Although the Dutch government is in The Hague, Amsterdam is called the nominal capital, i.e. Holland is one of the few countries that do not have the seat of government in the capital. With a population of almost 750,000 it is also the largest city which is visited by more than 3 million foreign visitors per year.
The city of Amsterdam is often spoken only for their freedom with regard to soft drugs (sold in coffee shops) or the famous feast of the Gay Parade, where thousands of gay couples show your pride gay. Amsterdam is much more than that, is to discover museums, street markets and absorb a whole historical culture of a multi-cultural city.
The coat of Amsterdam consists of three crosses of St. Andrew rotated 90 degrees to the flag. Historians believe they represent the three dangers that have traditionally plagued the city: pestilence, floods and fire. The city's official motto is "Heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig" ("Valiant, Resolute, Merciful") that is displayed on the coat, was awarded by Queen Wilhelmina in 1947 in recognition of the courage of the city during World War II. The lions were added in the sixteenth century.
The Imperial Crown of Austria was granted to the city in 1489 by Maximilian I, in gratitude for services and loans. The crown was a sign of imperial protection and acted as a seal of approval to the Amsterdam merchants abroad.
Language
Dutch is the official language, but almost all the inhabitants of Amsterdam speak English and are proud of that fact. Sometimes you will find that people speak French and German, but English should be used (if you do not dominate the Netherlands) since people can get offended if you speak in another language. Some key phrases see "Dutch Language"
Temperature
Amsterdam enjoys a moderate climate, with weather patterns being strongly influenced by the proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. The winter temperatures are usually above freezing, although frosts are not uncommon during the period March. Summers are comfortably warm but rarely hot, and the highest temperatures occur in June and August (to about 21 and 26 degrees Celsius). Although it is common to the days with measurable precipitation, Amsterdam does not have a climate considered "wet" because it gets an average of less than 760 mm of annual rainfall. A normal day in this city, will be a cloudy day, sometimes with some wind and a little moist.
Architecture
Amsterdam is where modern architecture is developed organically between facades of historical buildings. Not being a big city all sights are always within reasonable distance. Modern architecture includes: Silodam, New Islands (Borneo, Java, Sporenburg, KNSM) and IJburg. Many Dutch architects, who are currently outside the country, have some of their work in this city, among others they are Rem Koolhaas, Sjoerd Soeters, Wiel arets, Bentham & Crouwel, Ben v.Berkel. The Amsterdam School of the twentieth century is distinct in its expressive style, applied by Michel de Kerk and P. Kramer. Other examples of the twentieth century yet include Zuid Plan by architect Berlage, Nieuwe Bouwen architects and Jan Wils, J. Staal, Jan Duiker and Gerrit Rietveld.