Comparatively, the area occupied by the Netherlands is slightly less than twice the size of the state of New Jersey. The Netherlands extends 312 km (194 mi) N–S and 264 km (164 mi) E–W. The land area increases slightly each year as a result of continuous land reclamation and drainage. The Netherlands is bounded on the E by Germany on the S by Belgium, and on the W and N by the North Sea, with a total boundary length of 1,478 km (918 mi), of which 451 km (280 mi) is coastline.
The capital city of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, is in the western part of the country.
Topography
The country falls into three natural topographical divisions: the dunes, the lowlands or "polders" (low-lying land reclaimed from the sea and from lakes and protected by dikes), and the higher eastern section of the country. About 27% of the land lies below sea level. A long range of sand dunes on the western coast protects the low alluvial land to the east from the high tides of the North Sea, and farther east and southeast are found diluvial sand and gravel soil. The highest point of land, the Vaalserberg, is situated in the extreme south and is 321 m (1,053 ft) above sea level; the lowest point, 7 m (23 ft) below sea level, is Prins Alexanderpolder, an area of reclaimed land situated northeast of Rotterdam.
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