Why you shouldn't call it Holland...

This is a much-needed lesson in the English-speaking world, and a valuable contribution to my crusade against geographic misconceptions. I can't count how many people have asked me if I'm from Amsterdam when they hear I live in Copenhagen. Amsterdam : Netherlands :: Copenhagen : Denmark. And of course, upon this explanation, people apologise and remark on Denmark being the capital of Sweden.

That's when I shoot myself.

Thanks Carolina, for pointing this common mistake. The dutch people are very good in the games they play, football, hockey, badminton and now cricket. They have produced such legends like, Johan Cryuff in football, Bovelander in hockey, Erland Kops in badminton, etc.. It is amazing that a small country could produce such a vast storehouse of talents! I used to always associate them with Holland Even in other fields, like science and music, they are at the forefront. Now I shall remember to replace Holland with Nederlands. One of my couisin brothers, once visited Armsterdam and he used to send me picture cards of beautiful gardens full of exquisite flowers. I have fallen in love with Holland, sorry! Nederlands.

Thanks, I guess I never realized this. Very good information.

It's a good idea to point this out, Caroline, since a lot of people are not aware of it. I do know that the official name is the Netherlands, and that "Holland" strictly speaking is just a part of the Netherlands (though I didn't know there were two different provinces, North and South). But I have to admit I still say "Holland" colloquially, because, well, it's so easy to say. :-)

There's also the problem that while many languages related to Dutch (like English) could easily come up with a word just like "nederland", in many other languages the phrase had to be translated literally, and sounds cumbersome, if not funny. "Los Países Bajos" in Spanish, for example, is used officially, but I don't blame people in conversation for saying "Holanda".

The situation is worse in Hungarian, "Hollandia" is the only name we have for the Netherlands. There is the term "Németalföld", literally, the "German Lowlands", but it's only used in a historical context, not for the modern state. Sorry... :-)

If it's any consolation, I currently live on an island which is part of a larger town with the same name which is part of a much larger county of the same name. And it's not because our town is the main city in that county either, it's one of the many little ones. It can get confusing...

Sorry, Carolina. :-)

Søren:

C'mon, at least you guys all speak related languages and the cities do resemble each other a little... How about Budapest and Bucharest? Well, they sound similar, at least in English. (It's Bucuresti in Romanian.)

But having to explain your country is not in the Middle East? I don't get that one at all. (I'm almost as blond as you are, so that's not it...)

Mitch you may call us hollandaise if you want ;)
From the wikipedia article:
"To add yet another layer of confusion, the word Dutch formerly meant 'from the people' (Diets), the same as German (Deutsch) in English usage, since in the early Middle Ages there was no real distinction between the Dutch and the Germans. This should be borne in mind when reading very old literature, and also accounts for the name Pennsylvania Dutch, whose ancestral origins lie in Southern Germany and not the Netherlands. The term 'Low Countries' is sometimes used to refer to the Netherlands, but historically it refers (as does the word Netherlands) to a bigger region in western Europe, including Belgium, Luxembourg, and a part of France, all being part of the original Netherlands. It is simply the English usage for the old Dutch name Nederlanden (now Nederland). In the early middle ages it was considered part of the German geographical area (this is why the German Deutsch was used by the English to describe the Netherlands, becoming the English word Dutch), known as Low Germany because of its low topography, and this simply became Low Countries as the identity of the Netherlands as a separate national entity developed.

Instead of the word Dutch the word Netherlands can be used as an adjective (e.g. the Netherlands government). Alternatively, the terms Netherlandish and Netherlandic are both used sometimes."

Carolina, if you don't mind, I am interested to know how the phrase, 'Dutch courage' originated? Another characteristic of the Dutch people of paying their individual bills while eating as a group in a hotel, is often descibed by the phrase, 'going Dutch', by the people of other countries. This characteristic is often emulated when nobody wants to pay for the entire group.

Dutch courage is courage or confidence you get when you drink alcohol. I don't know where it came from, in my experience the British don't drink any less than the Dutch...

Are doughnuts Dutch? Never knew that...:)

Aren't Dutch doughnuts called olibolen? I don't know if that is the spelling, but it is phonetically correct.

As a descendant of people from Friesland and Drenthe, I appreciate the lesson on Holland vs. Netherlands. My grandparents could have told me when they were alive, but I don't have them as reference anymore. I have only visited the Netherlands once, back in 1977 when I was 13.