Dutch and South African History (Robert Sepehr)

Holland is a region and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands... a European country, bordering Germany to the East, and Belgium to the South, With a population numbering over 17 million, blessed with one of the most beautiful capital cities in the world, Amsterdam. The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy, which was divided into 12 provinces, a number that is no coincidence.

It grew to become one of the major economic and sea-faring powers in the world during the 17th century, which is known as the Dutch Golden Age, when many colonies were founded, including the Netherlands East Indies (currently called Indonesia) and New Amsterdam, which was later traded with the British and re-named as New York. The Dutch East India Company established its first outpost at Cape Town, South Africa, in 1652. Afrikaans is a West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and, to a lesser extent, Botswana and Zimbabwe.