Location and Orientation: Lying on the banks of the IJ bay and the Amstel River, Amsterdam is located at 52°22' North Latitude and 4°54' East Longitude. The old quarter of the city, which is very compact, can be covered on foot or by cycle and most of its major sites are located at a walking distance of each other. Dam Square situated at the heart of the city is only five minutes away from the Central Station, the axis from where the city's streets radiate outward across a network of canals. The western canals, Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht and Heengracht are lined with picturesque 17th century homes. A range of shops, bars and art galleries comprise the Jordaan. The residential districts include among others, Oud Zuid, which is located east of the Damrak-Rokin axis and Nieuw Zuid in which is located to the west of that axis.
Weather & Climate: Amsterdam has a moderate climate with mild winters and warm summers. The city averages less than 760 mm of precipitation every year. It mostly experiences cloudy and damp days especially during winters and receives light
rain or drizzle. The beautiful sunny days of the city has a temperature of around 25 degrees Celsius in the summer. As summer morning
rain are likely, people often carry an umbrella even on the hottest of July days.
Population: Amsterdam is home to 743,905 inhabitants whereas the greater Amsterdam area has 1.5 million people. This makes it the country's largest city. Around 173 nationalities reside in the city.
Languages: Dutch is the first official language of the Netherlands. The second is Frisian, a minority language used in the North of the country. In Amsterdam, majority of the people speak English and German fluently. French is a language, which is widely understood but hardly spoken.
