Netherlands, lies on the banks of two bodies of water, the IJ bay and the Amstel river. Founded in the late 12th century as a small fishing village on the banks of the Amstel, it is now the largest city in the country and is a financial and cultural centre. As of 1 August 2006, the population of the city proper is 741,329; the population of the official Greater Amsterdam area is approximately 1.5 million.

Amsterdam () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the most populous municipality in the country. Most of the inhabitants live in the city of Amsterdam, but the municipality also covers a number of small villages.