, and today are known for their beauty and progressive social change.

Most notably, Amsterdam holds an array of tolerance towards taboo ideas in some cultures, like sex, drugs, and euthanasia.  Even still, the country provides new experiences, for those who wish to partake, beautiful canals, the alluring Holland countryside, and the immense amount of heritage and tradition at The Hague. 

Map courtesy of: http://www.appliedlanguage.com/country_guides/Netherlands.shtml