Archaeological excavations suggest people were already living in the area, which is nowadays known as Amsterdam, during Roman times. There is no evidence of human settlement, but coins and several other artifacts show that there were people in the region. The area consisted of numerous shifting lakes, swamps and soggy peat. During the 12th century the marshlands around the Amstel River were dammed by farmers and fishing men who settled in the area.

In the 14th and 15th centuries, many merchants moved their businesses to Amsterdam. By 1600 ships from Amsterdam dominated trade and traffic on most European Seas. In the 17th century overseas trading ports were established. Slowly money industries such as banks became more important than trade. In the beginning of the 19th century the importance of Amsterdam started declining, after the French occupied the city and the British blockaded access to the sea.

Nowadays the capital of the Netherlands is an important tourist destination and there are numerous interesting sights, scattered all over the city. Some of the most important sights include the Rijksmuseum (the most important museum in the Netherlands), the Stedelijk Museum and the Anne Frankhuis (the dwelling wher Anne Frank and her family hid from the Germans during WWII. There are many more good museums in the city.

Most people come to Amsterdam for its canals though. Amsterdam's canals were built during the Golden Age. Goods from warehouses along the canals could easily be shipped in and out of the city that way. Many of these warehouses have been restored and are now in use ass offices and art galleries.

Amsterdam's central area is very compact and can easily be explored on foot. There are countless hotels, hostles and other sorts of accommodation in the city. There is a network of trams, buses and metros to get around and Schiphol Airport, the gateway to the Netherlands is not far from the city and has excellent connections with central Amsterdam.

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