Amsterdam is the capital city of the Netherlands. It is also the largest city in the Netherlands with over 751,251 residents from over 175 different nationalities. Known for its "Red Light District” and historic ports, Amsterdam is a popular destination for both visitors and companies in the region. Many large companies including Heineken International, ING Group, and TomTom call Amsterdam home for their corporate headquarters. Amsterdam also is home to the Amsterdam Stock Exchange (AEX) which is the world’s oldest stock exchange. Over 4.2 million international visitors flock to Amsterdam every year to enjoy its beauty and busy city center.
Known as one of the most "bicycle friendly” cities in the world, Amsterdam has over one million bicycles within the city. It is also has one of the highest rates of stolen bikes with over 10,000 bikes being reported stolen each year. Along with bicycling, other sports are very popular within the city. Amsterdam is home to the Eredivisie football club Ajax which plays in the Amsterdam ArenA stadium. Amsterdam also has a professional hockey team, the Amstel Tijgers and a professional baseball team, the Amsterdam Pirates.
Some of the most notable citizens of Amsterdam are Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt van Rijn, Anne Frank, and Albert Camus. Amsterdam is also home to one of the world’s oldest botanical gardens which contains the original coffee plant that was used as the parent plant for all of the coffee plants grown in Central and South America.
