Amsterdam is the capital and largest city in the Netherlands. The city, also in Amsterdam Amsterdam, located in the province of North Holland, at the mouth of the River Amstel and the IJ.

The name of the town is derived from its location near a dam built in the 13th century in the Amstel. The town received city rights around the year 1300 and later grew into one of the largest cities in the world trade in the Golden Age. Population growth resulted from the late 16th century to major urban extensions, including the canal, on the UNESCO World Heritage List is included and the main attractions of the City. Other attractions in the capital include the museums including the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk Museum and the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank House, the red light district De Wallen, and the many coffee shops around the city. Furthermore, Amsterdam has two universities and is the city with the most nationalities in the world, 178 in 2010.

On December 31, 2010 the municipality of Amsterdam has got 780,152 inhabitants. The urban agglomeration counts in August 2010 approximately 1.1 million inhabitants in terms of population and is the largest conurbation in the Netherlands. The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, which includes Almere, Het Gooi, Haarlem, Zaanstad and Purmerend be counted, has approximately 2.3 million inhabitants. Amsterdam is also one of the cities in the Randstad. The city is administratively divided into seven districts which are further divided into neighborhoods and districts.